At the six-month mark of my first and only pregnancy, I switched from working at the office to working from home. As a single mom, I knew my non-working hours would be tremendously precious once my baby arrived. Working from home would save me time commuting and getting ready to work in the morning. I could roll out of bed and start my day after getting my baby up and off to daycare.
» » » » » » » » RELATED READ: Being a Working Stay-at-Home Mom is Tough « « « « « « « «
I wanted every single minute I could get. Simply throwing my hair in a pony and putting on some yoga pants, a t-shirt, and flip-flops in less than 10 minutes was a great start! Don’t let me forget to mention the time savings of doing a load of laundry on my lunch break. I was getting minutes back at every chance I could get!
That was over 14 years ago. At that time, my employer had less than 15% of associates home-based. Aside from some fancy video conferencing software between various office locations at the company headquarters, Zoom wasn’t a thing.
It didn’t matter how my hair was styled or the outfit I had on–no one would see me.
Fast forward to 2020, and 90% of employees worked from home. Zoom was (and now is) a thing. And I needed to adjust.
I started to check my calendar the night before to see if I had any Zoom meetings the next day. If there were, I knew I had to set my alarm early to ensure I had time to shower, do my hair, put on some make-up, and even change out of pajamas. My son was in elementary school then, and I didn’t have to leave my house aside from walking him to the bus stop. Yoga pants, a t-shirt, and flip-flops were sufficient for the walk to the neighborhood street corner.
After doing this routine for the past couple of years, I noticed a trend. I felt so much better on the days I was getting up early and making myself look presentable. Showering at the beginning of my day was motivating and even gave me a tinge of empowerment. I had this conquer-the-day mentality–and saying it felt great is an understatement.
Show up for work even if you work from home.
This also includes stay-at-home moms because I will be the first to say that’s a work-from-home job. I’m definitely not cut out for it, so I give stay-at-home parents ALL the kudos in the world (I don’t know how you do it)!
Showing up is more than just clocking hours. It’s more than getting through the day. It’s thriving throughout your day. Here’s a glimpse at what showing up looks like for me.
Rise and Shine
I get up early! This probably sounds scary to some, especially to the night owls. Ironically, when my son was a baby, he was an early riser, and I never was. I begged him to sleep beyond 5 a.m., and it was a rare gift on days he made it even five minutes past. This lasted for several years, and it was exhausting. My 12-year-old and I have completely flip-flopped our schedules now. I go to bed early and rise at 4 a.m., and he sleeps until the very last minute. While I don’t start my workday that early, I still need my quiet time. And coffee. Lots of coffee!
Routine
My pre-work morning hours include my daily iced coffee, time reading my Bible, and the daily Wordle challenge. The house is quiet, and the tranquility is invaluable. I also shower in the morning rather than in the evening. Some days that even includes the whole make-up routine. On other days, it’s just slapping on a little mascara. Either way, I feel great because I’ve made it out of my pajamas. Some days I get a little dressed up. On others, I may throw on my go-to yoga pants and a hoodie. Despite my attire, I feel one thousand percent better than I do if I skip my thriving morning routine.
Mindset
Showing up for work means my mind is in the right place to focus and be the best version of myself. It’s really not about what I look like, but instead, it’s about how I feel. Rolling out of bed after hitting the snooze button six times is stressful. Did you know studies show that snoozing the alarm is horrible for your health? I’m the type that would rather be early and wait than be late and frazzled.
Admittedly, I haven’t always been this way–it took many years to get here. While it means less sleep, it also means more self-care time. Please don’t think I’m saying to sacrifice your sleeping hours. The benefits of sleep for your overall health are significant. Instead, find other ways to adjust so you can still get rest and make time for yourself.
I haven’t always show up for myself, especially when I was a first-time stay-at-home mom during my three months pregnancy leave. But I think if I would have done some of the things I’m doing now, I probably would have felt more like I was thriving rather than barely surviving.
Find a routine that makes you thrive. Show up, no matter where your workplace is, because it matters. Your health matters. You, Momma, matter.
Originally published April 2023.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of ABQ Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
