How’s your energy level by evening?
Down the tubes, right?
(Sometimes, it’s down the drain before supper even starts.)
It’s no fun staring down the evening to-do list with an empty tank.
So what can we do to make this better? (Because you always have a choice.)
Stop the afternoon drain
Make sure your afternoon isn’t draining you.
What do I mean by that?
Let the afternoon be your time to relax and recharge.
If you’ve got a perpetual second shift –
- prepping dinner,
- serving it,
- feeding the littles,
- kitchen clean up,
- toy clean up,
- baths,
- bedtime stories,
- your own evening routine
– then your work day isn’t ending at 5pm. (Laughable, right?)
So stop trying to power through till 5pm! You’ve got 2 or 3 hours of work yet.
Which means you need to take 2 or 3 hours off earlier – like in the afternoon – to compensate.
You wouldn’t expect your husband to work 10-11 hours with energy to spare, would you?
So quit playing Superwoman with your expectations and asking that of yourself.
Meet your second shift with a full tank of mom reserves.
Naptime is for you
Once you’ve turned naptime into off time, make sure to keep that space sacred.
Yes, change the diapers. Break up sibling fights if need be.
But plan activities that refresh you.
Think of it this way: what if you really were able to take “off” from parenting and/or housekeeping at 5pm? What would you do with your time?
Those activities – transfer them to the afternoon.
- Call up a friend.
- Color in that grown-up art book.
- Curl up on the sofa with the latest release from one of your favorite authors.
- Grab a fresh cup of tea and sit down at the sewing machine.
Whatever floats your boat. Lights you up. Brings joy.
Those things.
(You get an entire module on this in #Momlife Made Easy, by the way – because getting time to yourself is the key to your day as a work-at-home mom!)
How to get evening energy
Pretty soon, you’ll be so filled up by your afternoon – and used to this new routine – that the supper-and-baths routine won’t phase you.
Your husband’s tired – he’s put in a full day.
You’re not drained yet – because you strategically chose your shift.
You’ve got your last 2 or 3 hours up ahead, so you took your break early.
(Not early, really; at just the right time.)
That means you can….
- Get to food prep
- Ask the kids about their day
- Hear about your husband’s day
- Cut up food for the littles
- Diaper change and feed the baby
- Wash dishes (or supervise the kid who’s in charge)
- Get the kids started on baths
- And read the bedtime story
…. Without starting on an empty tank.
Isn’t that going to go so much better?
That’s exactly what I do – take 3 hours off in the afternoon, every weekday.
And magically, I’m all filled up and ready to go when it’s time to start supper, break up the post-naptime sibling fights, and deal with kitchen cleanup!
I highly recommend it.
So, to recap:
- Take the afternoon for yourself
- Plan activities you really enjoy
- Meet the “dinner rush” with a full energy tank
Now, it’s time for you. Which planner reminders are you going to cross out of the naptime slot? (Permanently!)
That’s the first step to meeting your second shift with a full tank of mom reserves.
And number two, what are you going to choose for naptime? (Because unfilled space is a magnet for undone to-dos!)
It’s time to change your evening. To show up with enough energy for your family.
And that means taking time for yourself earlier in the day.
What’s going to change during naptime today?
