FIVE WAYS TO GET MORE SLEEP
No matter how bad-ass we are, we could all use a little more sleep every now and then. And by
now and then, I mean all the time. So, do you want to know how to fit more sleep into your time?
There are five small steps you can start today that will guarantee to get you back an hour of sleep
a day. A whole hour. If you don’t feel like you need that hour to sleep, well—good for you, use it
for something else. I, on the other hand, will go to sleep.
- Get off your phone. Seriously, put it away. Don’t look at just ‘one quick thing’ before
you go to bed. I guarantee that one thing is going to turn into you scrolling and clicking
for 45 minutes and before you know it, it’s midnight, and you’re exhausted. - Bang out your to-dos in 30 minutes or less. I’ve always been one who prefers to sleep
in rather than go to bed early, so I’d rather prep all that I can the night before to keep
snoozing in the am. I’m sure you have a daily or nightly list of tedious chores that have to
get done. Power through them quickly. Do not deviate. Do not get distracted. Just get it
done. Make a playlist of seven songs (which is about 30 minutes) and go. What used to
take you much longer just earned you some added time for ZZZs. - Stop binge watching. Limit yourself to one episode. It will be there tomorrow. Close
your eyes. Let it go. - Aim for a set bedtime every day. I know, semi-pathetic. You’re a grown woman after
all! Putting an alarm on your phone to let you know it’s time to hit the sack will
remind you (and hold you accountable) that it’s time to get some rest. - Make your sleep space Zen. Make your bedroom a place you actually want to be in,
relax in, sleep in. Do you need to invest in some new bedding without spit-up stains on
it? Can you clear the clutter on your nightstand? What about some dryer sheets that smell
like lavender, so your clean sheets smell heavenly? Having an inviting and clean space in
your bedroom will draw you to this space and help you sleep easy.
Night-night, mama. Now go get some sleep.
*This blog post contains content from the author’s book Time Momagement: How to Get the
Time You Need to Do the Things You Want
HOW TO TEACH YOUR KIDS SOFT SKILLS
Lately, I’ve been noticing my kids’ soft skills could use some work. Now, I know they’re
kids. And I know soft skills isn’t really something as a kid you should necessarily be good at,
but a couple things stood out to me recently that didn’t sit well. I did some reflecting and came
up with these ways to teach my little humans how to be better humans.
Giving feedback. Raise your hand if you feel like all you do all day long is give your kids
feedback?
Sit up in your chair.
Don’t put your feet on the table.
Can you pick up your toys?
Stop interrupting.
Please put the toys away.
Don’t hit him.
Don’t touch him.
TOYS off the floor NOW!
Feedback is like a constant form of conversation in my house. It can also feel like the more
feedback you give (or the more times you give the same feedback), the less tactful it
becomes. Guess what? Kids pick up on this. And then they think they can give untactful
feedback too. We have a Colombian au pair who lives with us. Guess what? She has a
Colombian accent when she talks. She says words “wrong”, and then my five-year-olds correct
her. This isn’t the worst thing. In fact, as a non-native English speaker who is here for a year to
improve her English, she may even be appreciative of this feedback. What I’m sure she’s not
appreciative of is the often annoyed tone they use to give her that feedback. I’m almost
embarrassed writing this right now. Yes, my kids are giving our au pair impatient feedback
because that’s the kind of feedback they often hear from, ahhh—me!
So, I’m now taking a deep
breath before I give any feedback to those little repetitive mini-mes in hopes my efforts will be better received on their outputting end.
Lead by example, lead example, lead by example—THE
TOYS DAMN IT!!!
Being friendly. Are you ever in such a rush that you make little to no effort to be friendly? In
case you can’t see me, I’m raising both hands right now. Being in a rush is the story of my
life. Well, actually, being in a rush, followed by being late most times. I’m so busy rushing
through life sometimes, I forget that being friendly goes a long way and can often make
someone’s day. Asking the cashier how her day is going at the supermarket, complimenting the
woman on her shoe choice standing in front of you in line, and striking up a friendly
conversation with the mom sitting next to you at the park are all ways to show your kids how
important the soft skills of conversation starting and networking are. I can’t tell you how many
times a simple conversation like this has led me to feeling that much better about my day or, in
some cases, opened the door to an amazing opportunity. Showing kids it’s more normal than not
to talk to others and be friendly is a great way for them to build confidence and become social
go-getters as adults.
Emotional intelligence. God, I love me an emotionally intelligent person, don’t you? I try to
only surround myself with people who are. They’re like the type of people who just get it. But
how do you teach emotional intelligence, let alone, teach it to kids? One word: empathy. Model
empathy, question empathy, get them to start thinking empathetically from the get-go.
How do you think your friend felt when he forgot his lunch today? What could you have done to
help him feel better?
Do you think hitting your brother was the best way to handle that situation? What kind of
outcome did you want to get from that? Could you have asked him to just stop putting your
Poke-Mon cards in the toilet? How would have felt if you were him?
Teaching soft skills takes time, receptiveness, and patience—patience I can’t say I always
have. But, to me, as someone who is a huge proponent of soft skills over hard skills any time I
hire a new employee or choose who I want in my inner circle, I know just how crucial these
skills are to get you far in life. And I want my kids to go far, farther than I’ll ever even go (and
I’m going far-mark my words), just hopefully not that far from me 😊.
You can find Marisa Lonic on Instagram @letmamaworkit and at her website Mama Work It where she is the founder – helping moms find the time they need to do the things they want. Her book Time Momagent does just that! She also has a time management e-course called the Get More Time Project and a blog she writes on the regular. She offers coaching and mentorship for busy moms who have big dreams and no time. If you want to receive her SIX MORNING MAMA GLMA TIPS – you can subscribe to her site, here. You can also follow her on Facebook.
Confessions of a Corporate Mom 