This past week has been all about rearranging my schedule to fit my needs for myself, my family and my businesses. I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed again when I saw my google calendar but I decided to block out time for myself. I picked a color that reminded me of calm and relaxation. Sea green. I used that color to block out my workouts, meditations and even my tea time! When I saw how much sea green there actually was on my calendar, it seemed less stressful. I did make sure that those times for myself were in there on a daily basis. I also picked out gray to block out the times that I was willing to schedule in work appointments. Those areas will stay gray unless someone schedules a tarot reading or a henna tattoo session with me.
The point is, I thought that it would be more overwhelming to see so much of my calendar colored in, but I’ve found that it depends on what color I’m seeing the most of. Also, designating blocks of times for certain things, allows my brain to not have to worry about those things anymore. This way, I can allow myself to relax a bit. My schedule used to fill up so fast and so randomly, that it felt chaotic. But it was random because I scheduled appointments whenever the clients wanted. Not when it worked the best for me. I felt that saying, “No, I can’t do that time.” would turn people away. But it’s ok to say “No.” The ones that really want your help will work with you! Now I know that I will only schedule in appointments where it’s gray and that takes away the stress of trying to think of where to schedule people. They will now be neatly grouped into the gray areas!
“No” is still scary. But I’m getting better. I had lunch with a friend this week and she told me that nowadays, she’s saying, “Let me sleep on it and I’ll get back to you!” That’s perfect! It goes along with my idea of waiting 12-24 hours before committing to something. I’m going to adopt that phrase!
This is the first time in my life, really, that I’m using “No” to honor my truth. There’s something very empowering about it. I had gotten so wrapped up in being someone’s mom, someone’s friend, someone’s wife, someone’s something…I had forgotten who I was. Being singe now and raising two boys and running two businesses, I want to be those roles but without losing myself. I think this is why I’m working so hard to reconnect with my spirit. Those roles become empty when you are disconnected. And when you feel empty, you start to question your purpose.
Working mom truths 