Today, I talk about Going on Vacation every single day. Time-blocking my day to allow for Vacation Hours has changed how I think about my days and has revolutionized my relationship with my children.
Key Points from this Episode:
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- Telling ourselves "I am being present" with our kids while our minds are swirling with all the things we want to get done does not work.
- Prep for vacation:
- Have a place to write down all your thoughts
- Buy a watch - do not check your phone to check the time
- Choose a chunk of hours to be your Vacation Time. It should be the time your children need connection the most. For us, that's the mid-morning hours when we are doing homeschool. For others, it might be between when kids get home from school and dinner or bedtime.
- During your vacation:
- Keep your phone away. In your room. Take a vacation from worrying about anything that happens with your phone.
- Don't worry about your own projects or to do lists
- Be there with your kids 100% like you would be when you're on vacation
- When you are on vacation, there are no "shoulds." None at all.
- After your vacation:
- Work on your projects!
- Don't feel guilty!
- Know that you've put in good, quality face-time with your kids (and not the video chat kind)
- Being mentally there does not mean playing with them every minute of the day. It means taking a break from our devices and tuning in to our children and their needs.
