07532 499445
julie@absolute-wellness.co.uk
A little background first...I’m a single parent with 3 young children (7-13years) and run my Wellness business around school hours and whenever the kids are at their Dads. Life is challenging and non-stop and the dynamics in the house are forever changing.
If you want to have a fulfilling life for yourself whilst raising children then you have to be disciplined to fitting in your own priorities too, otherwise you will reach burnout. My day starts early (first child normally up by 6.30am) and by the time they have left for school I’ve usually showered, made 3 breakfasts, lunches, made sure everyone ready, put a washing on, dishes done, cleaned some part of the house, flushed numerous toilets (do kids ever learn to flush the toilet!!!) and started to prepare work (its just after 8am and I’m writing this blog).
Being self-employed you have to be dedicated to put in the hours when you can. The days are varied and involve teaching yoga, having PT clients, reiki sessions, preparing presentations and workshops or making up nutrition plans. Often I’m asked by clients if I’m busy and I’ve always equated this to being busy with clients, as this is how I’ve rated my success. A lot of my work involves planning sessions, marketing and promotion, responding to enquiries, networking, researching and making phone-calls. But being self-employed you don’t get paid for this part of work, but it takes up gazillions of my time. And lets not forget I like to train myself!! I do yoga most days and run or do weight training when I can.
So this all happens between the hours of 9-3pm, it’s really not long, and then it’s all about the kids, preparing dinner, diffusing arguments, doing homework. While there’s a spare 15 minutes I’ll be back doing preparing work. Usually there’s a kids club in the evening so it’s an early dinner by 5pm and then more work in the car while the club is running. Last night I had a telephone call with my website provider on changes I’d like made and then the work that followed on from the call. In the meantime, I noticed my Instagram promotion about my lovely baked salmon dinner had been hijacked by my teenage daughter. She’s now blocked from my business page for her mean comments about my disgusting dinner!!!
Its then the bedtime routine that starts 2 hours before the kids actually get anywhere near going to bed! I always get the housework done before I go to bed at night as I like an organised home free from much clutter. It helps me feel like I’m starting the next day afresh.
I generally don’t watch TV, I really wouldn’t fit in all the work and running the house if I did.
I try not to go on the laptop much in the evening and instead read or do yoga. I love reading, mostly books relating to mindfulness, yoga and healing. I make sure to write out a ‘to-do’ list for the next day. I usually go to bed between 9.30/10pm hopefully feeling that its been a productive day, sometimes tinged with the sadness of the aftermath of falling out with one of the kids, but overall with a sense of gratitude for the day I’ve had.
So there it is, a day in the life of a self-employed single parent….not unlike yours.