The down side to this schedule is that it means I get up and get dressed to run errands, clean the house and take care of appointments before lunch. By the time nap time rolls around, my make up is usually on, I'm dressed in non-paint clothes and I can think of a dozen reasons why I don't want to head out and get dirty.
I fight with this every single day. To go out to the garage, or not to go out to the garage…. Too often the later wins because I put it off and put it off and then it's dinner time. Oh darn, it'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Today I did happen to make it outside (kudos to me) but that means I've changed my clothes a total of four times.
It went like this: got up, got dressed, lunches packed, #1 and #2 children off to school. A quick straighten of the house, fold laundry, #3 child dressed and to preschool. Back home, make-up on, hair uh…together, #4 child dressed, run a few errands just in time to get back to pick #3 up from preschool. Lunch time, followed by a quick kitchen straighten, #4 child down for a nap, pull hair up, put on grubbies, head outside with #3 child to sand. A couple hours later, I'm sufficiently dusty and it's time to pick up #1 and #2 children from school. A snack, homework and another quick straighten of the kitchen. Send the kids to the backyard so I can shower and get dressed…again. It's too early to put my pjs on (darn), so I throw my everyday clothes back on with wet hair. On to dinner, the last kitchen cleaning and the bedtime routine. A quick change to my jammies and now I'm snuggled up with my laptop in bed to return emails, edit photos and write this blog post.
After reading this you're probably thinking what I've been thinking all day: I need a new schedule. One that's more efficient and doesn't involve so many clothing changes. I've debated back and forth as to how to best accomplish this. Do I assign Monday, Wednesday and Friday to painting and such and Tuesday and Thursday to appointments and errands? Three days I'd plan to spend all day in my grubbies and two days to get up and get dressed to run errands and head to appointments? Or do I stick with what I've been doing and try to get out a little everyday and change my clothes too many times? Or better yet, just embrace the fact that what I do means that I'll just be ghetto most days?
Oh, the joy of working for yourself from home! I don't like to shower/change from my PJs until I've made it to the gym. Which some days is 3 p.m.
ReplyDeleteWhen the UPS driver has a delivery at 1 or 2 p.m. and I answer the door in a bathrobe ... I'm sure he wonders.
Your M/W/F T/Th sked sounds like a good solution!
Good luck.
I also work from home painting (art) and completely understand this dilemma. My hubster so kindly drives the two kids to school every morning. So, I can work solid until I have to pick them up around 3pm. I stay in my painting grubs till I have to get looking decent for the pick-up. Is there any way your hubs can help in the mornings? OR I also do this, on the few days I absolutely have to drop off the kids in the A.M. I do have normal person clothes on that I'm not ashamed of, then come home then put my painting apron over my clothes without changing outfits, then when I have to pick them up...just take my apron off and voila! I look cute again without the outfit change. Maybe you could get an apron? There are cute chef aprons or the plain ones at Home Depot... hope this helps! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I got my apron at allheartchefs.com (that's my comment above)
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Sorry it's me "anonymous" again. Google search "painter coveralls" you could easily slip this over your clothing too. Not the sexiest...but gets the job done! I've seen them at Home Depot in the paint dept.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would definitely dedicate 2 full days for chores and non-painting activities just to keep everything balanced. You can do it!
Hey Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you've tried an editorial calendar before. I just heard about it for the first time at a blogging event last month and it has completely changed the way I blog! It took me a bit of planning to get it done (mine is mostly filled for the next 2 months), but it makes a huge difference. For example: if you post 3 days/week, you can allocate Mondays to "inspiration around the blogosphere/pinterest" Wednesday for "furniture makeovers/tutorials/DIYs" and Fridays for personal posts about your family or yourself. Just google "editorial calendar" and see if the idea fits your blogging style.
Hope this helps! Good luck :)
I feel this way about all my dirty activities, painting, sanding, and oh yes, working out. I wish I was an earlier riser so I could get stuff done before I have to go to work!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand! I pick my son up at school with my paint clothes on and paint all over my hands! Luckily he is in 1st grade so he isn't embarrassed by it...yet! I use to change my clothes/clean up but then I would see parents in their work scrubs, uniforms, gym clothes and even pajamas so why should I be embarrassed by my own work clothes?
ReplyDeleteI do use an apron while I paint which helps a lot and I have been thinking about a pair of coveralls. But I only think I can handle those during the cooler weather. Good Luck!
