It’s taken me half a month longer than hoped for, but I finished my rewrite of my final battle! Now I’m gearing up to go through the whole book again and tidy up things like the consistency of the main character’s hunger and checking to make sure the moon coins are the right colors. But that’s not all the progress I’ve made in life.
One of the things I’ve struggled with for the past couple of years is time management. I found myself stuck in a situation of all or none. I either get time for myself to accomplish my goals, or I dedicate myself to my kids and help them improve. It sent me spiraling off into a depressive funk seasoned with a hearty helping of guilt. Mentally, I was barely staying afloat.
My solution? A lunch time power nap.
Now, I’m a person who doesn’t fall asleep quickly, so I thought the power nap wasn’t something I’d ever accomplish. But in my hunt for life optimization, I found an article that pointed out: napping isn’t sleeping. I said, “what the heck, I’ll give it a try” and I have to say, it’s been a game changer for me.
I get up at 4:15 AM now (versus 5:30). I’ve taken up following YouTuber blogilates and doing her PIIT 28 workouts, finishing off with my own interval jump roping which is 1 minute on, 20 seconds of rest for 7 intervals. I’m done by 5:15 AM–time enough to shower and do a Japanese language lesson (something I’ve shirked for years) before snuggling up with my daughter for our morning bonding time. The 20 minute midday power nap gives me enough of a recharge to make it until bedtime–allowing me to get all my evening bonding time in with the kids without feeling like I’m not getting any me-time. This also removes the need to choose between writing or exercise at lunch time (writing usually won).
Truth be told: I am exhausted. But that’s because I haven’t worked out since March. The key will be to not give in to the voices telling me to slack off. To help with that, I’ve got my favorite motivational talk that I’ve pretty much memorized by this point.
Have you had to make major changes to get what you want from life? What have you found that helps you accomplish your goals? Have you ever tried to power nap?
I can see why you might need time management. You make me tired just thinking about all the stuff you do. And I can barely get myself out of bed at 6am in order to write. There’s no way I could get up early to exercise. My hat’s off to you. I would fall asleep during your daughter’s bonding time.
I’m still struggling to come up with a productive schedule for myself. There’s not as much tutoring going on in the summer, so I have more time for writing. But it seems every night I look back at my progress (both writing and life related stuff) during the day and feel as though I wasted too much time. Not that I’m not getting more writing accomplished, but I should be getting even more done than I am. This morning was pretty productive, however.
I look forward to beta-reading the new version of your story.
Every day is so different, chaos has become my balance.
Anytime I nap, I wake up groggy and it takes forever to shake it. Maybe some of us just don’t nap well.
You juggle a lot. I use to never take naps and don’t take planned ones but sometimes in the afternoon, my body insists.
I am right there with you. Until my sinus surgery in April I was getting up around 4:15 every morning. I barely made it through the day! I am happy you found something that works for you. I think my face is finally recovering from surgery so hopefully I can start my routine again soon đŸ™‚
My boss takes power naps. I wonder if I could get away with it as well?
I’m not a good napper. Once I’m asleep, I don’t wake up easily. My sister is a napper. She can take a 30 minute snooze and it’s like a quick battery recharge.
My kids are all adults and I suffer guilt when they are home and I’m not spending time with them or doing things to make them feel like home is a homey place. I can only imagine the struggle writer moms with young kids have.
Wow. You put a lot of pressure on yourself. If all of those morning activities are priorities, then that’s good. But at the risk of ruining your health by packing so much into one day, don’t feel guilty if one of the programs drop out. Glad to know you can take a power nap. I’ve tried, but my brain won’t turn off to allow it! Wishing you all the best. Enjoy your kids. They don’t stay home forever.
JQ Rose
The trick will be to keep pushing through before this becomes habit. Good luck.
Um, I’m pretty sure you accomplish more in the morning than I do all day. You are amazing! đŸ™‚
You are always inspirational. I nap every day. Having MS drains me so I have to. Maybe, I need to call them power naps. Whether that will stop me slacking off, I don’t know.
Girl, I don’t see how you can do it. I’m jealous. I really am. I don’t have kids, but my day job is so stressful and mentally exhausting, I NEED sleep. But I might try that power nap thing! Seriously, you are killing it right now. Even if you don’t think you are, I think you are! Keep up all the ass-kicking, girl! You got this!!
You sound to be doing pretty well with your time management. Certainly better than I. Power naps can work wonders. I usually take a nap everyday after lunch and sometimes more often. Though in my case the extra naps seem to make me feel more sleepy.
Keep up the great work!
Lee
I’ve been a fan of the power nap for years, and I can generally fall asleep in a heartbeat. You’re definitely waking up with the birds! I used to wake up at six for ages, but last year that changed to five. When I start my new teaching job, I may try to keep that at five so I can try to squeeze at least an hour of writing time in the morning. One thing that has been working for me in the writing realm is a writing accountability group I’ve started on FB. We do weekly check-ins regarding our progress or lack thereof. It helps keep me more on task for sure, but with moving and and a new job in the mix, I know I need to be very kind to myself in what I accomplish on the page. Mostly, I’m aiming to research publications and submit pieces the next couple of months as opposed to writing much.
Well dang! Go you! I get up at the same time but that’s because I go to work super early. I’m also in bed insanely early. I have a hard time taking a nap but my friend swears by them. Congratulations all the way around on finishing the rewrite and on working out! Go you!
Elsie
Wow, that sounds intense. I’ve had to accept I will never accomplish everything I want to. I always make these really ambitious plans where I have to do seven or eight different things every day, and it’s just not sustainable. There are always unexpected projects, or doctor’s appointments, or something that throws it out of whack.
Sometimes, writing has to take a back seat to editing. Or marketing has to take a back seat to writing. Or my boyfriend is over and spending time with him is worth doing less work that day. I’ve had to give myself permission to accept I can’t always juggle a multitude of things well in a single day. And that’s okay.