65 days of COVID-19 — Military Spouse Method
How a military spouse and working mom went from near burnout to effectively managing her pandemic life through the Top 3 method, time-blocking and delegation.
I have no idea what I’m doing, I am not an expert, and I’ve had plenty of moments where I felt utterly insecure about everything I was doing. Through the Top 3, timeblocking and delegation, I have felt more in control of my life and I have made huge progress away from a near burnout state.
I am speaking to you as a military spouse who did most of the pandemic, so far, during a Deployment, as a mom of two, working full-time while also going for my MBA. Read on to share my experiences of humility in learning what works for my family and me during this uncertain time.
When the pandemic started, I was running myself ragged but didn’t want to admit it. Deployments are exhausting; during this one, I was working full-time, parenting (trying to), keeping up with activities, trying to be a good friend, and maintaining some semblance of sanity and physical fitness.
I say this with complete respect for those struck by COVID-19, as I know everyone has their own experiences of loss and pain due to this disease. In my personal experience, the pandemic was the literal roadblock I needed to slow down and enjoy life. I will admit, I am more exhausted than ever trying to keep up with everything.
This is what I have learned in 65 days of a pandemic.
Top 3
Pick your top three for the day and let everything else go. Focus on getting these three things accomplished for the day and give yourself grace if you don’t do anything more than that. My days often look like family, work, and fitness or fun (spending time with my kiddos outdoors or at the beach).
My Top 3 categories include:
- Family
- My spouse (date night/date day)
- Work
- Fitness
- Fun (speaking about an adventure for the day)
- Food (if I’m doing an extensive meal prep or food shopping in a store, again, COVID times)
Time-blocking
Time-blocking will save your sanity and make you more productive than you are. When you time block, you set (block) time on your calendar to work on high, medium, and low priority tasks.
I like to set my regular work requirements on my calendar as reoccurring events each week, with the actual amount of time I’ll need to complete them (generally 30-minute increments to allow for a buffer of a coffee break or spending a few minutes with my kids).
My kids are part of my time-blocking. We’re living in COVID times, and there are no rules right now, outside of making sure I’m getting my work done and ensuring my kids feel loved.
Our CEO (my “boss”) told me at the start of this pandemic, “there are no deadlines.” This one line lifted a literal elephant of stress off of me. I believe Michelle shared this statement knowing that I am the type of person who will get things done, no matter what, and it was her way of encouraging me to slow down and not burn myself out trying to keep up with unrealistic deadlines.
Blocking out my weekly tasks allows me to ensure I’m getting everything I need to complete, done, then I’m able to schedule in the additional pieces of my work that come up throughout the week.
If something urgent comes up, I can edit the block on my calendar and move my lower priority tasks to the next day or next open spot. I choose to start prepping at 8:30 am EST for my day (some days earlier than shown), so I can get my 8 hours/day in while having time for my kids (homeschooling and all).
The photo above is how I time block every week. Color-coding helps me quickly understand what I’m doing every part of the day. I leverage Calendly (not sponsored) to help me set both internal and external meetings.
If I have an appointment or my schedule changes (with kiddos this is bound to happen), I can quickly adjust my “blocks” of time to alternate areas.
Delegate
When all else fails, rely on the resources around you. Day-to-day delegation ideas that everyone can take advantage of:
- Grocery pickup
- Store drive-up (many stores are offering drive-up options due to COVID), check out their website, or call them if you’re unsure.
- Order take-out/food to go (support a small business or a chain, and get dinner made for you)
- Outsource your cleaning and outdoor maintenance (again, you can support small businesses through this)
- Look into hiring help for your business needs (Squared Away does this regularly for businesses of all sizes)
We are all in these COVID times together, some faring better than others. The best way I believe we can get through this is by relying on each other. Support small business, enjoy your family time at home, and make your schedule work for you.
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