UGH – have you ever had one of those Monday mornings that you feel completely off balance, out of whack, unfocused or off kilter?

Today was like that for me.

Last week was the start of Maddie’s summer break. And I was so excited for school to be over. Life slows down a little bit in the summer, and our schedule is more relaxed – it’s nice.

However, I wasn’t prepared for the shift in schedule. I didn’t alter my work hours, and I didn’t account for the extra interruptions during my day.

Seems silly right? I knew this change was coming. I should have been prepared…

Ok – enough beating myself up.

Last week was a little crazy. I tried to get work done the first two days that Madd was home. But, as a 7 year old, she still needs help with certain things, and she wants some mom time every day… and that’s all fine and good.

By day 3, I just gave up trying to have a structured day. I just went with the flow.

Sounds blissful, right?

Not really. It made me feel icky. I felt unproductive, things were slipping through the cracks, my mind was a pile of mush by the end of the week. I was forgetting simple things (like, getting all the way to the store without my debit card and no cash… ugh).

So, how do you recover when you feel mushy, off center, and mentally foggy?

1. Stop beating yourself up.

Man was I talking to myself negatively this weekend. A constant barrage of telling myself how awful it was that I didn’t get anything done last week, how I should have been smarter about planning, how could I have possibly not have gotten through the week intelligently – ick – I know, right?

I told myself this morning during my journaling that that had to stop. Immediately.

2. Start fresh. It’s Monday – the start of a whole new week. Now I know what my days will look like this summer, and I can plan accordingly. Drew took Madd to the grocery store so I had some quite time to plan the first half of my week. I know what I can get done realistically, and I re-wrote my to-do list so that I didn’t feel overwhelmed, or intimidated.

3. Go for it. Once you’ve got your new plan in place, go for it. But, go for it in a nurturing way. Give yourself a break if you don’t get something done.

You are human – not super-woman. For me, I’m identifying 3 tasks every day that absolutely have to get done work-wise. As long as I get those three things done, I’ve promised myself that I WILL feel productive and on track. And, if I don’t get them done, I’ve promised myself that I will either ask for help, or gently remind myself that tomorrow is another day, and that I have a fabulous 7 year old that likes to have fun and loves her momma.

Where are you feeling off-balance? What can you do right now, today to feel more balanced?