I read an article this week called 14 things that successful people do before breakfast it annoyed me a bit it includes things like drink water, exercise, work on a priority project network over coffee (!) and write down everything your grateful for. So far so worthy, I give “props” ( proper respect” to the amazingly successful people who manage to do all of these things before breakfast, while thinking about all the amazing single parents who don’t manage to all of those things but are keeping it all together. So with a nod to all you single parents out there here is what @singlemumdawn (follow me on twitter) actually did before breakfast this Monday.
- Hit the snooze button on the alarm clock.
- Try to remember what day it is.
- Hit the snooze button again
- Realise it’s a week day which means I have to get up.
- Hit the snooze button one last time.
- Try to remember what’s in the diary for everyone as I grab just a few minutes more shut eye.
- Remember that this is the day I wanted to get in early because you have a lot to do.
- Get up
- Work out how long it it’s before I have before I have to get kids up when the peace will be shattered
- Get in shower.
- Decide what to wear, go for what’s clean and doesn’t need ironing.
- Find socks (Top tip I only buy black socks so I don’t waste time looking for pairs)
- Get kids up ( they ignore me and go back to sleep)
- Go downstairs. despair at state of lounge and kitchen.
- Ask the kids to get up again.
- Do a quick wash up tidy up in the kitchen and put a clothes wash on.
- Look at clock and realise it’s later than I think
- Ask the kids to get up again!
- My best friend rings . She is in her car on her way to work and in the mood to chat so I try to conduct a sensible conversation with her while gathering my bag and…
- Decide which shoes are easy to find in a pair and quick to put on.
- Decide against boots go for comfortable shoes!
- Finish talking to my friend look at the clock, do a quick analysis, do I eat breakfast or run to get the train.
- Decide to go for the train.
- Teen girl decides now is the time to ask for money to buy tickets for a concert that goes on sale at 9.00!
- Sort out teen girl it quicker than arguing
- Leave house
- Walk/run to train station ( this why I comfortable shoes!)
- Swerve the man asking for any spare change
- Feel guilty
- Arrive at station just in time see my train leaving the platform
- Wait 20 mins for another train while silently cursing my luck
- Miss the connecting train -really fed up now
- Get the connecting train its packed
- Play a passive aggressive game with the other passengers on the train of “who is getting the next available seat” . I win. I am good at the game.
- Finally sit down on a train fully intending to look at my work emails on my IPad but instead decide to play my music and stare vacantly into space.
- Finally get to work, no earlier than usual and start my work day.
Guess what I didn’t get a chance to have my breakfast! There are variations on the theme each morning, like which child will ask me for money just before I am leaving the house and sometimes I will leave the house in shoes that look very pretty but hurt my feed and I go back home and get my comfortable shoes on. I usually miss the train or decide that I am going to miss it anyway and have my breakfast. I never network over coffee ever.
Yet I am successful, I hold down a full time job, I write a blog, run a house while bringing up children on my own. If that’s not successful I don’t know what is.
I love those articles though they are motivational and inspirational. I share them and I even give advice myself but I refuse to let them think badly about myself, we are all have different circumstances and for me getting up and out there makes you amazing.
What do you get done before breakfast. Is anyone networking before coffee? Let me know I would love to hear from you
Until the next time
Dawn x
Single Mummy Life 