In a weird sort of round-about way, I have the same scheduling problem. I work a 9-5 and have my nights to work on projects and furniture re-dos. Problem is, 3 nights a week I'm at my boyfriend's place rather than mine as that's the schedule we've worked out given the distance. So the other 2 nights and weekends, I've had to force myself to get motivated to get out of my work clothes and start tackling my projects and not convince myself that I'm too tired. I definitely think from my experience separating your days is the best solution to stay motivated. I suggest trying it out for a couple of weeks to see if you find yourself getting more accomplished and saving some laundry. And hey if it doesn't work, you can always just try to make the schedule you had before work.
ReplyDeleteI think that rather than change your schedule, you just need one of those white jumpsuits with a hood and booties. That way you can be all dressed up, and not worry about getting your clothes all covered in paint. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL. One of the biggest emotional transitions I had to make when I left the corporate world to start my business was telling myself the days of a professional wardrobe, hair and makeup were over! Thank goodness for ponytails, baseball caps and sunglasses to disguise my non-made-up self when I take my son to school. I think your idea of the M/W/F thing would be most efficient for you. I do something similar, saving errands for only one day - one long day- a week. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Megan - embrace the jumpsuit.
ReplyDeleteThis might go completely against your design esthetic- but have you ever thought of switching to paint that doesn't require sanding and priming? There are a few other companies besides Annie Sloan that offer this type of paint.The down side to that is they don't have the bold, vibrant and rich colors that you are known so well for! But maybe you could use it for your white pieces. Sanding and priming is time consuming! I am amazed at your work!
ReplyDeleteI'm an upholsteress, and have learned to accept that I look ghetto pretty much everyday.
ReplyDeleteI do batch all my appointments on the same day each week, so that I will look presentable on that day. Also, seeing as my shop is not at my home, I don't have the luxury {or pain in the butt} of changing several times a day.
People just have to take us as we are - Super fantastic ladies who aren't afraid of dirty work! :)
A laminated apron like the childrens' ones could maybe help you?
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely look ghetto most days. I mean, I do. I only have one child and I barely wear make up... My outside clothes are always jeans and sneakers. Than when I dress up people get really impressed bc they're not used to seeing me like that.
Good luck!
You are preaching to me today, girl. It drives me nuts how "ghetto" I look every day. What's the point of showering if I'll be in the garage in 2 hours. But when people don't recognize me at preschool when I DO shower? That's not good either. Maybe we can make our millions creating a cute paint outfit? Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteseriously, this is a HUGE issue in my day... and my kids are in school all day! i have the last pair of burgundy sweat pants ON THE PLANET and a trashed sweatshirt that i work in for the dirty stuff and i have done my darndest not to be spotted in it. of course, when i almost forgot to pick up my boys at soccer one day and had to race out of my studio, pretty much the whole town saw me. i'm not sure they recognized me, though!
ReplyDeletethe only think i have figure out is that i sand and sand and sand pieces when the weather is sandworthy. it kills my hands (carpel tunnel!) and my back but then i can go weeks with little more than a once over. then i can multitask painting w/o worrying about dust/vacuuming like mad.
let us know if you find a solution!
I feel ya on this one. Usually I end up changing into regular clothes in the afternoon after dirty chores and gym time. This is coming from someone who rarely uses a brush, so I may not be the best person to be giving advice.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate with four kids the same general ages as your four. The whole school routine means we only have small chunks of time before we have to pick up or drop off. I find that it's much easier to dedicate 1-2 days a week to errands and the other days I stay home and work. That alleviates guilt, too. I can work in peace knowing that I'll get the errands done tomorrow or I can do errands all day, knowing that the work will get done tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIsn't ghetto the new chic? I thought I heard that somewhere. No? Regardless, getting out and looking pretty is sooo 2011.
I work at home and am ghetto most days too - so you aren't alone:) A friend of mine gave me some great advice a while back about a laundry schedule - but it would work for you as well. Pick 2 or 3 days a week and designate those as 'work days'. Then you can plan a schedule and you won't feel guilty on the days you aren't working (although everyday is work with 4 kiddos). Stay strong!
ReplyDeleteAh, sounds like my life in a nutshell. I swear the "straightening the kitchen" is the biggest killer of my motivation. I try to run all of my errands on one or two days a week so I have the rest of the time at home to paint, hang with the kiddo, etc. Now if I can just figure out how to keep the kitchen clean at all times ;)
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the same thing. With one in preschool and one in morning kindergarten (and schedules that don't coincide), I'm running around all morning. My schedule isn't as crazy as yours and I don't accomplish as much, though. ;)
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of allocating two days a week to appointments and cleaning and leaving the other three open for painting...
