Do Better. Be Better.

Do Better. Be Better.

 

So a friend mentioned this theory that we are all great at two things. 

The problem is that we can't do both of those things well at the same time.

For me, one of the things I'm good at is blogging. The other is being a mom.

Right now as I'm trying to write this post in bed at nearly 1 a.m. my two year old starts to cry from her crib. She doesn't normally do this and there's no reason for her to be crying right now.  What do I do?  Do I continue blogging or do I go comfort her?

Of course mothering comes first. But now blogging takes a back burner. 

My husband just went in to rub her back and sway her back to sleep.
So I guess I can keep blogging.  But now my mind is jumbled and I've fallen off track. 

Alright, I thought about this in the shower, where I do all my deep thinking (please, I'm begging you people, someone invent a waterproof tablet with voice recognition that stays in the shower, and syncs to my phone)...

What is it that would help me do my two things better?  And what if I wasn't just limited to 2 things, but I could do MANY things better?  What would that look like? 

Maybe in order to do MY 2 things well, I need to work together with other like-minded people?

Maybe I need a rigid schedule?

Maybe I need to put it on my vision board?

Maybe I need to cut out activities that aren't top priorities?

Maybe I need to do all that, and something more that I don't even know yet.

I know from experience our home can be much happier, more simplistic, and I can be much more productive when we have just completed a big purging and decluttering of the house.
But I’ve done that trick so many times now, that we don't really have a need to do it again. And if I tried my family might want to kick me out!  At the very least it would tork them off royally. 

I'll be 30 next year and I don't have my exciting list of things I want to do before I'm 30 completed, but for the next 30 days I'm going to work at doing better so I can be better.

I asked each of my family members this same question

“Where is an area I can improve?”

 

First off they all responded about the same “You’re perfect at everything, mom”.  Bless their hearts, they really did mean it, they weren’t sucking up.  But then I pushed a little further and here’s what I got:

The Ball Player:
“Walking and running because you have a Fitbit.  Geez, thanks kid!  Haha, but really, I'll try.”

My husband has already challenged me to something; you can read about that HERE. 

The girls both still think I’m just perfect.  They’re about the only ones I hear that from, so I’m not going to push for a different answer right now, but I am going to keep asking them what I can do to be a better mom today, this week, etc.

Areas to Improve (ATI):

·         Keeping the bathroom mirrors clean.

·         Keeping the sinks clean.  I want to see the washbowls shine! 

·         Responding to text messages (but not during the school day).

·         Knowing what supper will be before 4pm and having it on the table before anyone in the house gets H-Angry, or has to go to bed. *I’m taking baby steps here, folks*

·         Giving a YES or a NO answer.

·         Meeting my Fitbit Goals before 9pm each night.  There is nothing more frustrating than pacing the house trying to reach your Fitbit goals for the day before you go to bed, only to realize it resets at midnight, not when you fall asleep around 2am.

My plan to make this work is simple.  Post the list where I’ll see it, and ask those close to me to hold me accountable. 


One of my ATIs is Blogging regularly. That has been a goal of mine since the winter of 2006 when I started my very first blog, “Lucky Ducks”.  When this blog started in 2010 I thought for sure I’d be posting daily updates, or at minimum twice a week.  That never really happened.  Now that it’s starting to bring in some real revenue and I’ve built a readership I’m comfortable with, I want to make it more of a priority.  Ultimately though, my family comes first, so I’m still trying to find the balance here.  I’ll let you know if I ever figure it out.  J

What are your ‘Areas to Improve’?

 

Share in the comments, OR if you blog, write a post about it and comment back here with a link!  


I should also add, I think I'm great at being a homeschooling wife/mom OR great at being a friend.  I can't balance both of those well yet either.  Or I'm great at advertising/social media, but then I struggle with being consumed by it and not having much time for anything else.