As a full-time student life is pretty hectic. Most students have at least one job, some have two making their lives a little more busy. What the majority of students do not have is a baby on the way. As a sophomore in college having a baby was the last thing I expected to add to my life at this time. But sometimes life decides you are ready for challenges you hadn't thought you were ready for. With only a little less than 3 months left until our precious Olivia enters the world, I thought I would share with you how I am adapting to the new changes in my life.
When I started school last semester I started with the expectation of taking some online classes to kind of take a break from the extra work of going into class multiple days a week. This also allowed me to focus on getting a job. Halfway through the semester was when we got the news Olivia was on her way. With a June due date, it was perfect. I had plenty of time to finish the school year before she would be born. I also had almost two months after she was born to recover. It was perfect! I signed up for all online classes for my winter semester, so I could take it easy as I went through my second and third trimesters. I also continued my search for a job. The winter semester started and I finally got a job at the Grand Rapids Museum. Luckily for me, it is mostly a desk job that allows me some relaxation. I work part-time, which helps accommodate my classes, and besides a few things here and there baby isn't stressing out my life too much yet. So you may be thinking, what's the point of this then?
As my pregnancy has progressed I have realized how much my mindset on life needs to or is going to change. Before as just a college student, I could eat whatever I wanted, when I wanted, and where I wanted. Now, as a soon-to-be mom, I feel the need to eat healthier, at regular meal times, and to actually prepare a meal, instead of stopping at McDonald's on the way home from class. I can't sit on the couch and binge watch Netflix anymore, it has hit me that I should probably clean a little and tidy up the house. Letting laundry and dishes pile up is no longer an option. I can't really explain it, but somewhere in my head a switch flipped, and I knew that no matter how hard it was I needed to get my life in order. Little Olivia is going to need someone who can take care of her as well as them self.
So how did I do it? How did I go from the college student who barely studied, ate Ramen and mac & cheese for dinner, watched all seven seasons of Doctor Who in three weeks, only did laundry every other week, was content working at fast food, and never ever did the dishes; to someone who makes steak for dinner, scrubs the bathroom toilet every week, has a study time for each class, gets out of bed at a normal time everyday, and loves her job as a receptionist? I made myself get in the habit of having small routines that I had to fulfill throughout the day.
When I was a kid I used to make schedules for my day. I would map out every hour and every minute of my day, but then I would get so upset when something went wrong and I slept in or something like that. When I first decided to start putting my life in order I thought schedules were the perfect idea. I was wrong. Schedules don't allow for the flexibility you need in your day. They are strict and straightforward. If you mess up one thing on your schedule for the day, it's over, throw the schedule out the window. A routine, on the other hand, is flexible. You have a list of things you need to accomplish, just no deadline to accomplish them. Now schedules are not terrible, in fact, I still have one, but not in the way you might think.
This is my schedule. I make a calendar for the month and I put ever single event on it that will take place outside the home. It tells when Jerry and I work (when and where for Jerry), and it also has all over major events we will be attending throughout the month. I put a copy of this schedule on the chore board in our kitchen, so we have an easy reference at home as well as emailing it to both Jerry and myself should we need to look at it when we are not home. I usually make one for each month about a month before. This allows us to request the days off of work that we need, and gives us time to plan ahead for friends and family events.
As for routines I have about two basic routines that I follow, a morning routine and a nighttime routine. Now the routines do vary based on whether or not I work that day. My morning routine, when not working is as follows:
Waking up: I try to wake up at about 9 or 10 on days I don't work, and I usually lay in bed for about 15-20 minutes, easing myself into consciousness by checking my phone.
Breakfast: After I roll out of bed, I slowly make my way to the kitchen where I turn the Keurig on, feed the cats, and get a bowl of cereal. While my coffee is being made I walk around the kitchen and living room and open the blinds. This helps me feel more awake and ready to start the day. I then sit at my computer for about 30 minutes and have my quiet time. This is when I sit and drink my coffee, eat my breakfast, and write down everything I need to accomplish today.
