Multi-tasking Mum

Since starting my Creative Writing Undergraduate Degree in September (18), I have struggled with time management. Not in the ‘normal’ sense of leaving work/reading until the last minute or forgetting to complete a task; more that I have found myself not stopping from my 6am wake up call, until I hit my pillow at 10pm. My social life was almost non-existent and my children felt that I wasn’t paying them enough attention.

Half the time I felt dead on my feet and my husband only seemed to get half a conversation from me. One thing I am extremely thankful for is just how supportive my family are. My husband took over a lot of the house job, walking the dog and even completes the food shop every Saturday morning so that I have now more time to read, write and research.

Giving up control with regards to the running of the house was hard and I found myself getting jealous when hearing him reading to our youngest child at bed time. I didn’t want to spend the next three years face deep in books and miss the children growing up.

To combat this, I have had to work hard on my multi-tasking skills to free up more spare time to ‘be mum’. If you had met me a year ago, I could have burnt the tea if the phone rang or lose my handbag on a dog walk if I was distracted. I was terrible at completing two tasks at once.

Nowadays you can find me stood in the kitchen while I cook tea, read my book and listen to my daughter’s times tables. Walking the dog, while dictating a plot idea into my phone and listening to the latest ‘script notes’ podcast. Reading my little girl her bedtime story as I fold the laundry.

Don’t get me wrong, I put aside time during my day to complete tasks by themselves too, as to not risk a ‘half hearted’ attempt. Family dinner times are one part of the day that all technology is put away, no books at the table and phones off the hook, so we can have conversations about our days and catch up on what everyone is doing.

I plan the day ahead each morning and love my ‘to do lists’ to keep me on track. I am also teaching my children the benefits of hard work, being prepared and ‘knowing my topic’ (even at my age). My goal is to end the next three years with a degree, happy family and my sanity in tact. It’s not easy but worth it. I wouldn’t have my life any other way.