Recently, a friend of mine asked me how I have accomplished so much while being a caregiver to my husband. I began sharing some tips with her and decided I would share some tips with you. 

  • Wake up early! I always wake up by 0600 when I have things to do, sometimes earlier. Especially if I want to enjoy a cup of coffee without being rushed.
  • I schedule all doctor appointments on Tuesdays or Fridays. This enforces structured consistency (great for those with TBI) and it allows us to have a break from appointments during the week. 
  • I hire people to help! I periodically hire a handyman to fix things around our house. I also hire someone to take care of our lawn and landscaping (not uncommon to do in Florida). Deep cleaning? Yes, I hire housekeepers to help deep clean a couple times a year.
  • How do I afford that? I skip eating out too much, and I don’t buy things I don’t need. I’d rather spend it on help vs waste it.
  • If our friends ask us if we need help with anything, I’m honest. If they offer to help, I take them up on it! 
  • For $99 per year, you can invest in a grocery delivery service to deliver as many groceries to your house, whenever you want. It saves me quite a bit of money because I’m not tempted to buy groceries we really don’t need and it saves me an exponential amount of time because I do not have to drive to the store, searching for items or wait in lines.
  • I use Amazon Prime for much of our shopping. Again, major time saver and a money saver as well! 
  • I use my calendar and schedule things I need to do, along with a deadline. For example, I am sure to set gym time, shopping, hair, nails, massage, etc. Yes, I need to take care of myself because the alternative isn’t healthy… and I want to be healthy.
  • I’m a Podcaster. I take two days a month, up to four hours at a time and knock out a couple months worth of shows in that amount of time. 
  • Ken has a case worker who comes into our house to help him with music therapy. When the music therapist is here, that is MY time to go do whatever I want. I don’t have to worry about anything when she is at our house. 
  • I have learned to prioritize what things I really want to do vs what I do not want to do. I make sure to figure out a way to accomplish everything on my priority list, be it waking up early or going to sleep later. 
  • I do not waste time on the internet. A couple hours can go by online very quickly if you aren’t careful and at the end of the time, what have you really accomplished? I do not argue or debate online. I choose to make my time online productive and encouraging to others. Doing so, encourages me!
  • I’m eating healthy! I try to remember that food is nutrition to nourish my body. Putting garbage in is just going to result in poor health, which isn’t going to help anyone. 
  • I set goals and I write a list of how I can reach my goals. I don’t just wish to make my goals become a reality, I work to make my goals become a reality. 

The past couple of weeks, I didn’t squeeze my cardio into daylight hours, so I had to exercise at night before I went to sleep. I’m now in the process of changing my calendar up and will be trying to work out in the morning instead of in the evening for added energy during my day. I feel the best I’ve felt in years and I attribute that to a better schedule, healthy eating, physical fitness, allowing others to help me and most of all, accepting that my goals are just as important as me helping Ken reach his goals.