Sleep is my friend. When we are apart, I don’t do so well. I generally need about 10hrs per night. Before I had kids, I used to sleep in until after 8am to get to work by 9am. It was so good to live near work!
So now, with a 2.5yo and a 4month old, a good night’s sleep is a thing of the past. I’m probably averaging about 5-6hrs sleep per night. Needless to say, I’m struggling a bit.
Some days I can get up and push through, get moving, and have a very productive day. Others, not so much. It’s a battle, from the very first glimpse of consiousness, which is the sound of one of my kids. I don’t just wake up on my own these days. I’m always woken by one of the kids, if not the alarm because we have to be somewhere.
Whilst some days I think it’s important for my sanity to just “chill” or have a “pj day”, there are other days when things just have to be done. I know I have to push through that barrier and “get moving”. I remember one day very clearly when I rang my husband at work and said “Darl, I need you to talk me into going to my massage” because I knew I had to go, would be glad I went, but just didn’t have the energy or motivation at the time to get ready. The thought of getting ready was just exhausting in itself!
Other little things I use for motivation, particularly on my home days, include:
- Getting dressed in exercise clothes, including shoes. Wearing my joggers/sports shoes are really important when at home – they give me a bit of ‘bounce’ and help me to feel healthy… which means I’m more likely to eat better, drink more water, do exercise AND get more housework done. Go figure, but for me it works!
- Putting up notes/photos around the house. I find that this works in the interim. After a while I stop seeing them, though will occasionally glance at them and get a reminder.
- Lists, lists and more lists. I’m a list person; I think in “dot points”. I love seeing things crossed off lists, so when I start on my to-do list, I always put a few of the quicker things to do first so I see some accomplishments which motivates me to do more. Alternatively, for the bigger things I break them down into smaller tasks so I can cross them off as I go (eg. dishes can be broken up into “unpack dishwasher, repack dishwasher, wash handdishes, put handdishes away). When I get interupted by the kids (which always seems to happen), it means I can also check off the bit I have done 😀
- Reminding myself that I’m really blessed. I don’t have it bad. Not even close! Not even close to close! In Australia we are so rich compared to other parts of the world. But even more than that, we have no serious illnesses, we have a house with utilities, hubby has a job, we have food on the table, cars, each other, and the time & opportunity to have hobbies and social time and lastly, but most importantly, we have an amazing friend, saviour & Lord named Jesus.