We are thrilled to welcome back our friends, Scott and Alyssa, who recently shared how they paid off six-figures of debt here on CCG. Today, Alyssa is back to share with us how to be more intentional about your time and the things that really matter in your life.

I came home at the end of the day. I’d been working all day. My 10-month old daughter was crying. I just felt overwhelmed and like there wasn’t enough time in the day to spend with her. I went to work feeling like there was something missing! I had it pretty good. I loved my job… I just loved my daughter more!

My Journey To Become a Full-Time Mother

I always thought my husband and I would both work because that’s what people did and we needed the income. I was an educator so I thought it would be perfect. We would only need childcare for a few years then they would just go to school where I taught. I only had to be at work from 8am-4pm so I would still get plenty of time to spend with the kids.

After we had our first child I realized, that while I loved my job, my colleagues and most of all the students I taught, I didn’t want to pay someone else to raise my baby while I spent most of my day helping raise other people’s children. I was a passionate and successful educator but I wanted to be at home, using that energy for my own kids.

It took us 5 years to make that dream a reality, by becoming debt-free. Just as our oldest was entering preschool I turned in my resignation. I had dreamed of this day for 5 years and yet when it came to the day I turned in my letters and spoke with my administrator about it I cried.

I cried with joy for my kids at home who would no longer have to watch me leave every morning, I cried in sadness for my kids at school who I wouldn’t see how much they had grown in the fall and I cried with fear of the unknown of “stay of home motherhood.” Now I am living my dream!

I once had someone say to me the toddler years seem to never end but when the kids start school you can’t imagine how fast the years fly by. This is so true for our family, with 3 kids 18 months apart. We lived in toddler land for what seemed like eternity. But I felt like all that time was slipping away and I knew I would never get it back.

I have been a full time mom for 4 years now. I’m also a fitness instructor and my husband and I co-run a business together. I love being a full time mom and all the other parts too. But I still felt so stressed and like there was not enough time in the day do to everything. It was hard to keep up with the laundry and dishes without feeling guilty about not playing with the kids. I also felt guilty playing with my kids then feeling the weight of the housework piling on.

Wait. . . This is how I felt when I was working full time and being a mom!

Until . . . .

How to Be Intentional With Your Schedule and Time

A year ago my husband I got some business advice as we were preparing turn our part-time business helping others find their dream careers into our full-time venture.

The advice was, “Plan out everything or work would rule our schedule.”

These words made me think back to the advice all your friends and old people told me about how “slow the toddler years go” and “how quickly the school years go.” I realized that although I was living my “dream job” and had the freedom to choose my schedule, I was letting my life slip away by not being intentional about my time.

If I was not intentional about my time before I knew it my kids would be moving out and turning 18! It seemed overwhelming and silly at first to schedule everything. I mean everything! I scheduled when when my husband and I would get ready, when we would eat, when we would work out and when I would do dishes and laundry. But the most important intentional time on the calendar was spending quality time with my kids.

What intentional scheduling allowed:

1. Time to sit and focus on the kids without the weight of chores piling up.

2. Time to do those chores without feeling guilty or like I should be spending time with my kids.

3. The kids to see that other things had to get done but they still could get time with me too.

4. The kids to willingly help with household tasks because they  knew then they could spend more time with me.

5. The kids to feel fulfilled and be able to play independently longer while I completed other tasks.

Knowing that I had a specific place and time to get things accomplished gave me the “freedom” I was really looking for and the fulfillment to enjoy the time with the kids instead of always thinking of my to-do list.

The great thing about intentional scheduling is that we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Being intentional about what we do in those 24 hours gives you freedom from guilt and overwhelm in order to spend and enjoy the time where it is most important to you and your values.