Fall is by far my busiest time of year. From lots of clients desiring fall photos to a full homeschool schedule to extra family activities, it can leave me swirling. There are some things that have kept me grounded and have saved my life this season that I wanted to share (in no particular order).
Starting my day early
I’m a natural early bird (I get it from my dad I think). I love getting up early before anyone else awakens. This gives me quiet to start my day in prayer, Bible reading and journaling as I slowly sip my coffee. The days I don’t have this slow start I can tell there’s an almost hurry already to my day which disrupts me.
No screens before school is over
I’m a homeschool mama and have found that our day goes so much smoother on the days when we keep screens away until after school is complete. The days I oversleep I often allow the kids to watch something before I’m ready for school and I can tell almost immediately they act differently. No screens before school keeps this at bay.
Being sick
I’m sure of you questioned this one, “Nicole, really? Being sick is saving your life?” Well getting sick a few weeks ago forced my too often, take-more-than-you-can-manage self and forced me to slow down. Thankfully my sickness didn’t force cancellations or reschedules but it gave me a clearer perspective for my this season of swirling potential.
Ma Days/Wednesday night dinners
I’m going to lump these two together because they occur on the same day. Almost every week, my kids go to my mother-in-laws on Wednesday allowing me to spend some concentrated time working. These days often give me some me time to catch up on reading or some other project I’ve put on hold.
Not frantically having to put something together in the crockpot for dinner on Wednesday mornings has been fantastic. My church offers Wednesday night meals and this year began providing more options, including ones my picky son will eat! These meals alleviate the stress of getting everyone out the door on Wednesdays.
Being kind to myself
Live in the season
I put these two together together because these are principles of The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi (she also has a wonderful podcast I listen to on the regular). As a recovering perfectionist, I am often too hard on myself. I couldn’t get my ten tasks done for the day? How dare you! I’m trying to remember that there are times when I may need to just focus on one or two things and not worry about the others. Remaining kind to myself allows me to be okay with pivoting.
Living in my season is crucial to my well-being. We are the thick of a remodel/addition which has left our house currently smaller than it was. The kids toys are packed like we’re going to move and my husband and I currently have our mattress on the floor of our dining and living space. Ideal? No, but temporary. Another facet to this is September to November is my busiest time of year. Do I need to be able to do all the things I can do in other seasons? No. Deep cleaning and trying new recipes can wait until I hit December and work dies down.
There you have it. Seven things that are saving my life in this fall season and keeping me from swirling out of control. Is there something that is saving your life that you want to share? Leave me a comment, I would love to hear all about it!
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