A Day In The Life...

I have been asked on numerous occasions about what my daily schedule looks like and how do I find the time each day to get done all the things that I need to. Explaining my daily is a tad complicated so I'll get to that in a moment. The question about how I find the time to do what needs to be done is easy to answer - the truth is, I don't. Some days, the dishes in the sink don't get washed. The clean laundry sits on top of the dryer and doesn't get folded.The dirty laundry sits in the hamper, waiting to be washed. The mail from three days ago sits on the counter, unopened. Bottom line, I know some things can wait and so they do! :)

My daily schedule varies depending on the time of year (summer versus school year for The Princess), whether it's a work day for me or not, and whether Tom is working or off-duty. Tom is a firefighter so he works what is called a "five-six schedule". He works a 24 hour shift and then is off for 24 hours. After working five 24 hour shifts, he gets 6 consecutive days off. I'm a public librarian and usually work during the week however I do work occasionally on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Here's an example of my weekday schedule during the school year on a day that Tom & I are both working (did you get all of that?!?!)

4:45 am                        Wake up

5:00 am                        Cardio

5:45 am                        Shower

6:00-6:30 am                Meal #1, pack lunch for The Princess, make 

                                    breakfast for The Princess, etc

6:30 am                        Wake up The Princess

6:30-7:00 am                Breakfast time for The Princess, get dressed,

                                    get The Princess ready for school, pack up 

                                    gym bag & her backpack

7:05 am                        Put bags into the car, last check of the house

7:10 am                        Pulling out of the driveway and off to school

7:20 am                        Drop The Princess off at her classroom, 

                                    check-in with her teacher

7:30 am                        In the car and off to the gym

7:45 - 8:20 am              Work out

8:20 - 8:45 am              Get ready for work 

8:45 am                        In the car and off to work

9:00 am - 6:00 pm        Work, work, work 

6:30 pm                        Pick up The Princess from my mom's

6:40-7:30 pm               Make The Princess dinner, review homework,

                                    talk with her about her day, etc

7:30 pm                        Bedtime for The Princess

7:30-8:00 pm               Iron clothes, unpack gym bag, feed dogs, etc

8:30 pm                       Last meal of the day & bedtime

I try to ensure that my prep "stuff" doesn't interfere with my time with my family. Some of the ways I accomplish this is doing cardio before my daughter wakes up, working out while she's at school or during my lunch hour, or finishing any lingering necessities after she's gone to bed.

I attempt to keep a tight schedule as often as possible but I'm also realistic. Things happen (or don't!) so I have to be willing to shift & adjust as needed. The one thing I will not do is sacrifice time with my family for time at the gym or on the treadmill. Family is first, competitions-cardio-lifting are all secondary. I'm all about balance and you can read more about how I create balance between family, work, and competing in my guest post for Mother Fitness entitled "Creating The Balance and Making It Work". While the post is from 2010, my feelings have not changed :)