Free time has been scarce lately.
I think I need someone to schedule my life.
I would say I am a multi-tasker, though Mike would disagree. He says I start something and leave it to start something else. I just think I know he just doesn’t understand the term Multi-tasking. Because seriously? Give him more than one set of instructions Ask him to do more than one thing at a time and his eye glaze over.
I’ll say something like, “Please take the recycling to the garage and while you’re there, do you mind hanging your bike up and closing the garage door?”
Eyes? Glazed.
Me? I see it as a complete waste of time and energy not to do all those things at the same time. You’re there… just do it.
But I digress.
Needless to say, my multi-tasking is somewhat of a sore spot in our home.
But I can’t survive without it. Nothing would get done.
This morning for instance:
Carter woke up early so I let him watch a show while I finished getting ready. I grabbed him some clean clothes from the dryer as I unloaded it, then moved last night’s wash over which I put in right before heading to bed. I handed him his clothes so he could dress while watching his show. I folded some clothes while searching for the top I decided to wear while I was straightening my hair – which was heating up while I was putting on my make-up. I found my top, left the remaining clothes to be folded this evening, grabbed Carter and we went to wake up Hudson.
Got Hudson dressed and moved to the kitchen where I gave them yogurt while we waited for the toast to pop. Handed them toast with cheese slices and orange juice while I got my Shreddies out. Ate Shreddies while I paid the latest bills from my iPhone and then loaded the dishwasher.
7:05 am, headed out the door with my lunch (left overs from dinner) in my purse, and a toddler under the other arm while Carter chatted about how his classroom was set up like a campground.
Not bad for being 5 minutes behind schedule.
Still, I feel like I could be more efficient.
I think in order to free up some more evening space (to fold that laundry I’ve left behind, fit in a 30 minute run after I get the kids to bed, and tidy up a little, and work for clients) I have to start running in the morning.
That freaks me out.
I hate mornings.
Like HATE.
My alarm is set for 20 minutes before I get up because it takes me that long to just do it… maybe if I just hauled my ass outta bed the first time, I could do get a workout or a run in?
I need ideas, friends. How can I break generations of non-morning risers (seriously, it’s in my blood!) and become someone (ha! I wrote something first and then changed it) that loves to greet the dawn?
You know, without killing someone.
{ 17 comments }
i wish i had a suggestion but i’m a night owl and my soul burns with dawns early light.
the only thing i do is pre-make the chocolate milk cups the night before for the girls to get them out of the fridge when they wake up.
but i’m not a morning person. though, my husband did have a heart attack that i was vacuuming at 8am the other day. I like to shock him once in awhile.
Dude. I struggle every day, no matter how early I go to bed. I have NO idea. I know – I’m so much help. LOL!
I’m impressed with your multitasking though – holy shit!
Oh my goodness I am so going to tell my husband that I am not the only pathological multi-tasker around. I too drive him so nuts. He says things like “why dont you just wait and get what you need” (like out of dryer) and I say it will only take 2 more mins to fold whats in there and take the clothes out of washer so they dont smell later. Drives.him.nuts!
As for morning, sorry to say I am a mornign person. I have a newborn and even if I’ve been up all night long, I am up at 6am.
As for ideas, as soon as the first alarm goes off, I say get right up, wet yoru face, and run. It’s the only way you’ll get going. Otherwise, you’ll just keep hitting the snooze button.
Good luck
your multi-tasking totally makes me laugh, because I can see you bustling around the house doing all those things.
But morning running, ugh. What time would this morning run take place? That makes all the difference to me.
Couple of ideas: it’s good you are doing it in the summer. The sun being up makes it easier.
Put your alarm clock across the room. You have to get up to turn it off.
Make sure you get enough sleep the night before.
Good Luck. Morning runs are the best.
Jenn
I set mine for 26 minutes before I have to get up. Always. 26 minutes. Like it’s some magical, will make me a morning person, number. 30 years old and I’m still not. Never will be, I’d suspect.
So um….good luck?
If you figure it out, will you let me know? I used to work out before work (back when I still lived at home, worked 10 minutes away, and started at 9am) and it was GREAT: the energy I had? Whoo! Then I got a Big Girl Job that involved commuting and an 8am start time and now I’m up at 6am. The thought of getting up at 5am just to have the time to fit in a workout and shower makes me weepy with fatigue. Blech.
Go to bed earlier.
Don’t set the alarm earlier – set it for when you want to get up, and get up when it goes off.
Go to bed in your workout clothes.
*snort* Sleeping in my clothes totally made me LOL.
It’s BRILLIANT, I don’t know why I never thought of it before!
XO
WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS LAUGH AT THAT?!?!?! lol
I would pretty much be sleeping in something similar anyway, and it was one less thing I had to do in the morning. Plus, it was harder to look at myself fully dressed (sans shoes, of course) and not go “fuck, really? you’re going to quit NOW?”
So, I haven’t been running in the mornings lately.
I was totally in a routine for awhile though
Anyway … So, in order to run in the morning (or workout) I have to be up at 4:15 which SUCKS.
First of all – I never ever hit snooze. Then you think about it.
I literally get up – have coffee set up – run downstairs to turn it on. Then come back up to get dressed.
It kind of helps to smell the coffee.
Not really.
The good thing about it being super early is that you’re so freaking groggy that you are already working out before you realize you are insane.
I hear you. I’m not a morning person either. But this is the way I see it… If you are constantly multitasking (ie working at peak human efficiency), you are effectively doing in 1 day what others do in 3 or 4. So you get extra tired. And you need extra sleep. Did you know that Olympic athletes sometimes sleep up to 12 hours a night for that exact same reason? Its part of their training. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
I wrote about the very same thing recently. It makes sense in theory but in practice…just didn’t work (for me). It lasted for all of two days…the first really didn’t count because I practically smashed my alarm.
But crazy me still hasn’t completely given up on the idea…though I probably really should.
Good luck to you
I knew I had taken the whole multitasking thing too far when I, um, was unable to head to the bathroom for an extended visit (i.e. No. 2) without taking the mail or my laptop or something that had to be done. Seemed like too much wasted time, just sitting there on the can. This multitasking, it is a sickness.
LOVE IT! This morning routine sounds just like my life. Hysterical, but not really. I love how you run your morning. GREAT POST!
I love the sleeping in workout clothes idea… super! do it.
Oh yeah, I can barely get up at 8am. I don’t know what I’ll do when my kid starts full day school in the fall!
There are morning people and there are night people. That’s just the way it is. Accept.
I feel you about the multitasking. I used to work and go to school and take care of every single thing around the house because I felt guilty that the ex made 5x as much money as I did or more…sick, I know.
So I would walk in the door and open the dryer and grab clothes on the way in to save from walking in the house, putting my purse down and then walking back to the dryer…meanwhile the ex sat on his butt. Gah.
Comments on this entry are closed.