Your Work-from-Home Thrival Guide

How are you doing with quarantine? These are tough times, and I want to help if I can by sharing some tangible actions right now to make your life easier. I want to put the ball back in your court and show you may have more control than you give yourself credit for. You can ease your own load, even if the world seems to be dealing you one bad hand after another. (I mean, murder hornets? Come on!)

If you’re in survival mode right now, that’s completely understandable, and I can guarantee most moms are. The key is not to stay there. As a coach, I challenge you physically, but your health is more than just physical. I want you to feel vibrant. Don’t settle for survival, please, ok?

Here’s how we’re going to do this. The biggest shift is to go from being reactive to being proactive. I’ll show you how to be more intentional about your time and stay one step ahead instead of feeling like you’re constantly catching up. Grab your strongest cup of coffee and a notepad. It’s time to make a plan!

1. Plan your work week.

Timeblocking is one way you can work more efficiently and it gives you the opportunity to figure out what childcare looks like during each block of time. Put each project on your calendar, estimating the length of time you need to complete it. Then, write in what you’ll be doing to keep your kid entertained during that time, whether it’s TV, a planned activity, or time with your partner. Now, let’s be honest—not everything’s going to go according to your schedule and you’ll have to let that stuff go! Even if it doesn’t work out, I guarantee you’ll always be more productive when you plan than when you wing it.

1. Plan your workouts.

Now get exercise in your calendar. Decide what workout you’re doing each day, for how long, and at what time. Got 30 minutes? Literally come workout with me live and for free here. Get it on your partner’s calendar if you can, or you can get your kids involved. It sets a great example. For younger kiddos who can’t (or won’t) entertain themselves, make a note of what you’ll do to keep them occupied while you sweat it out.

1. Meal plan.

If you’ve been following me on social media, you know I’m all about meal planning. In my experience, many women are intimidated by the idea of meal planning because it seems more complex than it actually is. It’s actually so much easier than not meal planning. Take 30 minutes to decide what you’re going to make for the week and write a grocery list—and then wave that mental load goodbye for the entire week!

1. Meal prep.

Every Sunday, I take 1-2 hours to prep meals for our family, and it saves me a ton of time during the week. Here’s the math. Your typical dinner takes 30 minutes to cook every night, so if you’re cooking 6 days a week (I’m all about that weekly takeout night), you’re spending 3 hours cooking per week. It is so much faster to chop all your veggies for the week at once. While you’re chopping said veggies, you could be cooking a pot of grains for the week and crossing that off your list. With meal prep done, dinner takes 15 minutes—or even better *zero* because it’s already made.

1. Make time for true self-care.

It’s not just manicures, ok? (Though that sounds fantastic.) Self-care is being intentional about spending your time in ways that make you feel good. It’s about making sure you’re not putting off happiness because spoiler alert: there’s never going to be a perfect time. Schedule time for the things that make you happy: your hobby(like paddleboarding!), virtual happy hour with a friend, or date night at home. Self-care is also taking care of the stuff that’s lurking in the back of your mind taking up valuable mental real estate—paying bills, unresolved conflict with loved ones, active anti-racism work. When you face these things proactively, you can free your mind and feel lighter. It’s very easy to skip self-care and feel okay in the short-term, but in the long-term, I promise you wi`ll feel it. Fill your cup. It may just flow over to the entire family. In fact, I know it will.

I hope this helps inspire you to switch off survival mode and start living. If you are still feeling overwhelmed, just start with one thing on this list and see how your week goes. I bet next week, you’ll be motivated to get ahead in other areas too. It’s pretty empowering!

Need some accountability and support? This happens to be exactly what I do with my one-on-one coaching clients. We work on breaking unhealthy habits, creating new healthier habits, and making real, sustainable changes in a stress-free, totally attainable way. You can schedule a free strategy session with me to get an idea of what coaching would be like. I can't wait to hear from you!