Shower: I then jump in the shower to freshen up, get dressed, and apply a light amount of makeup to just feel ready and prepared should I have to go somewhere.
Start my day: From there my day usually goes into doing laundry, or working on my volunteer work.
If I am working that day, I get up at about 7:15 and take a shower the night before. I try to be out of the house by 8 and at work by 8:30. Also instead of my quiet time being at a computer, it's usually with my journal, writing down what I need to do at work. My nighttime routine is a little different.
Prep Work: I start thinking about bed at about 11:30 or 12 at night. I will walk around the living room and put things away, wipe down the counters in the kitchen, make sure no food is sitting out, and if I'm working the next day I will jump in the shower at 11:30 and then pack my bag for the next day.
Dishes & Laundry: Right before I head into the bedroom, I make sure all the dishes are in the dishwasher and I turn it on if it's full, and if there's wet clothes in the washer I throw them in the dryer and start it as well.
Going to sleep: I always try to fall asleep or at least put my phone down and focus on sleep by 1:00. But usually when I crawl into bed it's about 12:30 so I will catch up with Facebook and Instagram on my phone, and write down in my journal anything I can think of that I need to do tomorrow.
As for what I do during the day, it really depends on several factors. If Jerry is home, I'm usually not on my computer that much. I do mostly cleaning around the house, and usually we end up going out and doing something together or watching tv shows or movies. If Jerry is at work and I'm home alone, I work on blog posts, or volunteer work, or schoolwork. And I also usually do a little cleaning, but not as much as on days Jerry is home.
Now splitting into two specific topics, schoolwork and cleaning. For my schoolwork I have a mini routine/schedule. Between Monday and Thursday I read through all of the chapters required for that week and take notes. I do a little of this at work and a little at home. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from 9-midnight is when I sit down and do all my discussions, quizzes, and tests. Having a specific time where I can just focus on homework, really allows me to be less stressed about it throughout the week. This is one reason why I love online classes. Everything is done weekly, and the only due date is Sunday by midnight.
As for chores, I have a daily, every other, weekly, and monthly chore list. They are as follows
Daily
feed pets
wipe down counters
sweep kitchen
put dishes in dishwasher & away
1 load of laundry
pick up the house
Every Other
scoop litter
take out the trash
Weekly
vacuum
change out towels
mop kitchen, laundry room, & bathrooms
wash sheets
change litter
clean mirrors
clean stove
clean microwave
clean bathrooms
Monthly
dust ceiling
wipe down windows
clean fridge & freezer
wipe down washer & dryer
clean pantry
give cats bath
wash bed quilts
To help me remember everything I have to do, I have a printed off sheet of this in a glass frame that hangs from my chore board in the kitchen. As I finish each task, I take a dry erase marker and check it off. At the end of each day I wipe the daily portion clean and start over fresh the next day, and so on for the rest. Now do I do every single chore every day, not all the time, no. On days I work, I often just wipe the counters down, do a load of laundry, feed the kitties, and run the dishwasher.
How do I keep all this information together you ask? I have three main sources, my journal, a planner, and Evernote. I use all three religiously. I take my journal everywhere and just jot anything I need to remember down in it. My planner is in a changing phase right now as I am trying to find refills for the pages. But my planner is where I keep an extra calendar, another daily to do list, meal plans, monthly budgets, and grocery lists. And Evernote I use at work to record anything I do there on the computer, so it automatically syncs to my at home computer.
This is how I keep my life together and it works for me. I have never felt more organized or on top of things than I do right now. As for adding a baby into the mix of schedules and routines, I'm sure it will jumble things around a little bit, but I am getting good and setting things in their right place and keeping them organized so I have no worries. I end every day feeling accomplished and I start may days looking forward to what I can do. Putting my life in order has really added a sense of worth to my life that I never really had before, and pregnant or not I really recommend trying to put some sort of order into a busy life. It really makes a difference.
Until tomorrow,
Charity
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