Jul 10, 2009
Morning Routine for a WAH Writer who is running a household, has small children, needs to work out, and is easily dis(oooh! shiny!)tracted.
Not that we're getting too specific...
GET READY
Get up, get dressed in work-out gear.
Nurse baby while eating protein bar, drinking water, and reading (which translates into falling asleep over nursing baby and jerking back awake.)
Change baby and put him back in bed.
Get work-out gear, drive to gym, miss turn due to sleep-coated eyes, turn around, park.
GET FIT
Stretch half-heartedly. Get distracted by the random piece of hair sticking out over left eyebrow.
Work upper body. Decide 10 chest presses are plenty for today.
Think about working lower body. Drink water. Check for creepy people outside.
Go do a bazillion reps on the abs machines, both of them. Groan. Drink water. Stumble to the cardio machines.
Mentally assess which cardio option looks least painful.
Do 30 minutes of cardio trying to balance book and read while sweating profusely and falling off of machine. Give up on book halfway through and survive the remaining 15 minutes by watching the Family Guy reruns playing on the gym tv.
Drink water. Wipe sweat. Curse fitness machines. Stumble to car.
GET READY
Park car. Consider just laying down on the front seat for a little nap.
Drag self out of car and inside house.
Shower and dress.
Gaze longingly at the bed.
Eat granola with berries. Wish for pancakes. Sigh.
Set out Joe's lunch and kids' granola bars and bananas.
Get first cup of coffee. Gulp. Refill.
WORK (theoretically)
Read Bible, write in journal.
Check calendar. Get distracted thinking of menu options. Shove calendar to other side of table. Notice that coffee is empty. Get more.
Gaze longingly at the bed.
Check ed. calendar and writing list.
DO NOT GO TO THE COMPUTER!
Outline and write on paper with pen. Think about email. DO NOT GO TO THE COMPUTER!
Get on a roll. Write, write, write.
Stretch fingers, roll wrist, think, "This is so fun. I love my work."
Get distracted by Joe waking, dressing, eating breakfast, leaving for work.
Lock door.
Gaze longingly at bed.
Make bed.
Stop self from putting away basket of laundry.
Get notes, outlines, etc.
Try to sit down quietly in squeaky office chair.
Notice coffee cup is empty.
Refill.
Repeat sitting down process.
Check email.
Think of 20 other things to do.
Click. Click. Click.
Ack! Supposed to be working!
SHUT DOWN FIREFOX.
Start typing in plain old unexciting notebook program.
Grumble.
Get on a roll. Type, type, type.
Break for bathroom.
Refill coffee, resume seat.
Get on a roll. Type, type, type.
Hear waking child sounds from bedrooms.
Realize it is 8:30. Try to finish one last paragraph.
Notice the waking children sounds getting louder.
Save files! Notice hands are shaking from too much coffee.
Set out cups of milk, go snuggle with children, herd everyone to the table, nurse baby while they eat their breakfast, and try not to gaze longingly at the bed.
Image courtesy of
Kriss Szkurlatowski.
The lazy days of summer have officially hit here. You get more done before I roll out of bed than I have been getting done all day!!! You are amazing! I really need to hit some sort of balance here soon.
That was fantastic. Sometimes finding humour in our shared realities is the best we can do. Although, I have to say, you accomplish a lot, and drink copious amounts of coffee *grin*, very early in the morning. So my hat's off to you. It may not be ideal but, in this season of life, that's how it's done.
I LOVE lazy days of summer; if my kids would sleep later that's what we would be having... lol.
Yes, the copious amounts of coffee are key!