Work ~ Life Balance - Working And Momming In The Midst Of A Pandemic

My sweet boy, my whole world, I am so in love!

The first year of motherhood has been beautiful and challenging in equal parts. Navigating new motherhood and a new career in one year has been one of the most challenging things that I have ever done. There were many tears, a lot of trial and error, and finding what works for our family has been tough! As so many other families are experiencing, life now has more hurdles than ever before, and we have all had to make some major adjustments to survive and thrive. 

As someone who values routine and productivity, adjusting to motherhood and working remotely was tough for me to do - but not impossible! I am proud to say that I worked hard to find a system that works for me. Here are some of the things I learned and implemented to keep my sanity in this new life.

Routine

Like I said before, I am a big fan of routines and rituals to help myself have great, productive, happy days. I'm a #miraclemorning community member and have done a lot of research and experimentation around routine and its health benefits for me. Needless to say, when I had my son and was running a new business in the midst of a pandemic - my routine completely went out the window. I used to wake up at 5, go to the gym, read, journal, listen to a podcast, and meditate all before the day really started. Now I have a son that is not a good sleeper and seemingly indefinite hours at my disposal for work, family, and hobbies. 

At first, I was really depressed and hard on myself for not having that amazing morning routine and productivity every day. I actually had a major health crisis at the end of the summer last year due to burnout from constantly forcing attempting to fit myself into the mold from my pre-baby life. As soon as I accepted that my life was different now and gave myself the grace and the space to find a new routine and a new normal, my life improved dramatically. I now have a morning and evening routine that work with my son's needs and schedule and keep the important things at the center - Self-care and making sure my son is healthy and happy.

One of the biggest changes is that I have spread out some of the things that I would do in the morning throughout the day. For example, I do my reading and journaling at night after Noah goes to bed instead of in the morning. I am still struggling with working out regularly since I can't go to the gym anymore. I am giving myself grace when it comes to working out as I used to until my son is fully sleeping through the night (we are almost there!). For now, I walk 30min - 1hr a day to keep myself healthy. 

In short, this is a season for Grace and flexibility for all of us. I learned not to try and force myself into a routine and a mold that worked for me in the past. It's ok to experiment with routine until you find something that works. And even then, don't beat yourself up on days that it doesn't go perfectly according to plan! 

Separation of Work from Life

This, I would say, is a never-ending journey for me since I work from home with my son most days. We are fortunate to have a local daycare that he goes to Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, so those are the days that I batch the important work for the week. The rest of the week's days, I dedicate myself to being my family, and I work on school, projects, and emails when Noah is asleep or as needed. Protecting my time and making sure that I am only spending my time on important things is imperative to my success in using this batch working model. If you want to learn more about batch working, I learned all I know from Tim Ferris! 

Working from home was tough because I had no dedicated "workspace" and definitely depended on leaving my house and going to the office before my life changed to get in my best working mindset. A couple of things I do now that are key in getting into the workflow are going for a walk with my dog (most) days before I get to work, having small rewards for getting all that I need to accomplish done in a day/week, and having a dedicated office. Those three things I would say are paramount to me being able to have a productive week working from home. 

Self Care

In my opinion, self-care is the most important part of surviving and thriving in this new normal. Self-care for me is not going and getting a pedicure or going shopping all the time. It's listening to my body and mind and ensuring that my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs are being met daily. Self-care is different for everyone, but for me, it's taking regular naps (remember my son is not a good sleeper), eating out once a week with my family (takeout or the food carts), reading, journaling, taking a long bath with a glass of wine, being honest with my sphere of influence about what's going on in my life, writing, painting, and getting outside. 

Self-care is also all about making sure you are asking for help when you need it. I am going to counseling regularly (virtually) and have my husband and a couple of great friends who help me and support me and encourage me. Self-care is being careful what content I am consuming on social media and watching how much time I spend scrolling and watching TV. I make sure that I am only following accounts that have real content by real women and align with my personal and professional goals. Self-care is making sure that you are looking out for yourself and putting your health and wellness first because if you don't do that, you are no good for anybody! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it was helpful! For more, you can follow me on social @allerosemero or the blog at www.allerosemero.com.

Sincerely, 

Alle Rose