Phew! The girls are back at school… finally! On Thursday they started Year 6 and Year 7 (first year of senior school)... and… they are back on campus for face to face lessons (hopefully for a while yet?).

I have really enjoyed catching up with the other mums over the past few days, and a common comment has been… August 16 was such a long time ago! That’s when Auckland went into lockdown and the girls started online schooling, right through until the final 2 weeks of last year when they were back on campus before the summer break.

It has been six months of a changed landscape, whether due to lock down or the summer break, we haven’t been in any form of ‘normal’ routine. 

Some aspects have been lovely, for example I have really enjoyed spending quality time with the girls, talking about things that we wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to discuss - they would be at school. 

If I’m honest, on the whole, it hasn’t been a bad experience for us as a family. It hasn’t all been roses, don’t get me wrong, but there are loads of silver linings. And frankly, I love how the girls have shown up and really excelled with online learning, making new friends and new connections over Zoom, caring for others and thinking about others, and making the most of the opportunities summer presents. 

So now that they are back at school, I have the opportunity to get back into my ‘life’. As you know, I am in the process of making some changes, and I will share them soon I promise. But now the girls are back at school, I can really take back control of my time, my energy and get things done in my own timeframe.

But… for some reason I find myself procrastinating!?! WTF! You know me, I am not a procrastinator. I am a Get Sh*T Done kind of person! So what is going on?

I asked myself that question this morning, when I was finding yet another ‘job’ to do, but nothing to do with what was on my actual to-do list. I recognised what I was doing, and I told myself, enough! I made a cup of tea, and I sat down with my journal. I asked myself “what is going on?” 

Then I let it flow, and actually there’s lots going on. For example, the girls are starting a new school year, and I’m sad that I’m not able to share how proud I am with my dad. And I am excited about the changes I am making in my business, but it’s still in process and I can’t share it with you yet. 

My thoughts kept going, and it was a muddled mess of sad, excited, nervous, grateful and what ifs?

So I finished my cuppa, made another one, and then asked myself “how will you move forward?” 

And as always, the answer is simple. Decide the next right step and take it. Stop getting stuck in the random and polar thoughts running through my head and do one right thing. 

So I chose the easiest, simplest thing first. And once that was done, I chose the next. And the next, and so on. 

By the time I had to go and collect the girls from school, I had almost all of my stuff done. I felt empowered, I felt positive and I felt good about myself again.

Do you find yourself struggling to get back into things? 

Have you noticed you’re procrastinating?

1. Find a quiet space with a cup of tea or whatever you use to relax
2. Ask yourself why? What’s going on? Pick up your journal and see what pops up for you, you may surprise yourself!
3. Then decide how you will move forward? What is the next right thing for you to do? You can do what I do and choose the easiest, simplest thing. Then move onto the next. 
4. When you get to the end of the day, reflect and feel good about what you’ve done. You’ve moved yourself forward, and you will keep moving forward.

If you would like chat about these tips and how you can take back control of your life, book your free discussion now - https://calendly.com/expatparentingabroad/coaching