Are you checking in with Reality?

Reality. A funny little word for those of us who are Virtual Realists. Often Reality gives us a good swift kick in the hiney to make sure we are paying attention. Reality right now is having me check in with myself to make sure that I'm balancing my IRL (In Real Life) world with my Virtual one.

For us Momprenuers our reality at any given time could be a number of things. Are the kids fed? When was the last time I showered? Oh crud, I haven't updated the Etsy site in a few days. What's for dinner? Man, this workroom is a disaster! Seriously Facebook... I only popped on for 5 minutes and now it's three hours later.

Often because of all that I have to do in a day some things get left out or forgotten. A few weeks ago it was an online meeting. I failed to check my calender that day and decided to take the kids out of the house. It was a beautiful day! But the reality is that I could have done both that day if I had CHECKED IN with my calender (which is REALITY in a nutshell) and made it home in enough time to also go to my meeting.

So my new goal is to Reality Check twice a day. Once in the morning as I'm eating breakfast and once again at night right before bed. I'll give you an example of my morning Reality Check. I spend some time (about 10-20 minutes) working on schedule and to do lists.

Family
1. Check calender for any meetings/appointments/special things at school/work/church.
2. Make the Schedule for the Day (I need this otherwise I might get distracted... facebook. Craft blogs. Ravelry.)
3. What's for lunch and dinner? (I have my menu for the week done but I need to get out the stuff for dinner now. Before I forget. Yet again. And I absolutely detest meat that has be thawed in the microwave.)
4. What do the kids need? How are they doing emotionally/physically/in school/at church? Etc.

Business
1. Check calender for any upcoming deadlines.
2. Review the PoA (Plan of Attack) that I made during the previous nights Reality Check.
3. Points to Ponder- For example... Does my schedule work for me? Should I do that craft show? What about putting my stuff in the shop downtown that does consignment. What stores are low on product? New ideas for product, etc.

House
1. Are there any super huge messes that need to be cleaned up?
2. Cleaning Schedule- I do one BIG deep clean a week. The whole house. Top to bottom. It works better for me but I know a fair few people who like to do a little bit each day. I prefer to straighten up rooms every night before bed and make sure my dishes are clean. I leave the heavier stuff for my Cleaning Frenzy day.
3. What maintenance/projects need to be done? Put them on the schedule to tackle.


I've found if I take the 20 minutes at breakfast and the 10 minutes at bedtime to go over these things that the important things to me are always being carefully considered. I might also add finances to this list. That seems to be a big thing for me right now. Hmmm... something to ponder tonight!