I was about to compose a little gripe-&-moan session, but I don't have enough time. And that's the crux of the issue: Time Management. Ugh. I hate thinking about organization -it's like the flu to me. But I should think of it as the flu vaccine, a preventative measure that makes me slightly gross feeling but is nothing compared to the real thing. And the real thing would be utter chaos. Let's avoid that.
Instead of complaining, which is the easiest thing to do, let's problem solve. And I also want to give a chipper little update!
Problem: Not enough time to get everything done.
Road blocks: Wasting time, working inefficiently, lack of organization. (Yuck, I said that word.)
Solutions: Scheduling every day. (Yuck again. But I get it.)
Now, where's my mother and why isn't she here to create a chart and a few brilliant systems for me, huh?
Actually -this is really cool- we were on the phone two mornings ago and I was bemoaning my lack of time. She suggested finding a friend who could watch the kids on one of the two days Brian has school and making the most of that kid-free time. Cool part? My friend, Erin, called me last night asking if we could trade watching our boys one morning a week while our little girls napped so we could actually get stuff done. Now her son, Lucas, who is Wilder's age will come over Monday mornings for a few hours and I'll bring Wilder over to Erin's house on Wednesdays. Isn't it amazing how God works -he's quick!
My mom reminded me to make sure I took time to recharge myself each day. I used to be good at that, but that was before having a second kiddo and starting my own business. Today I grabbed a catalogue and a few rays of sunshine for a glorious 5 minutes while Wilder played in the tub nearby and Waverley napped. Oh, vitamin D, I love you.
And blogging -blogging is important and I want to make sure I schedule time to write and update. Especially now. Drum roll, please: The Wilder Side of Life has been accepted into the BlogHer.com community!! You are put on a long waiting list and go through an application process to see if you'll be a good match for this group and I've just been notified that WE'RE IN! Before I get my site connected with the group and it's advertisers, I wanted to gather up the corners and shake things around a bit, recommitting to our life/family/mother/work blog (or whatever it's become.)
Okay. I'm ready. Bring it on!
How's work going? Oh, photography is jammin', man! I can't find enough time to edit from all the shooting I'm doing -hence a call to scheduling. I just did my first corporate shoot in Dallas yesterday and have prospects for doing future work with the company. And just to tote the power of social networking, I landed the gig through a friend from high school working in Denver who contacted me via Facebook. Pretty cool, eh?
And what's with the acting stuff? I'm averaging 1-2 auditions a week, sometimes more; taking weekly acting classes, doing some networking events, and generally staying quite busy with that. I spent a day on the set of "My Generation" doing a little Extra work a couple weeks ago -you may spot me in episode 3 and 7 if you look fast are able to recognize my torso or legs. It's going good -I'd like to book something soon, not just for an ego boost, but so I can do what I love to do for more than 5 minutes.
It occurred to me while driving home from an audition that, WOW, I'm livin' the life! I get to be a stay-at-home-mom, work-from-home, professional photographer, actress -AND have my whole family (hubby included) around me! Brian has been so generous and unselfish of his time as we continue to work out a balance of household and parental duties. He gives me the time I need to work, I just need to figure out when to do it more often and stop trying to be full-time mom.
Ah.... perhaps I've hit on something. Feeling guilty for not being the full-time mom. But it's also that when we're all together I just want to enjoy it, so putting myself to work is a challenge. More discipline will create greater productivity, which will allow quality playtime. Nice!
Now I think I'm going to grab some paper and make some scheduling ideas, then put them into action. One day at a time.
