Someone recently asked me to chronicle my day and share it with her because she wondered how I manage to get so many things done (by things she meant chores) while chasing after a 14mo.
Here’s the key: don’t cut yourself too much slack.
Managing a household is tough. I cook, clean, sort all day while also being expected to know how many tubes of toothpaste we have left and where the extra rolls of kitchen towels are kept. The stock-take of groceries have to be etched in the back of my head and I’ve to be able to retrieve that information with the snap of my fingers.
Raising a kid is tough.
Having to do all of those together, all day everyday, is tough. And I’m not just saying that so I can be put on a pedestal and be thought highly of. I’m saying it because it’s true. I work my butt off, 90% of the time I’m doing something for someone else, not me. I don’t get paid, I don’t get a day off, I don’t get to call in sick. All day, everyday. It’s tough.
What I’ve found to be useful is having a schedule and sticking to it. It helps me organise, in my head, what I need to get done everyday and when to do it. That’s how I get many things done. I literally form a list in my head every morning before I properly start the day and it keeps me on track to be productive and not waste any time.
| Time | Event |
| 8am | Start the day |
| Clean the kitchen | |
| Prepare breakfast | |
| 8.30am | Breakfast |
| 9am | Shower (both) |
| 9.30am | Morning walk |
| 11am | Morning nap |
| Load the machine | |
| Do the dishes | |
| Prepare lunch | |
| Hang out the laundry | |
| 1pm | Lunch |
| Zuhr prayers | |
| Play | |
| Chores | |
| 3.30pm | Evening nap |
| Asr prayers | |
| 4.30pm | Tea time |
| Bring in laundry | |
| 6.30pm | Shower |
| 7.15pm | N’s dinner |
| Maghrib prayers | |
| 8.30pm | N’s bedtime |
| My dinner | |
| Midnight | My bedtime |
Of course it’s different everyday. Some days, like today, she refuses her evening nap. And on these days I usually bring dinner and bedtime about 30 minutes earlier. Other days we’re out and about and naps go haywire.
And of course this is just the main skeleton of it. In between there’s always more chores and things to do (like folding the laundry, blogging, etc).
So if you’re feeling stuck and laying in bed at night, exhausted but wondering what you did all day, try making a list in the morning and stick to it.
Don’t cut yourself too much slack.