September is the new New Year
I really feel like this is true as a Mum. As we head towards each July we tend to build it up in the same way as we do Christmas. Making sure that we have every little detail covered to embrace the six weeks that the kids are home from school. For some this means military like precision in terms of getting childcare organised, or you could be one of those Mums who has to have activities organised for every minute of the day.
I think I sit nicely in the middle as I don’t over organise activities which is just as well going by the summer we’ve had weather wise. I do have huge regret that I didn’t organise any childcare though.
This is the first Summer of being 100% self-employed. Usually I can organise the work I have to do around the kids, but this Summer has been hectic for us with our son getting married and a family holiday to organise. I felt like the school holidays hit me like a speeding train, like I wasn’t expecting it and that’s totally on me.
Don’t get me wrong, I was more than capable of getting my client work done and schedulers are my absolute best friend, but it was all the bits that I wanted for myself and my business that I haven’t been able to do and that’s the huge difference between being employed and self-employed. When you’re employed there are no negotiables – you have to start and finish work at a set time, but when you’re self-employed you can push back and shelve things. That’s the beauty of working for yourself right? I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself to get things on my to-do list done.
Anyway, there is light at the end of the tunnel and next week both kids are back at school and our routine will return.
September is the new New Year
As with the actual New Year, a new school year feels the same in terms of getting organised and starting new things. Having the kids home 24/7 means that there is very little order in the house, always toys on the floor and the constant requests for them to be fed. So, with this in mind I’ve started this September with a 30 Day Decluttering Challenge. I’m therefore working towards getting more organised across everything in my business and homelife to make things easier for all of us.
30 Day Declutter Challenge
Every day for the month of September I’m going to focus on a particular area in the house so that we have less clutter and a more organised way of living. We have stuff in drawers and cupboards that we haven’t used or needed for a very long time so it’s time to get rid of all the excess. I’m going to start with all the random mugs, cups and glasses that we have and go from there. One of the things I will have to tackle at some point is the kids artwork and schoolwork which I know I’m going to find heart-wrenching but do we really need to keep Belle’s maths book from year 3 (she’s now in year 7).
You can keep up to date with my decluttering over on TikTok and Instagram, and you can join in too if you want to using the hashtag #30daysdeclutterchallenge
Getting back into Blogging
I’m also going to blog every day for the month of September. This feels like a huge commitment, but I’m going to give it my best. I’ve been doing quite a bit over on TikTok in terms of making extra money by doing Side Hustles. This has given me a great insight into what I definitely don’t want to be spending my time doing. It has made me more conscious of how and where I spend my money though for example by signing up to cashback sites which I would highly recommend. You get money back for doing essentially nothing. You can have a look at some of the things that I’ve tried on this post – Side Hustles to Boost your Income from the Comfort of your Own Home.