I’ll be honest, I’ve never done this before. The only places I’ve ever worked have actually been AT an office or restaurant. Truth be told, it was awkward at first, especially because I hadn’t worked even close to full time for two weeks. I was newly home with my brother (who somehow turned into a young man), my sister (who I’ve seen very little of for the past three years), and my parents … and my dog, of course. I just wanted to hang out with everyone. I hadn’t seen them for more than four days in a row in three years.
So, I started out in the kitchen. I set up my laptop, got my little inbox situated, grabbed my yellow legal pad and went to town.
Well, from 6 a.m. until about 10, that is. Then everyone would make their way downstairs and I was inevitably stopping my timer on Freshbooks every 15 minutes or so. Clearly, that didn’t work. Plus, my mom was pissed about all my stuff being on the table. (Oh, living at home.)
So, I relocated to the dining room, which is just off the front area of our house. There’s a pocket door that separates the busy kitchen/living room area from where I am (although that didn’t keep my dog from creepily watching me while I was on the phone today), so it’s pretty quiet. I get awesome natural light from the window behind me. And, as a bonus, I feel like a badass sitting in these cherry-wood chairs at this nice table.
(LOL as I’m writing this, my mom walked downstairs and past the dining room, and said, “look at you, you are awesome!” I didn’t tell her I was blogging instead of working … I just kind of basked)
So, I finally have the “office” situation sorted out for now … I’m still trying to come up with a daily schedule that I can stick to, both for my boss (so she knows when she can get a hold of me reliably), and for me (because I am a routine person).
As it stands now:
6:00 a.m. — Alarm goes off. Roll over, grab iPhone and check emails
6:15-6:30 a.m. — Head downstairs. Secure coffee, make green monster. Drink both while reading the Seattle Times.
7:00 a.m. — It’s business time. (Not that kind of business time, but I couldn’t help myself.) Grab a huge waterbottle of water and head to the “office.” Create a realistic to-do list for the day.
10:30 a.m. — Grab a snack (usually fruit and a little protein), refill water. The potential for making a cup of tea is usually high here. My toes are still cold at this time.
12:30-1 p.m. — Forage through the fridge for some kind of lunch.
3 p.m. — This is where it gets tricky. Usually my dad gets home about now, and he, my sister and I head to the gym for an hour to an hour and a half. The problem is that I’ve been cooking dinner most nights, and getting home after 4:30 just does not give me ample time to get dinner on the table by 5:30 (which is my goal). I am just a slow cook, is all. But, I rely heavily on my sister to kick my ass at the gym. I cannot go without her.
4:30-5 p.m. — Get home, commence the scramble to get dinner on the table for the family.
Anywhere between 6 and 7 (your guess is as good as mine) — Dinner is served.
8 p.m. — Sit in front of the TV, crammed on the 2-man couch with my sister and my dad. Laptop in lap. Mom lounges in the recliner and Brother_D is on the floor with the dog (he is 15, he doesn’t care).
10 p.m. — Retire to bed (after taking pristine care of my teeth, I do not have dental insurance right now), and read. I just finished The Stand for the second time the other night, and am embarking on Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea right now. Next up is The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, courtesy of my friend (who knows me so well).
Pathetically, between 10:30-11 p.m. — Fall 90% asleep, remember I forgot to turn on my alarm, set it up, and then PASS OUT.
I haven’t slept this well this regularly in months, and it feels good. My mom is starting to go back to the gym (with my sister’s help) — she had a stress fracture in her hip and a knee injury, so she’s taking it slow. She’s a morning worker-outer, so I’m considering going to the gym with them at 9:30 or so, hitting up a Yoga class while they do their thing, and then going back to the gym in the afternoon for weights and cardio with Sis_D. We’ll see how this plays out.
Currently loving: This faux-tuna salad recipe (it uses chickpeas! How exciting), that my sister’s workout plan for me includes a mandatory 6-oz serving of red wine EACH DAY (woot), and my dog. Yes, that’s him in the photo above, cuddling with his squeaky Booda toy last night. As Rachel Zoe would say, I die. ❤
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