Eve the relative peace and quiet I had getting ready for class last semester is a thing of the past because I have to do 60% of the preschool drop off/ pick up. And let us not speak of Wednesday evenings.
So.
Here are some things I am going to do to keep all of the balls in the air:
1. Use my elliptical like a standing desk and do all of the work for my adjunct online classes on it. From 5-6 am. Then I will have time to shower before I have to make Harry's breakfast at 6:30, and I will have 26 minutes to do my hair and makeup after he leaves for school and before the other 3 need their breakfast. Then I can tie an apron over my work clothes and spend an hour feeding, dressing, and cleaning up after them, at which time I will take Dorothy to school, and the other kids will walk across the street.
2. Meet with Ben every night before 9pm to consult our calendars for the next day. The hockey schedule gets a little confusing, you guys.
3. The morning before lecture, I need to put my PPT slides on my LMS and check my exam-- am I covering something that's on the test? Should I take a second and fill out the exam answer key so I'm not overwhelmed when the exam rolls around? All of my stuff is prepped, but for me, checking in with the material right before I teach it is better than, say, throwing all the stuff online now. I prepare so far in advance that I forget what I have done, so I need to take a thoughtful moment and engage with the material before I enter the classroom.
4. Pack lunches-- including mine and Ben's if he wants one-- the night before.
5. Set a bedtime alarm.
6. Use Google Calendar on my phone and put things in it AS SOON AS THEY APPEAR in my life-- appointments, etc.
7. SAY NO to volunteer opportunities. I have already screwed this one up by vounteering to run back-to-back Valentine parties for Jack and Cooper, but what can I say? I LOVE V-DAY.
8. Make a to-do list every night before I go to bed, so I can see the next day clearly from the start.
9. Get in the habit of going to the library weekly. This was really easy to do when Dorothy was only in preschool 3 days a week because we always went to story time. Now she has school every morning, and my library fines are creeping up there. I need a library routine or the rest of my life feels like chaos.
Any ideas? What do you do to stay on top of your impossible schedules?
Omg! I need to implement your whole list. We just rejoined the Y.... no room in our house for an elliptical which is the main reason I use the Y. Love that thing. But taking the time to get there to lose my baby weight after my last pregnancy 4 YEARS AGO, ugh! Is so hard to do. Packing the lunches the night before.... I always say I should do that because mornings would run smoother, however, I never do. And last, I love the library thing but am not doing that either. I have 2 books here that I am reading super slowly and they are way way overdue. And I freaking love the library. I never buy books anymore so why am I not reading and returning my express books when they are supposed to be saving so much money?? Wish you lived closer, you would fit in so well with my friends.
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