on being organised

                    
                        (this can often sum up all of our plans)

I was chatting with a friend recently about the perils of being a yoga teacher, in regards to time, & managing our time. You would think that yoga teaching is a serene occupation, but the reality is: 

• you can’t get sick or you lose income
• you still have a family life
• you are expected to look good
• your income varies each week depending on the number of people who turn up to class
• you travel all over the city, teaching early morning before daylight, morning, evenings, & weekends
• you often can't have regular meals

So there can be a lot of stress. 

For many years I was a solo mum who taught yoga, often doing the equivalent of one and a half jobs. Time was so tight & I had to find ways to manage it. Now I live on my own & it’s not so frantic. I’m still teaching yoga, but a lot less classes. So I don’t have to be so organised about everything. I still do some of my old habits in this area though. 

Helpful habits

Here are some, plus included are some that I only did in spurts, but wish I had done always, for time, health & money reasons:

• have a 4-5 minute make-up routine 
• keep all the make-up, moisturiser, etc, that you will need, together
• have a hair routine that you can actually do in the time that you have available. I have never been able to use blow-dryers nor curling rods, so my routine is wash, massage a bit of mousse through, then fluff my hair up with my fingers as I move around the morning. I could look better with my hair, however this could involve some major tantrums trying to do it, so I don’t.
• have a “look”. It makes getting dressed easier. It can still be a great “look”. Just keep it simple & manageable. Elizabeth Hurley (my secret mentor), has a “look” for evening glam, & a “look” for everyday. We can too.
• get your clothes, underwear, shoes, umbrella if it’s raining, together, the night before
• get anything else that you need for the day, & put them with your bag
• have a roomy bag! Keep your bag always in the same place, whether it’s at home, or at work.
• keep your cell phone in or by your bag, always. Plus your house keys & diary
• if you are asthmatic, keep an inhaler in your bag. I have a small strip of anti-histamines in case I eat nightshades (ps I usually don’t, but I like to be prepared!). And my iron tablets, so that I always know where they are
• a comb for the tidy look
• I also grab my torch if I'm working evenings

So basically it’s whatever you personally might need on a daily basis when you are away from home. 

Be organised

• keep your diary updated
• I also use a wall calendar so I can block out days away, seminars, etc, & therefore I know not to double book. 

Recently I decided to just have the wall calendar…..disaster! I then missed appointments & promises. Not a good look. I now have a diary again…..And I have always updated all this on Monday mornings, as it helps with organising my life.

Our diet needs to be organised, too

• have the same breakfast nearly every day. And make sure that you always have the makings of your breakfast in your cupboards. Another hint is to eat food that doesn’t drop your blood sugar. Protein in the form of eggs, smoothies with protein powder, baked beans, are excellent. I have made protein smoothies, on & off for breakfast, for decades.
• if you can manage it, have the same lunch every day that you are at work. Make it easy to prepare & either get it ready after dinner for the next day, or throw it together in the morning. One of my sisters always had the same salad at work, which she made before work. Another sister made extra protein for dinner & then added salad ingredients before leaving for work. A friend takes a tin of tuna with some sauce on it, like chilli tuna, plus fruit & muesli bars. She works outside so this really suits her. Yet another friend took pita bread, salad stuff & protein to put inside it, to work, & kept it in the fridge there
• fill your water bottle
• make sure that you have your breakfast and lunch ingredients always available. And that goes for your children’s food, too. Of course
• have a small dinner menu list. It sounds so boring but it does reduce stress. Make sure that it is food that everyone whom you are cooking for, likes. If you have a slow cooker, you can use a can of tomatoes, some chopped onion & vegetables, powdered spices & protein. Toss them in before work, then eat yummy food when you have dinner!  Make a nutritious soup one evening so it’s always in the fridge for when you quickly need to grab something for tea or lunch.
• shop once a week if you are time crunched. I just keep a list in my diary of what I am running out of & will also need, keeping this simple, also

And housework

• wash dishes or fill dishwasher before bed
• for many years, I put on a load of washing first thing as I padded off to the bathroom. And hung it out on a clothes horse, or outside, before work. If you have kids, it really helps to keep on top of the washing

For keeping the home &/or office organised, I can recommend flylady.com. Lots of hints & structure. Impulsiveness is lovely, but organisation is even lovelier when life is frantic. If like me, you are secretly a bit pompous & virtuous, you will feel very proud of yourself when you are organised. It also prevents major meltdowns.

Pay your bills online. Make a time for it each week, fortnight or month. Diary it. These days I just put any receipts that I need to keep, in a plastic sleeve. But I no longer have many bills, so that’s okay. Plus the ones that come through email can just go into their own folders when they are paid.


Organisation makes life easier

The idea is to sort our lives out in an organisation way, so that life is better, & there is no stress. Our relationships with our loved ones are nicer when things flow easier. And we are nicer & happier. Sometimes we just need to try out a few things to see what works for us.

Oh, & I too know what it’s like to be so stressed that you burn the toast & smoke out the house getting kids & myself out of the house in time. Yep, nearly every morning. And having a reluctant child who had to be tossed out of the car outside the school gates, as I quickly locked the doors & drove off fast. And another who wouldn’t get out of bed, wouldn’t eat breakfast, then stressed over clothes, hairdos, lunches (you know what I’m secretly meaning by “stressed”). 

The difference between having two children & then having just one (who is many years younger than the first two)...the different was huge. Anyone who works whether it's part-time or full-time, & has a few kids too, you are a legend.