scheduled downtime

The hardest thing about working from home is the blurry line between work life and home life. And when you’re a work from home mum?  You have to physically draw the line, so to speak, because otherwise it’s non-existent.

Over the past few years I’ve come to realise that scheduling down time is just as important as getting the work done. It’s literally a matter of closing the laptop, ignoring the phone and its endless beeps and notifications and immersing myself in something entirely unrelated to work.

Yesterday it was the vegetable garden which, if I’m being completely honest, is more of a weed garden. Alas, there’s an abundance of curly kale (it’s growing faster than I can eat it), the beans are racing up the salvaged gate (now used as a trellis) and the cucumbers are heading skyward too, albeit at a slower pace. It is by no means the garden of my dreams but it is a garden, all the same. And as each day goes by I discover that the rumours are true; sticking your hand in the dirt is a very effective way to relax. Walking barefoot on the grass works, too.

This morning it was a yogalates class – more of a scheduled necessity as my lower back has been playing havoc this past week. An hour-and-a-half on the mat by myself. Precise and controlled movements in the pelvic bowl, deep breaths into the belly and 15minutes of total relaxation at the end. Essential self-care because I need my back to work without pain.

And then this afternoon when Percy started rubbing his eyes I lay on the bed with him and breastfed him to sleep. There was no fussing, no kicking, no trying to sit up and look out the window. Instead he lay still and content, feeding till his eyes closed and the weight of his sweet chubby body fell against me. Afternoon naps with baby are one of my very favourite things; a small pocket of time where I completely surrender to stillness and rest and the bliss that is a full-bellied, soft to touch, sleeping baby.

So: make some space and schedule some downtime. You probably need it. Don’t you?

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Showing 9 comments
  • Tin of tea
    Reply

    a yoga class to heal a sore back…. oh how i'm dreaming about it! And naps with my baby too actually…

    • Jodi
      Reply

      I've been dreaming about a class for months, shame a sore back is what got me there :/ – lesson learnt!

  • Jane S
    Reply

    Absolutely…thanks Jodi x

  • Unknown
    Reply

    Hi Jodi, just wondering – does your daughter play quietly while you feed your baby and rest with him? Or is someone else around to help? I struggle to keep my daughter quiet while my son sleeps. Just wondering if you had any tricks…
    Thanks,
    Lou

    • Jodi
      Reply

      She is at preschool 3 days a week (4 next year) and on those days I rest with Percy. When she's home she's usually quite noisy, hence his sleeps are often disrupted. But sometimes she'll sit quietly and read. And Daniel never works Mon-Fri 9-5 so on some days he's here to help out, too x

  • fiona koenig
    Reply

    We did precisely this over dinner tonight…… My husband and I sat with the Calendar and blocked out periods of time for self care for our family and each other as we head into this extra social portion of the year. This will ensure that we head into this precious time of year as connected as always.

    • Jodi
      Reply

      What a great idea! x

  • look see. by naomi fenton
    Reply

    This is a great reminder, Jodi – I'm not a mum but I do work two jobs and if I'm not careful I can find myself working, or distracted from other things by work-related things seven days a week. Sometimes I just need to switch off the phone/laptop and read a book or magazine instead. And when I do make the effort to take a proper break from work, I find I'm much more productive when I get back into it.

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