the doing of things
June 30, 2009
The manner in which things "get done" around here has changed. Some of that change is welcome, and some of it is challenging.
I've had to become okay with lessened "productivity." What is productivity, anyway? Ideally, my definition of a "productive" life would be one in which I enjoy what I do and how I spend my time on a daily basis - a qualitative definition. Understandably, this vision gets crowed out at times by the more quantifiable, traditional definition - how much did I do? What did I cross of the to-do list? The qualitative measure is so much kinder on the psyche, isn't it?
But yet, some things do need to get done. (Especially when your husband's grad school stipend enjoys a summer hiatus and your crappy health insurance doesn't cover x, y, and z from a birthing center birth!) Patterns need writing, websites need designing, books need editing, and meals need making. Thankfully, Patrick is around to help do most things. The pattern writing and the sewing, however? Not his domain. So I've taken to writing instructions on paper during some of those long, sleepy nursing sessions. I've learned to get right to the sewing as soon as the babe falls asleep. And yes, some things have suffered as a result. My ability to take a shower and do my hair on a regular basis is one. The other is the floor. Darn thing can't sweep or mop itself! (And it really should, at least once a day, because of all the cat hair.) I think that, once Finn starts scooting around, I'll just sew up his clothes in Swiffer material. That would be super helpful.
But joking aside, the most difficult transition for me has been the significant reduction in the time that I spend in front of the computer screen. We have a desktop computer, so I can't bring it along with me as I nurse, etc. I read blogs only here and there, I respond to only a few comments, and I certainly don't spend any time surfing for the heck of it. I come here to blog, ship off patterns, and process photos. Which reminds me - those of you who sent me an email asking a question, etc. since Finn was born ... would you be so kind as to re-send it to me? Your emails have since been buried in a gargantuan to-do list and have been lost to my less-than-stellar email organization skills. I really, really want to respond, I just need to start with a clean slate, you know what I mean? Thanks a bunch!
Not that I don't set aside time to take care of me. (Showering, obviously, isn't my highest "me-time" priority!) I'll be spending the next few days sharing a few of the things that I do to take care of myself as a new, work-at-home mama. They keep me sane, balanced, and, not surprisingly, increase my productivity, both qualitative and quantitative.
What do you do to take care of yourself these days?