Staying focused and motivated is a challenge for many of us—not just single parents—but I find that as a single parent, “staying the course” can be much easier on some days than others. Whether it is sticking to a budget or staying focused on the goals and things that I think really matter, there are things that pull me away or suck me in and then I find that I am off track!
Identifying those things that are likely to suck you in and pull you away from your goals and such is an important step. Is it a friend who seems to “need” you with intensity right when you have a major report due? Is it a vice like too much alcohol or ice cream or soap operas? I know that I can get lost in a good book and spend the entire day reading so that unless I have an entire day to dedicate to such an endeavor, I have to wait to read in the evening, or keep my book in my work bag so that I can read when I am commuting or out and about—sitting at the dentist’s office, on the bus, etc. Do you have an activity that can suck you in and consume so much time that you lose track of those things you know that you ought to be doing?
I am not saying that indulging a little pleasure now and again is not a great thing, it can be fabulous to lose yourself in something you truly enjoy—but if we use it as an escape or allow it to take control of our lives, we will not accomplish the other things that we know we need to in order to be fantastic single parents! We have to find a way to balance our desire to get pulled and swept away and our desire to do what we need to do.