5 Ways To Not Be “So Busy”

I can’t believe the summer is almost over… it went by way too fast and I feel like I hardly accomplished anything on my summer bucket list with our little family. I’ve been struggling lately with how busy I am. I hate that friends always think I’m ‘so busy’ – that I miss out on things, don’t make time for myself, neglect Piper while trying to finish work emails in the evenings. In a blink her first summer as a curious, active toddler is over. I want to make some serious changes to our lifestyle so that I have more time to just be… be present with my daughter, be a better friend, have days when we have no plans and can take long walks and picnic lunches. 

I know this will only get worse the older Piper gets and the more activities she has, so I’m determined to make some changes now. I know that I have some big picture thinking to do over the next few months, but for now I’m trying to make some small changes to enjoy these last moments of summer and prepare for a hectic fall and holiday season– which I know will only go by quicker! I’m making  a vow to stop saying “I’m so busy”. 

How adorable is Piper in this outfit from Janie & Jack who we partnered with for this post? I’ve always loved their clothes and the few pieces that we have get a lot of wear. The quality is top notch and the designs are so versatile

Love the little bucket hat! Especially since I seem to have lost all of her summer hats! 

So here are a few ways I’m attempting to stop time — and slow down. 

1. Don’t over commit. I have a tendency to over commit myself both in work and my personal life. I’m trying to work on this so that I don’t feel guilty when I have to cancel plans because I can’t keep up. By now I know that I like to be home most week nights and making plans for one of them is about as much as I want to do, especially if I have shoots or meetings that require me to drive. 
2. Make plans & stick to them. On the flip side I think it can be very beneficial to carve out time to spend with friends or family or for special activities like taking a day trip to the beach or going strawberry picking. Once you have these activities scheduled and on the calendar it’s easy to keep them and make sure that the memories you were hoping to capture over the summer/fall/holidays actually happen and time doesn’t speed by. 
3. Say no/Do fewer things, better. This applies more to my personal work — but I need to be better about saying no to projects that aren’t the right fit and taking on just way too much. I need to think harder about partnerships, events etc. before jumping the gun and saying yes! 
4. Clean during the week.  I’m going to try cleaning during the week an hour before our nanny leaves on Friday so that I don’t have to spend my weekends trying to juggle Piper and trying to clean. I can actually sit down and relax during nap time and head into the weekend with a clean house so that we can spend our time having fun tother. 
5. Make seasonal bucket lists. Sit down with your family and make a list of things you want to do that month or season – especially fitting for fall which is my favorite time of year and of course the holidays! 

*Thanks to Janie & Jack for partnering on this post!