It’s the Easter holiday break here in UK. For our US readers, that basically means that all UK schools are off for about two weeks (and universities are off for one whole month!!?!)
Right smack dab in the middle of busy spring season.
The first year living abroad here, this teeny tiny detail absolutely blindsided me. I had no clue it was coming and found myself scrambling to cobble together childcare and cashing in favors with the grandparents so we could stay business as usual.
This year, my husband and I devised a clever plan to break it up into chunks…We spent a few days off all together basking in the (unusually warm) sunshine in the National Forest last week. Then, he and the kids go off for a few days on an adventure (while I worked) and later, we flip flop as I take the kids to the seaside tomorrow.
No expensive holiday clubs (i.e. daycare camps) that the kids loathe. No FOMO. No problem, right?
Contents
WRONG.
You see, it dawned on me this morning as I was leisurely sipping my coffee, not being pulled in eighty billion directions and not having someone ask me to brush the gum out of their hair.
#EventParents make better #EventProfs.
In my daily routine as a parent, these 5 things drive me absolutely bonkers, but also make me more productive, faster and more on top of my game…
Here’s why…
1. We have a schedule.
We wake up at 6:45am. Breakfast by 7:30am. Dressed by 8:15am. Out the door by 8:45am with military precision. Every. single. morning. And on the weekends, our morning child always traipses in at the crack of dawn like clockwork.
This week without this, I’ve found myself hitting the snooze button and watching (just one more) pointless video on Facebook before getting out of bed. What kind of signal is this sending my brain about how important my day ahead is? Not the right one if I’m starting the morning off by delaying my core desires.
2. We have commitments.
If the kids don’t make it in to school on time, we get written up. Both the kids AND the parents. It’s a big deal here in the UK. I’m not about to get on some naughty list for tardiness. And let’s face it, the rolled eyes miffed look you get from other mums when you’re consistently rolling up to school in the morning in a dead heat run to make it in before the bell, is one you’d like to avoid. Trust me.
Without these commitments, I found myself forgetting to eat breakfast. And wasting two hours of my time on my morning routine that usually takes 30 minutes. What’s that all about!!?!
3. We have boundaries.
With children, comes after-school activities and playing taxi here, there and everywhere. In that, you have to be diligent with your schedule and efficient with your time management skills. The machine doesn’t work unless you work the machine.
This week, I’m finding myself delaying eating dinner until 8:30pm at night, because I’m putting in extra late nights at the office. It’s throwing off my circadian rhythm, my sleep patterns and even my digestion. I’ve lost the interest to work out, even though my workout bag is packed and sitting next to me right now. I’ve really got no excuse.
4. We have people who rely on us.
They are cute, have sweet giggles and make me go crazy at times, but they rely on me and my husband. Without us, they cannot do their thing. And when you’ve got that support structure built in your life, you also have accountability.
Case in point, after coming home from a late work shift last night and eating dinner way, way later than normal, I found myself plopped down on the couch and binge watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix. Not a bad thing, mind you…but once you hit 5+ episodes back-to-back and it eats into your precious sleep time, you might have a problem. Without accountability, I’m left to my own devices…which is basically drag queens, curries and insomnia.
5. We have discipline.
When the kids are around, I have total self-control and find myself not phased by chocolate, salty snacks and sweets whatsoever.
Without them, all bets are off.
In conclusion, #EventParents make better #EventProfs because we embody all the great qualities of an excellent project manager, task master and small business owner. I dare say, someone who doesn’t have kids needs to work twice as hard to stay disciplined, driven and motivated. Especially in an industry where many event planners are small businesses of 1-5 people, you need this drive and hunger to achieve great things.
The #9toSIMPLIFY challenge is coming back!
Launching again on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, this FREE 9-day challenge is built for small business owners in the events industry who are looking to create a complete game plan to boost their cash flow, book BETTER clients and up level their business in 2017. (valued at $997 USD)
