Tips On Juggling Life – How This Mama Does It All..

Not once, but I have been asked several times how I manage/juggle my life and the multiple roles I have to play on a daily basis. My duties as a mom, a wife, a home maker, a pet-owner, content-creator, it is never ending but you gotta do what you gotta do. Now that everyone is home all the time, there is more work and never-ending list of chores. A big chunk of my cleaning and laundry duty gets offloaded on Saturdays when everyone pitches to help, but otherwise I am on my own, on my toes nonstop. It used to be daunting at the beginning, but soon I figured out a plan for myself: a plan which was realistic and really helped me keep my sanity. You might not relate to all but I'd still like to share some of my everyday lifestyle hacks.

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1) Wake up early - my day generally begins at 6:15am and I shower as soon as I wake up. I have never been a shower-the-night-before girl, so the first thing I do in the morning, soon after waking up is take a shower. It is a torture in the winter, but trust me, nothing alerts you more than a warm bath the first thing in the morning. I really feel like a #GirlBoss after I have showered and changed out of my PJs.

2) Make a list - organizing your life is the key to an efficient you. Early during the week or Sunday evening I make a to-do list including my weekly menu for the entire week and I try to accomplish as much every single day. The list is mostly handwritten on my daily journal but things that need to be prioritized make it to the phone reminder calendar.

3) Maintain a calendar - I have a home calendar that husband and I share, a family calendar that Riri, hubs and I share and a social calendar that I would share with my friends and relatives. I used to have a work calendar that I would share with my boss, but ever since I quit my job- I have one less calendar to track. Doesn't save me any significant time though. Having multiple calendars can be a juggle in itself, but at least it keeps me organized. Each calendar has respective alarms and reminders set depending on their importance.

4) Eat breakfast - this might not be of value to you if you are not a morning-eater. Studies show that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should always be king-sized. Breakfast is a must in my household, without which I we all can not function. An empty stomach is our worst enemy....hence I like to keep it that enemy at bay. You give me a good wholesome breakfast and I am ready for any kind of day. I plan my time as per the menu and give myself enough time in the morning to prepare fresh, warm breakfast.

5) Sort your chores - I was lucky to always have cleaning help around the house, which generally happened every two weeks. But, ever since this quarantine thing; I stopped calling my help. Now we do it ourselves every other week, how we do it- stay tuned, a full blog post coming up soon. Despite the weekly cleaning, the house does get dirty, cuz when you have a curious-about-experimenting kiddo and puppy around, the house is bound to get dirty. I have my days and time set aside for my other chores. I used to vacuum every other day, at least the most-traffic areas like kitchen, stairs, entryway and family room, but thankfully we now have the that has to report for duty every other day. It has sure been a lifesaver and I love my new housemaid. I even have a name for it- KAANTA bai. I laundry every three days and dishes are done pretty much every night.

6) Treat yourself to some downtime - picking up a virtual workout class every now and then has become my forte. I try to walk the dog as much as I can and run at least three times a week. Honestly, I don't like to workout alone, so if husband is not available, I'll try to make it to a virtual class. It is my downtime, when I don't have to cater to anyone or be on the phone or social media. I take this time very seriously cuz ever since I started working out, my life has changed. Occasionally I would alternate virtual exercising with yoga which helps me keep my sanity. I have more energy, I sleep well and feel much more in control of things.

7) Spend time with your children /puppy - you don't realize but you learn so much from your kids. Spending time with your kids/fur babies, doing what they enjoy most unplugs you and recharges you for the next challenge. It doesn't necessarily have to be time consuming or mind boggling, but just fifteen minutes, a game of snakes and ladders or Simon says or a card game which Riri is getting a hang of activates the 'I-feel-energized' mode. Spending time with maze, training him to do new things is also so relaxing.

8) Pamper yourself- this is my Mantra for a better you. It is okay to go shopping on a weekday. No one will judge you if you go out with your girlfriends, or call for a pedi-mani service at home. Treat yourself to a facial or something that relaxes you. For me it is a haircut and a Bollywood movie with a glass of wine. But these days it's mostly applying a face mask and taking a power nap whenever possible.

Do you have any great tip to add to the above?