How To Not Fall Asleep When Your Kids Do- 5 Ways to Get Stuff Done at Night

Ever since I became a mom, I have always been working on some kind of side project, hobby, or job. When Easton was little it was ONE little BELT, when Kesler came along it was ONE little MOMMA and now I've added a practically full time job with Nickel & Suede. However, being a Mom first is most important to me. So when kids are awake and needing me during the day, I try to be there for them first.* Which makes the hours that they are asleep SUPER CRITICAL. I don't remember a time when there was just time to do whatever in the evenings. It's always- put the kids to bed- get to work. And for the most part we love it and wouldn't change it.

(*I do get up early and blog every morning as well- usually about 6 or 6:30am, but most of my other work gets done at night. I also work in the afternoons while Knox naps and Kesler plays.)

The biggest obstacle with that set up is that I'm TIRED when my kids go to bed. I'm practically ready for bed. And escaping that urge to crash is critical to getting anything done at night.  So because I know you might have hobbies, blogs, projects or other things you want to get done too, I thought I'd share five ways I motivate or wake myself back up to get to work.

1. Get ready for bed. This sounds counterproductive, but you can't deny that washing your face and brushing your teeth actually wakes you up more than it puts you to sleep. (That is the main reason I hate getting ready for bed when I DO want to just crash.) So brush your teeth, wash your face and drink some water. It wakes you up and you will be ready for bed when you do decide to crawl in- win, win.

2. Time Yourself. This (and usually worse) is what I have to clean up at the end of the night. I hate waking up to a messy house so if I can help it, I try to at least clear the table, counters, and sweep. The dishes don't always get done. To motivate me to actually work on this I'll set little time goals for getting stuff done. I'll give myself ten minutes to clean up the kitchen. And another ten to load the dishwasher and sweep. It makes me aware of the time and gets the job done.

3. Turn on a show. Don't sit down and turn on a show. Turn on a show that you don't hate, but don't need to pay a whole lot of attention to. I find I clean up more quickly if I'm distracted by a show and there is a little bit of background noise. Music could work too. And once your chores are done- turn it off. You won't get any quality creative work done while a show is on. 

4. Don't sit down to browse on your phone. The first thing I want to do after my kids are down is pull out my phone and veg while catching up on social media. I've learned that if I plop down on the couch to do it- I'll never get back up. So I force myself to stand in the hall or against a wall to browse. It shortens how long I'm on there and saves me from the oh-so-comfy couch cushions. 

5. Save your favorite thing for last. I would always skip cleaning up or folding laundry after bedtime and go straight to blogging, working or crafting. (And 50% of the time I do!) But I hate waking up to mess everyday and life gets out of balance when I do that. So use that project or craft as motivation to get through the 20-30 minutes of picking up. Not to mention that picking up quickly can be a great way to wake up and keep you moving in general. 

Now, I don't do all of these things every night. There are plenty of nights that I fall asleep on the couch (last night), or just sit down to watch a show instead of getting stuff done. Which is fine! But, I also have a lot of goals and things that I want which take burning the midnight oil. And these are a few ways that I make it happen.

How do you motivate yourself to get stuff done at night? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!