by
Michaela Rosales
|
January 8, 2021

Rocks and Sand- A Time Scheduling Method

This new transition to homeschooling, working from home and all of the other new normals we are all facing can feel extremely overwhelming!  


Merely Surviving is no way to live your life especially in the face of a global pandemic!


Despite the fact there are 24 hours in a day finding the balance with having the kids home full time, trying to get all of the home responsibilities done, as well as have time for other important activities can make you feel like you are spinning your wheels and never accomplishing anything.  


Trust me, I GET IT! Just because I’ve been homeschooling for 6 years doesn’t mean that this new way of life has been easy.  There are always adjustments to make during times of transition. 


Right before this pandemic started, I decided that I would add one more thing to my plate and start graduate school! 


Why not drop a bomb into the middle of my day!


My life which already entails: 

  • Homeschooler of  three kids ages 8 to 16
  • Cleaning services
  • Laundry services
  • Executive chef to the Rosales family
  • Chauffer 
  • Manager of the family schedule
  • Secretary, scheduling appointments for the doctor, dentist, haircuts, etc.
  • Friend to many
  • Language learner (Italian classes)
  • A supporter of Husband’s career, needs, wishes and appointments


And the list goes on and on and on…


If I were to continue the never-ending to-do list, I might get completely overwhelmed and even get to the point in which I crumple the list up, climb back into bed and binge-watch shows on Netflix or Hulu.  I may or may not have reached this point in my life on more than one occasion. 


However, recently I started paying closer attention to the amount of sleep I was getting (sleep is a pivotal pillar to living a healthy life) and what I was actually doing in my day because I wasn’t getting even close to completing the majority of the items on my list. 


Can you relate?


Homeschooling can feel like you are constantly putting out fires and not really getting anything done and with adding more to my plate I had to find a solution.


This sparked a conversation between my husband and me.  For years, I have tried to come up with so many “systems” in which I could manage my time and the family’s time to no avail. I’ve pinned countless cute little calendars, bought a million planners with adorable little pen sets to make it colorful and pretty (only to get frustrated when I mess up, perfectionist much?) I’ve tried the iCalendar on the computer/phone and it color coordinated each of the kids, my husband, and even the dog but even that only worked for a week or two. You might have been thinking about this step since being forced to homeschool.  However, please don’t waste your time.


What gives?


Rocks and Sand… 


Hear me out… 


When crafting my calendar, my personal calendar, I was making everyone else’s priorities the rocks. So, what that meant was… I was filling up my days with all of their needs, wishes, and desires and placing everyone’s priorities above my own. Then, I would add my priorities by sprinkling them around everyone else’s, hence the sand, filling in space around the rocks.


When my husband brought up this wonderful analogy of the rocks and sand, it dawned on me that in order to truly feel productive and accomplish MY priorities I needed to start scheduling my time differently.  


How can I do this when the family relies so heavily on me?


The answer is BOUNDARIES!  You must have boundaries in place so everyone in your household feels loved and respected.  This time of uncertainty is sure to bring family challenges, but if everyone can set boundaries around their own time and space, the family unit can work together more easily.  


If you're not sure where to start with boundaries, then stay tuned for my next post where I will provide you with some easy and simple strategies you can immediately put into play!