Natty,
ReplyDeleteI have a part-time job that allows me (pretty much) to choose my schedule. For some reason I like to "work" (at the part-time clerk job) M, T, W. Which equals 3-4 hours each day, either from home or at the office where my PK son can come with me.) Thursday is my day to do "homework": bill paying, grocery-list making, sometimes errands, batch cooking, sometimes blogging. Friday is solid errands - for work, home, family. Friday night I try to get any noisy projects ready & work on them Saturday. (My husband works the night shift-so a lot of the projects for the weekend - heavy cleaning upstairs, power tool use are off-limits so he can sleep during the day!) I've tried the every-other-day method and for some reason this "blocking time" (early week for work - late week for home) works good with my psyche. Isn't it amazing all the things we accomplish in a day?!
I think part of it is just living in Arizona too. I was in 3 outfits on Thursday too and I didn't sand or paint a thing! My only idea would be when you pick up the #3 from preschool and come home, 1st thing you do before lunch is change into your painting clothes. It is easier to get out there if you look the part. For after the late in the day shower I throw on yoga pants and wear them till bedtime. Usually wearing the same outfit for 2 or 3 days in a row to equal 1 full day worth of wearing.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain--but MY problem is exercise. I really, reeeeeally hate to sweat. At all. I come from a deeply non-athletic family. And I have ten pounds of post-baby thigh chunk that need to disappear before swimsuit season (I have three competitive sisters-in-law, and our annual family vacation is coming up, and...yeah). Do I exercise in the morning before they're up? No, because I am dead to the world. Do I exercise at nap time? Then I'd have to get cleaned up again. Ew. Do I exercise after they're in bed? WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT?!? I guess the thigh chunk is here to stay.
ReplyDeleteI say designate a few days a week for errands. At least those days you'll feel stylish and put together, if still exhausted. The other days you can go ghetto and not feel so rushed. I always think of the "Little House on the Prairie" series, with the "wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday" mentality. That's how I try arranging my week. Emphasis on "try." Notice I didn't type "succeed at." ;)
Love your post! I can certainly relate. Working from home + caring for a family is like having two full time jobs. It's crazy, right? But I wouldn't change it for the world. Let us know if you come up with a magic solution - I think we'd all be willing to PAY for that!! :)
ReplyDeleteI read a NY Times article a couple years ago that described two different styles of productivity. Let's say you have a task to do, and you have a day with 3 appointments between 8 am and 6 pm, and in between them you have two one and a half hour empty slots. One type of person can stop and start pretty quickly, and that 3 hours of free time = 3 hours of time available for getting something done. The other style of person best tackles tasks in "blocks of time" where there is less stopping and starting...for that person, given that it would require a few stops and starts and shifting in focus, those two hour and a half breaks would likely translate to 0 hours of productivity in which to fill in that other task.
ReplyDeleteI work full time and am going to school 3 nights a week. I realized I am the second type, who definitely needs fewer shifts in focus and large blocks of times to devote to certain categories of activities, in order to get things done efficiently. What you said reminded me of myself, bc my boyfriend is the other type, and if I have a free hour in between work and homework to go running, I wont do it. If I have all night to get in an hour, I will. Why? I find the shifting in focus from one thing to another and to yet another - with the different responsibilities, change in clothes, showering, overwhelming.
I have to explain to my mom why, on a sunday, if I have 10-6 to do homework, and I need to get 6 hours in, I NEED 6 straight hours, that to do 3, stop for lunch with her, and do 3 more, is difficult and in fact probably none will get done. Long story short, recognizing I work best in blocks of time has helped me to organize my homework, family/home life, and work schedule in a way I find less overwhelming. Life doesn't always allow for a schedule that perfectly fits what works for you, which is the tough part!
I wish I could find you the article I read, bc it was really interesting. Good luck!
Hi Natalie, It seems to be a great idea to switch around the days as you mentioned M-W-F for GARAGE time and T-TH for appts/errands. I need some of your energy! I am so lazy, I apply makeup about 4 times a month. Not being an early morning person, I don't manage my time well in the AM-since I am rushing around trying to make it out the door in time... i know- im terrible...If I took the time to throw on some make-up and get dressed I would not want to change again and go out and paint either...I completely understand! Maybe a few extra pairs of yoga pants will help...=)?! I'm hooked on mine for lounging, errands, cleaning, cooking, creating, and sometimes what they are actually intended for.
ReplyDelete