How to Thrive in Your Season of Life

You can’t do it all, and sometimes, you simply have to embrace the season of life you are in so you can thrive.

Although…that’s all easier said than done.

It’s a common misconception today:

• Work more efficiently.
• Be more like that person (I mean, don’t you see all they are doing on social media?!).
• Time management.
• Short cuts. 

We are in a world of doing more and doing it faster. 

I love time management strategies.  I love finding little life hacks to make my life easier.  However, in reality, we have to accept the fact that cannot do it all, and we have to prioritize what are the most important values in our life. 

Acknowledge Your Season of Life

After the pandemic, we started to homeschool our children.  It was not an endeavor I ever planned to take on, as we were quite happy with our little community school.  As with many around the world, we made adjustments. 

Turns out, we enjoyed homeschooling.  Our children were in elementary school, and it was a lot of fun to learn with our kids, have the flexibility to travel and do field trips, and spend more time together as a family.  We turned an initially crappy situation into a four-year adventure of fun and learning! It was a new season in our lives, and it was not planned.

When we started to homeschool, I was working full-time on this blog and adjusting to life in a new community.  All of a sudden, I took on a second full-time job, homeschooling. I was grossly unprepared.

I was also not prepared to acknowledge I had entered a new season of life. It was just one more thing I had to learn how to squeeze in.

When you have big changes (a new job, a new baby, moving, an elderly parent to care for, school, an injury/sickness, or anything else that takes up a large chunk of your day or mental energy), it’s important to acknowledge what is happening so that you can adjust as necessary to meet the new demands.

If you ignore where you are and you keep adding on and on, you will burn out. It’s not a matter of “if”. It’s a matter of “when”.

Give acknowledgment to your season of life, fully embrace it, and learn to grow with it rather than fight it. You can even give your season a name. In fact, I encourage it!

The Myth of Doing It All

I rocked homeschooling and working full-time for five weeks. That was all that was left of the school year, and it was “temporary”.  Then summer 2020 hit, and I got a little reprieve.  OK, I can do it all! Yay!

Fall came though, and it quickly became apparent I could only do one full-time job – educate our children.  I could not also work 30+ hours a week indefinitely while also working 30+ hours a week educating our kids. 

I cut my work hours significantly, which was very hard in the beginning.  I fought it tooth and nail.  I did not want to give up one priority for another.

That’s the thing though, isn’t it? We live in a world where it’s totally acceptable to try and do all the things.  It’s even encouraged.  Yet, when we do all these things, we burn out, and we burn out quickly. 

That also happened to me.  I finally started to say, that I have three obligations or values I would love to give all my time to: Manage the home/family time; educate my kids; and work.  I have time for two, not three.  Period. That was my reality. 

I mean, I could try to do all of it, but ultimately, the work in each would have been subpar and mediocre at best. When it came to their education and family time, I wasn’t willing to give up anything in those areas. I did have flexibility in my work. I finally had to accept as much…even if I hated the idea of putting a pause in that area of my life.

When the pandemic started, so did a new season of my life. I needed to acknowledge as much and recognize that I could not do it all.

You can’t do it all either.  It’s OK. 

Hear that again.  You cannot do it all.

Types of Seasons of Life

We all have our seasons in life.  Here are some examples you may be facing right now:

The Season of a New Baby or Child

Welcoming a new baby into the world or fostering or adopting a new child can be exhausting.  You are sleeping less and worrying more.  It’s not easy. 

When you have this big life event, prioritize family and self-care, letting go of non-essential commitments.  You are establishing your new family.  It’s OK to let go of other things.

The Season of Growth and Learning

If you are returning to school or starting a new career, you are entering a new season of life that will take up a significant amount of your time and/or mental energy. 

Focus on allocating enough time for your education or professional development, while leaving some time to maintain personal relationships and self-care. 

The Season of Caring for Others

If you have found yourself in a time of caring for an elderly family member or spouse with health issues, you are busy.  That often doesn’t leave time for much else. 

When you find yourself in this season, balance caregiving responsibilities with self-care and emotional support.  It can be trying, and you can’t care for someone else if you don’t care for yourself.

The Season of Personal Development

Sometimes in life, we have seasons where we need to focus on ourselves.  Maybe you are a recent empty nester, are coming out of a burnout period, or entering retirement. 

During these seasons, focus on rediscovering your hobbies, building new routines, and nurturing relationships.  It’s OK to do things that you may have once considered “selfish”.  It’s your season to focus on you.

How Can I Enjoy This Season of Life?

When you are entering a new season of life, you need to evaluate what’s most important. 

Make a list of non-negotiables

These are the things you have to get done or ways you want to continue living.  Be honest with yourself here.  Is it really a non-negotiable? Come up with 2-3 values or tasks that will have to stick.

For example, if you have a new baby, your primary focus may be sleep, good food, and thirty “selfish” minutes every day to yourself.

You may have to let go of any deep cleaning tasks and accept that laundry making it to the dryer is good enough.

Let go of lesser priorities

Learn to say “no” to activities and commitments that don’t align with your current season of life.  Sometimes, that means saying “no” to something you really, really want to do but simply don’t have the time or energy to give. It’s OK.

Maybe your kids just started a new activity or sport. Mine just started playing volleyball. It has become way more time-consuming sport than we intended. That meant we had to put music lessons on hold for a few months until the season was over. Could we have crammed it all in? Yes. Would my kiddos be exhausted? Also yes.

Give yourself grace for the season you are in and cut out obligations that aren’t serving you right now, even the fun ones.

Seek support when needed

If you have the financial means, hire help. There is no shame in having a cleaning lady come to your home once or twice a month to help you feel caught up.

Hiring help doesn’t have to be expensive either. Maybe you hire the neighborhood teenager to mow your lawn. You could look to hire the tween up the street (who is looking for babysitting experience but is still too young to do it all on her own) to watch your kids while you shower, make dinner, and grocery shop online.

Get creative, and seek out support.

In addition to hiring help, you also join support groups or ask for assistance from loved ones during different seasons of your life. 

I often offer to carpool or babysit and let my friends know I would love their help too in the future. Then, don’t be afraid to call in a favor when you need one.

The Benefits of Embracing Your Season of Life

When you embrace your season of life, you are giving recognition to where you are and the simple fact that you cannot do it all.  You will:

• Reduce your stress and overwhelm
• Increase your fulfillment and presence where it matters
• Create stronger relationships and connections rather than spreading yourself too thin
• Grow and create resilience for future seasons

Growth in Your Season of Life

After four years, we ended our unexpected and unplanned homeschool journey.  It was a beautiful time. 

Yes, there were challenges, tears, and frustration, but it was also magical. My business suffered. I lost time for self-care.  Our house was never in the state I desired.

I also connected with my kids in a new way. We went on many adventures. I rediscovered a love for learning and reading, and I got super efficient at many tasks…all while spending more time as a family than I ever dreamed was possible. Seasons, even tough ones, have beauty, if we allow it and give them space.

It’s important to recognize your season and align your priorities accordingly.  Prioritizing your tasks and obligations will help you navigate your season of life with grace and strength…without the burnout. 

Each season is temporary.  Each one is an opportunity for growth and reflection. 

Need encouragement or inspiration? Check out these Season of Life Quotes.

What season of life are you in right now? What lessons have you learned? Share any insights with us in the comments below.