That thing we all say we need more of, but can never seem to muster, amIright? One of the speakers at January’s Creative At Heart (heeey, Bonnie!) spoke on this very subject, and I loved every second of her talk! As a small business owner, it’s inevitable that I’m already going to struggle with balance- I do pretty much everything for AGP! Shooting, marketing, editing, shipping, emails, etc., and doing it all from home means that I also struggle with getting distracted by my house (and all that is within it). Throw the adult ADHD into that, and you have yourself a recipe for ZERO balance- a wife who would work until 9pm if her husband didn’t gently insist she close the office doors for the night, a puppy owner who’d forget to take her dogs out until they’re literally scratching grooves in the door (this has happened), and a woman who is unsatisfied with a job that she once loved, all because it’s taken over her life.
Here’s what my days looked like before getting serious about balance:
Clearly, this was NOT a recipe for success. It resulted in a complete lack of productivity, and as a result, a lot of disappointment in myself. The longer I run this business, the more I realize how much I benefit from STRUCTURE, even though I am the absolute worst about proactively implementing it. I want to love my business and run it well, but I also don’t want it to take over my life. I work to live, and not the other way around.
These days, I’ve finally come around to realizing that beginning my day with the same routine throughout the week sets me up for a really productive work day! It’s funny, the catalyst for all this change was actually bringing Sirius home; he gets up a lot earlier than Lily, and if I try to ignore his whines, he jumps onto the bed and literally sits on me until I get up. So yeah…
Here’s a typical “day in the life” these days!
The structure might seem a little type A, especially the fact that I’ve included “opening the blinds” as part of my morning ritual. But starting my day in the same way over and over helps me stay on track! My productivity is higher, my job satisfaction is higher, and I’m wasting less time getting started each day. The mornings are my favorite time of day, but by not having any structure, I was WASTING the most productive portion of each day. Now I’m able to utilize that time wisely, making the most that each morning has to offer.
My schedule’s not perfect- it’s still taking some getting used to, but I’ve noticed a huge difference in the days that I skimp and the days that I stick to the program.
I’d love to hear from y’all! What are your favorite routines that set you up for daily success?
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© ABBY GRACE PHOTOGRAPHY 2024
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Getting up WITH Buck has been the most helpful life change I’ve ever made. I’m up between 5:30 and 5:45, which means I have time in the Word, breakfast, and often a workout in before 8am. Holla!!! And I’m trying to grow in focused work, too— turning off my Wifi when editing has been helpful!
ummm I LOVE that you have “open the blinds” on your list because it is totally on mine too! If I leave the house dark all day Id be in trouble!!
you are so organized. I should take a lesson from you!
The first thing I do after getting out of bed is starting the coffee pot. That way by the time my bed is made, I’m showered & dressed, my coffee is ready to go while I make the rest of my breakfast 🙂
you forgot one step: meet my dad for our 0800 run at 0830!
If you don’t have it, try downloading the “Sleep Cycle” App! It has helped me so much with waking up – it tracks your movements/sleep patterns and wakes you up within a 15minute window of when you set the alarm for – it waits until you are in the lightest phase of sleep during that window and softly wakes you up then instead of jarring you awake with a blaring alarm from a dead sleep – it’s awesome and helps my mornings start off earlier and much more peacefully! I am totally with you on needing structure to my day, ESPECIALLY my mornings – if I can get started on the right foot, the rest of the day feels so productive! 🙂
I love this Abby! I’ve been toying with the idea of blogging “a day in the life” now, and then being able to compare in a few months when I’m full time:) but j love this post & the routine you are adding to your schedule!!
Making the bed = game changer for me, too 🙂
I love this post ! I also am trying to implement structure into my very chaotic business and family life. Struggling with ADHD as well does not help . I have been making my bed in the morning .. I like the one too! x
I’ve been keeping a similar schedule this past week and noticed the same thing! It’s nice to get to Saturday and look back and see how much I was able to accomplish that week and still have flexibility for random things that just came up!