POV: I have a bunch of kids, so I won’t get peace and quiet again till they’re out of the house. Help me get through the next ten years!
Me as coach: Um, are you the grown-up, or are they?
I mean, I get that they’re loud. I get that they make messes.
But who said they get to run all over you? Disobey whenever you ask them to bring their dishes to the sink? Hang up the towel on the floor?
YOU’RE the adult. They obey YOU.
You have to actually ENFORCE your daily recharge time, not just run around attending to the latest client messages in Voxer or seeing what your VA needs from you in Slack – ‘cause THAT’S a never-ending inbox-whack-a-mole game.
(Which you already know.)
But what you NEED right now is the permission to knock it off, NOT check back in till your time slot for it tomorrow, and TAKE that no-guilt listen-to-podcasts time – because it isn’t gonna happen if you don’t make yourself take time for it.
No one’s coming along checking up on you like the selfcare police. (Did you put your phone down and take a walk today? No? Then I’ll handle the kids and you go right out.) Nope – that’s up to YOU.
See, this mindset is what I lean on when my 6 and 8 year olds are zooming in and out of the living room (which they’re not supposed to be during quiet time), because they’re always “on their way” to something approved like taking a drink or going outside, and I’m starting to feel snappish and crazy.
No, they AREN’T respecting my afternoon work time boundary, and whose fault is that? Mine!
So who needs to restate something about it, TO them, instead of expecting their noise level to magically settle down? Again, me!
And when I do that, the resentment calms down immediately, *I* get my peace and quiet back, and THEY get the reminder they needed (that even though drinks are permitted, being respectful of quiet hours is still included).
So start thinking about WHAT you want from your day, HOW you can get it, and what THEY need to be doing to make that come true.
It CAN happen for you – I promise.
