Books – Megan Alexandre

I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam

I set a goal for myself to read one book every month in 2020. I just finished this one for the month of March, and decided well, if I’m really going to take this blogging this back up, might as well share a good book.

Here is what I loved.

Statistics – you can’t deny the #s. Yes, of course, the story that #s tell can be changed to fit someone’s story, but I love the story.
Optimism – so many people are ‘too busy’ to do this, that, and the other. Ever picked up the phone and called a friend, asking how she is, and the answer is – “Ugh I’m soooooo busy.” Which really says nothing.
She spits in the face of the people who say they just don’t have the time for this, that, and the other.
It forced me to reflect, and to also create a time log. (Like I’m really supposed to be doing my day job right now, and I will have to admit that in my log I was not)
Tangible suggestions. Things that I can put to use immediately. Such as, when you create your to do list, break it into (3) parts : Work, Leisure, Self.
The breakout of the book is organized, and can be put down and picked back up at any point during the day.

To anyone out there reading this blog post. This is what I’d like to share with you.

First, we all have the same amount of time in a day / week. 24 / 168. We all get to choose how we spend that time of ours. During this Covid-19 pandemic we are all home, either working, or sadly, unemployed. Yes, people have families. Yes, people have responsibilities. But if we just take a little time to THINK about our TIME, we will understand that TIME is the most VALUABLE commodity there is in life. We can’t get it back.

When we take a few moments to plan our day, it doesn’t get away from us. (Like mine technically is right now, woops) One thing I learned, which I never would have thought to do, was :

Plan your leisure time. Put as much weight and focus on this time as you would your work day schedule.

At first I thought, what?! Is this lady nuts? But once I started blocking out chunks of time in my day for ‘leisure,’ my mental state shifted. This so called leisure could be a 10 min. meditation at 2pm. Or intentionally going to give a kiss to your loved ones. Or a 20 min. nap. Or crossing off 6-9:30 pm in your work calendar to ensure you focus on family time. And when you set those intentions, and verbalize them to the world, you will seriously stick to the plan (95% of the time).

I decided to give it a try myself, and created the world’s most basic template. Download it and give it a try. All you have to do is track your time in 30 min. increments. Mine is color coded : Personal time is green, Work time is blue, Sleep is black.

At random points throughout the week I’ll stop and tally up the numbers. How much work / how much personal / how much sleep. It’s been a great way to see where I REALLY spend my time.

Time-Log-Template Download

Ms. Vanderkam made a point early on that really stuck with me –

… if you’re trying to work a certain number of hours, working five hours on the weekend translates to an hour less you need to work every weekday. If you have a hard stop on your weekdays, this can be the difference between working enough to make it feel like your career is moving forward, and feeling like it just can’t work.

I can’t say I’m perfect at this time log activity, or planning my day (clearly). But I can say that I am getting better, and seeing trends, both for myself and my family.

I am seeing where my husband and I are failing at planning, so planning to fail, when it comes to RJ’s routines. I am seeing where I waste my time, and where I don’t. I am learning that no matter what, RJ IS going to wake up at 6:45 / 7:00 and so if I want any time to read and journal, I will just have to get up earlier. Period. I am seeing how and where I can squeeze in some activity, even if its walking in circles on a conference call.

But the most important lesson learned – as a mother, who works full time, loves her family & friends, and also values her ‘me’ time – I can have it all, if I plan AND stop feeling guilty when I do take the time for me.

Coffee break. Intentionally set during the work day.

Ok friends, if you actually know me, you know I’m obsessed with finances. Not in the Scrooge type way where I dive into pools of money on the daily (but I would!), but more in the “I need to educate myself, my husband, and everyone else in the universe” type of way.

Years ago, before my dad passed, he said I needed to read Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Obviously I thought he was full of sh*t and obviously I didn’t read it. Why would I do something my dad told me to do? Duh.

Well, I’m reading it. And I’m writing this post before I’ve even completed the book. Go. Buy. A. Copy. Today. I don’t care if you like to read, get the audible version. I don’t care if you think you have your finances on lock down. The odds are quite good you believe the following :

– Your house is an asset

– Saving is the best way to ensure retirement success

– You know everything you need to know

– You know the difference between an asset and a liability and how they function

I am going to go out on a limb and say you’re wrong. Sorry. The only reason I’m willing to say this is because I was wrong. The book offers insightful information that is NECESSARY in today’s economy and lifestyle – and forever. We are all taught to go to school, get a job, rot in your job, retire at 65% of your salary, be grateful you can retire and rot with 65%. Personally, that’s never been a dream of mine; I just didn’t know where to get the information to avoid said rocking chair rotting.

Most of the older generations are struggling to make ends meet and feed themselves. I am going to guess each person reading this knows someone at retirement age who either can’t retire, or has and is suffering, or has retired and is being supported by their offspring/family. Thanks anyway, but I don’t want to go down that path.

Honestly, if your family is struggling financially, read this book. If you’re not struggling financially, read this book. For the longest time I felt like I needed to get my MBA to feel like my brain wasn’t oozing out of my skull during the workday. This book teaches how to be financially intelligent – with not just what to do, but how to do it, as long as you’re willing to do it.

I am by no means a CFA or a CPA or an expert of anykind. I am, however, a woman who runs a household, raising a tiny human, trying to stop the cycle of impoverished senior citizens in the US. I can’t change anyone, but I can change myself and teach my family how to be financially apt. Wouldn’t you change to ensure your legacy is filled with abundance, as opposed to a worn out rocking chair or even less than that?