Being a Prepared Adult - Part 1

During my IG takeover on Simone Davies' feed, many of your reached out asking me how do I balance my work, home, child and interests and that sparked this post. As I pondered over, i realized that it's a combination of everyday habits, mindset and support which is what it takes to be a prepared adult.

Adults and children alike, thrive better when there is order in the environment. The structure and a degree of predictability that comes with order, makes us feel secure and be in control of any situation. Regardless of how things changed, pandemic times / non-pandemic times, working from home / going to office, pre-baby / post-baby, certain things have remained core to me, in how I function as an individual. These have helped me to adapt and navigate through different situations.

Here are some of my pointers on managing family, work and everything under the sun.

1. Plan

• List out an exhaustive list of to-dos / tasks and group them into buckets.

• Some of my buckets include home, work, social, self-care, interests, shopping to name a few.

• I use a combination of technology and/or written notes depending on the need or situation.

2. Prioritize

• Classify the tasks as must-do and love-to-do.

• Must-do tasks are critical, time-sensitive tasks which include work deliverable, groceries, doctor appointments.

• Love-to-do tasks is my endless wish list of interests – from cooking a new recipe to running a marathon.

3. Organize

• Assign a mix of realistic number of must-do and love-to-do tasks for the day.

• Set tentative dates for all other unassigned tasks; they may even extend out to months.

• Allot specific days for certain household chores, say, Thursday is laundry day.

4. Attitude

• I often remind myself that even with all the diligent planning, sometimes things may not go as planned.

• It is important that I be present and accept the reality.

• More importantly, take it one day at a time.

5. Self-love

• Take a few minutes at the end of the day to pause and reflect on my day.

• I write very brief gratitude notes, a line or two, to acknowledge and appreciate the things I'm thankful about.

• More importantly, being kind to myself - especially physical and mental well-being. It could be going on a short walk, talking to a friend or perhaps taking a power nap.

Check out my post on Instagram.

All these did not happen overnight, but by staying consistent and building that muscle to do. While my overall framework stays the same, the practical how-tos are dynamic and evolve over time.

How do you find balance in your life?