Hello and welcome back to the blog my Dearest Reader.
Today I’m reporting in on my smartphone from my husband’s family cottage on Lake Michigan. It is seriously so beautiful to be not only in nature, but also around family. We closed the night with a long game of Mexican Train Dominoes, ice cream, and a cool breeze.
Now, I can’t say that I was entirely in need of a vacation... but my husband on the other hand? He definitely needed a breather! His week has been full to the brim with work, overtime, arrests, and court. He is my true inspiration for disciplined hard work. AND I admire his ability to work hard and stay disciplined, while also choosing a spirit of relaxation when the time comes.
I feel like I have a harder time with the work-life-balance thing. It is just the nature of homemaking and blogging to feel like everything is blended because even when you’re not writing, filming, cleaning, or cooking, you’re responding to emails, planning your next topic, and trying to keep up on Twitter and Instagram.
I seriously love what I do, but I realized this week that I also need to stay balanced and focused on my real life. I have people in front of me in my life who need my love and attention, and I have an entire world to explore, recipe books to conquer, and laughs to share. I never want to get so caught up in the digital world that I forget my real life.
Someone asked me this week to share more of my struggles as a homemaker, and I have to say that there really aren’t any.
I think this is because I’m not a mother yet. Motherhood will bring all sorts of stress, but life is also easy right now because my life was much harder when I worked a 9-5. My homemaking lifestyle has been the most wonderful and bliss-filled blessing. I thrive at home, and there are really no issues outside of forgetting to switch the wash every once in awhile.
However, I definitely do still have struggles, but they have more to do with blogging-balance than life as a homemaker. I struggle with wanting to be online and available for everyone while also being a good homemaker.
I think I have been in denial about the fact that I’m not just a homemaker anymore... I’m a blogger, a writer, a Youtuber, AND a homemaker. My responsibilities have doubled since February, and my heart has grown as well. This has been an incredible adventure and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
But because of this, I have had to go to work to figure out how to balance all the excitement, projects, creativity, and real life. I didn’t set out on this journey to have a full time career or busy life. I wasn’t looking for a ton of responsibility, attention, or work: I just wanted to share my heart and stay creative, while enjoying my years before becoming a mother.
I’ve been so overwhelmed recently and I realized I haven’t been enjoying the journey or even my homemaking. I realized that chaos in my life had gotten too out of control, and it was time for a reckoning.
So this past week I decided to do a bit of a “reset.” I‘ve been focusing on my health, my heart, and my husband. I’ve been less neurotic about online messages and comments, and basically stepped back so that I can step up in other areas of my life.
Maybe you’re needing the same thing as me today: a bit of a reset and a refocus; a time to reconfigure your time management and reevaluate your priorities.
It‘s good to take a hard look at your life and evaluate what’s working and what’s not. We don’t need to save resets for New Years’. We can have a reset and refocus right NOW. All you need to do is take an honest look at yourself and your life.
The first step of a reset is evaluating your current situation.
Notice the signs that your current lifestyle is wearing you thin. Ask your husband about his thoughts on your life and see where you could improve. Notice if you still have time for your personal beauty routine, your skincare, your cooking, and your social life. Evaluate your mind, your heart, and your relationships.
Figure out if you feel chaotic or balanced, and then pause.
It’s sometimes hard to jump from chaos into creativity and success. Once you figure out that you’re feeling unbalanced, take time to pause and reflect. Reflect on all you’ve accomplished and look towards what you want to accomplish. Pause, and potentially even stop your current way of doing things. Stop your life and clean things out. Switch up your perspective and don’t be afraid to change.
After you pause, it’s time to focus on our priorities and remember what is really “real.”
I think people tend to forget that life is a series of moments and we can easily get swept away in the new opportunities, adventures, or busyness while forgetting to live every moment fully.
Naturally, our priorities will probably be very similar: faith, family, homemaking, and romance. The life of a traditional woman is certainly focused and built upon family, and because of that, I never want to let my work take over my life. I like to list all of my priorities and really be honest about what they are.
So reevaluate, pause, and then prioritize.
But we cannot only stay in our minds and hearts: take action!
An actionable way I like to stay balanced is by starting my day with a short journaling or mind reflection time. For me, this would be my morning devotional and prayer time. This is when we must reflect not on our stresses and to-do list, but on our lifelong priorities. This is when I remind myself that my first priority is my relationship with Christ, then my husband, then my home, then my work.
By beginning our day with the right mindset, we can then focus on those priorities throughout the day. If I need to, I will revisit my morning journal or devotional to stay on track throughout the day.
Try having accountability with other people if you need help staying in track, but most of all, do not go easy on yourself. Push yourself to change and transform those destructive lifestyles and chaotic habits. I have had to force myself offline and into the real world, and if truly did a LOT of good for me!
Don't be afraid to admit that your current way of living isn’t serving you anymore. Oftentimes we gain added responsibilities and have to switch up how we handle life and our work. That’s what happened to me! Your current workout routine might not work when you’re a new mom, or live in a different city. Your current evening routine might need a switch up or even your current relationships.
Whatever is going on in your life, just know that it’s better to identify the problem and address it, than ignoring the fact that you even have a problem at all. Try to focus on what’s working and be brutally honest with yourself.
Don't be afraid to choose a slower lifestyle or less responsibility, even if it means you’re not a hardcore bossbabe grinding away. Our society has tricked people into thinking that career success and fame equals happiness. But I’m just here today to give you a gentle reminder that success is truly defined in our relationships and our personal peace and balance.
Seek balance above all else and reap the benefits of a peaceful heart and soul.
Stay offline if you you need to, and never feel guilty about reprioritizing.
Xoxo,
Cait