I'm self employed and work with the school calendar, but take extra time off over Christmas (at least an extra week before and after the school break). I feel a second surge of motivation to get things done and hire out help.
What I've done:
-primarily easy meals and batch cooking to have meals to grab
-hired out yard work (the less professional of the two didn't give himself enough time for the clean up though. Hopefully the weather will be warm enough to still get out there at some point).
-less shopping trips/more organized with my time
-more time just sitting and relaxing during activities and more transition time planned into my schedule so I don't feel as busy
-blinds repaired
-garage door repaired
-hired math and science tutors for my ds
-mostly online Christmas shopping and some home decor stuff (I discovered the convenience of Wayfair
).
-assess the importance of some appointments and book with less frequency, and add in others (I'm now seeing a naturopath for some of my health concerns).
What I need to do:
-more batch cooking (soup, chili, meatballs, and chicken/turkey pot pie filling)
-use and serve more of the food that has been prepped and stored in the freezer
-call for quotes to replace windows and screens
-hire painter (one bedroom and touchups)
-start keeping a "honey do" list for jobs dh can help me with, and a plan to hire out the remainder of the list (I know someone local who is a handyman to call)
-hire two or more men from a local rehab program to help with yard maintenance (they do this as part of their fundraising)
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Really, a lot of this is about boundaries. I can only do so much, and I need to make good decisions about how I spend my time. I'm definitely a work in progress!