How Do You Do It All? I Don’t. The Reality of Being Busy

Describing myself as busy is an understatement. I have my hand in so many activities and events, not to mention I am the only parent in our home so if anything is ever going to get done, I am the one doing it. I maintain an active social media presence, capturing moments which brings the opportunity for people to often ask me, “How do you do it all?” I will admit that I do have more energy than perhaps the general population of my peers. The reality of being busy means doing it all has its limits.

The idea of doing it all includes: running a business, all things mom, being active on boards, being active at my children’s school, running a home, spending time with friends and family, attending events, and dating.

I do a lot because I like it.

I really enjoy helping out at my children’s school, they are tiny moments that I know will build into memories for my girls. Being a part of professional organizations allows me to contribute to the growth of our economy and hone my own on-going professional development. I am grateful for the opportunity to host a weekly tv segment and co-host a podcast. I work for myself because I am thoroughly fulfilled daily by my executive coaching and leadership training work. It also allows me the flexibility in my schedule. Being self-employed requires a drive and constant attention to activity, which aligns with my own drive to succeed. I like my life. I also do not do it all. I do what I want. That is the reality of being busy.

For Christmas, the girls had an “Around the World” event where I was assigned to showcase France’s Buche de Noel aka a Yule Log. I was advised I could have brought in Betty Crocker Swiss Rolls sold at the grocery store and that would have sufficed. Nah. I made a traditional Buche de Noel from scratch, using YouTube tutorials as my guide. It was beautiful. That week I probably also picked up Raising Canes and ordered pizza for dinner.

To do one thing I love, something else doesn’t happen.

I love taking my girls on adventures and experiences, both small and large. If we take an impromptu trip to the Bonnabel Boat Launch for a dinner picnic and watch the sunset, that means I wasn’t home getting dishes done, laundry folded, and quite possible the skillet from making breakfast was likely still sitting dirty on the stove top. And that skillet may very well be there another day and night. This idea may horrify some people. I am okay with the way I live my life, not meeting the seal of approval by all. I can only do so much. I only have so much time. We all only have the exact same amount of time. And while I am an energetic, highly motivated individual, I have noticed that once I turned 40, I can’t burn the midnight oil like I used to in my 30s.

This means being highly selective over how, where, and with whom I spend my time. That is the realty of being busy. I do what I believe is necessary to succeed in my business. I do what I believe fills mine and my children’s hearts. I also do whatever it takes so I can continue to do what I prefer. Before sitting down to the write this, I had two children taking showers, while deep cleaning that bathroom, while on the phone with a friend who’s struggling with some marital happiness. It was cramped, it was a lot of “Hold on / no, you have to wash your hair” while bending over the toilet to wipe down the baseboards. That is how it has to happen sometimes. But I like it. It’s important that we as parents, we as people, like our lives. And I like mine, and all the things I do or don’t get done that week.

Julie Couret
Nola Native, Julie Couret is Mom of Emma Mae (12) & Helen (10) and partner to her long term boyfriend Tom. She co-parents with her ex-husband & is known for candid posts on her life behind the scenes. Julie is self-employed an Executive Coach who works with business owners leading strategic planning sessions, management training, leadership development, and change management. She loves road trips with her kids, playing tourist in her own city, and riding in her parade Krewe Cleopatra!

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