Hi Brooke,

The productivity month was really useful for me. I want to use it for multiple areas and would like feedback on how to prioritize and do this. I know you’ve also raised a family and run a home and business.

I have an estranged partner who (for now) provides the bulk of the finances. On everything else I’m a single working parent of an elementary school child without extra childcare. It’s increasingly important that I find a way to support the family on my own. I don’t currently see a budget to outsource cleaning or cooking. I’d rather do this program than pay for a babysitter.

Here’s my parameters as I currently understand them. I’m open to another way of seeing these parameters that may be more productive.

1) I see about 30 hours per week to get everything done – basically when my daughter’s in school M-F minus Tuesdays when I have a work-related class, and assigning 10 hours on the weekends to pay bills, clean the house, do the laundry, run errands, repair the house etc. After school I parent and oversee homework. I stopped working or using devices at night as they created insomnia. I do wake up in the middle of the night, thinking. If I can’t go back to sleep I do a model, or occasionally give in and complete a task that’s pressing on my thoughts.

I’ve parsed my life into categories. Each has multiple categories I want to address, including running the business I’m currently involved in and deciding if its viable; exploring a plan B for income to replace of supplement the passion business I’m in; overseeing my child’s learning issues; continuing to purge, repair and digitize our little fixer-upper house so we’re again living with visual neatness and order; making sure I take care of myself as well.

– Me (exercise, physical therapy for a past surgery, friendships, etc)
– My daughter (everything she needs, including education/learning issues)
– My work (creates an income)
– My art (may or may not create income but is what I really want to be doing)
– Our Household (everything it takes to run our lives practically and socially)

Thoughts on practically how to use the September process – or any other – to manage these many areas effectively and simultaneously? I’m interested in systems. I’ll keep using this work to be aware of and choose my thoughts about it all.

Thanks Brooke.