Being in lockdown has had its ups and its downs and I am still trying to find my way around it.  But lockdown has also brought me a lot of time to reflect and learn.

One thing that it has made me very conscious of, is time.  The value of it, how we use it and how much of it we have wasted before!

I have always been a very busy person.  I like visiting people and places.

Family focussed; I love spending time with others.  Stimulating my children’s minds with days out is important to me.  I also have a lot of different groups of friends to keep in touch with, mostly due to a combination of relocating and having had lots of jobs!

So, with all these priorities, as well as working part time, running a business full time, volunteering, writing a blog, creating videos for YouTube AND being a wife and mother – time really has always been stretched.

I was so crazy busy, that planning a weekend with friends became an online poll or sneaking in a Sunday brunch date at the local café, before heading grocery shopping!

On top of my normal craziness, I had my busiest year yet, planned.

2020, was going to be ‘my year’.  I was determined to celebrate every moment of turning 40.  I had planned four holidays, numerous weekends away and had tickets to every show / concert that would remind me of any year of my life…just because.

I skipped January, as that is my poor month ha ha.  In February the celebrations started with a weekend in Manchester, with my hubby.  The following weekend I went to a boy-band reunion concert, with friends.  Then, a week later, I headed to London, I visited family and met my best childhood friend’s, newest baby.  I spent my journey home dreaming about the next ten months of fun; I had planned.

Just days later, things escalated very quickly, and we were faced with a global crisis that was about to change my plans, completely.

Suddenly, arrangements were being cancelled and not rescheduled.   My full diary was looking scarily empty.

To my surprise, as the weeks went by, I was really starting to enjoy a simple life.  No rushing, no travel, less stress.  Weekdays were and still are, tricky, balancing home / school / work.  But the weekends are fantastic.  I have never had so much free time.  Thinking time.  It is bliss.

I always thought that there were not enough hours in the day.  The truth is, there are plenty of hours, the challenge is what we choose to fill those hours with.

Reflecting on this, I’ve decided to get my priorities in order before I go back to reality.  I am determined not to jump straight back into my old routine.

For anyone that would like to see the models I use, then please visit my YouTube channel (MummyTimeUK), I’ll be posting a video on this very soon.

Being too busy to think and appreciate what I have, is so last season!

Sharleen x

PS: Fab image by Geralt 🙂