Managing 4 Jobs: How I Make It All Work

I will start this out by stating that there is NO EASY way, sacrifices have been made and MANY MANY MANY tears have been shed. You will not get any BS about how anyone can do it, that it doesn't take that much effort and that it was PAINLESS! All those things and MORE have been experienced first hand by this momma right here!

Let me start with WHAT 4 jobs I have...

One of my Mommy, Inc. employees

Mom My number 1 and most important job. I have held this position for 7 years and as CEO and CFO I'd say that the company is doing really well. The communication is there, although miscommunication does occur. We have been able to keep the costs down by not expanding (for now) which allows spoiling of the current employees.

9-5 Now this is used "loosely" because as a FTE with no option for overtime some weeks I work 40 hours and others I work 60 hours. Pay is the same, hassles are the same and dread of opening email is similar to many people in the corporate world. I work in clinical research and I am fortunate enough to be able to work from my home and not have to commute to the office.

LOVE my "personal gym" in my basement

Fitness Freak I stumbled upon this thing called fitness and healthy lifestyle 2 years ago. I was laid off from my 9-5 and had a month or so my next 9-5 started. So with my spare time I joined a challenge group on FB and went to Bikram Yoga EVERYDAY! It quickly became a hobby which swiftly turned to an obsession. I now train 30 min of cardio every morning, teach PiYo LIVE 2x week and lift 3-4x week.

Health and Fitness Coach Around the same time as Fitness Freak, I decided that helping others feel as great as I did was something I had passion for. So I jumped right in and began inviting people to go on a the journey with me. I get the privilege of watching transformations happen and goals being met! Not to mention I now have a friend base that is positive, optimistic and inspiring.

WHY 4 jobs...?

Because I like getting little sleep and being glued to my email all day...?? Kidding. They happened in sequence, I became a mother and quickly became a single mother. I finished up my bachelors degree and of course had a minimum wage job as a contractor at the university I graduated from (no insurance might I add). Then through family connections (cause lets be honest getting better jobs is all about who you know) I landed a MUCH better contracting gig in clinical research! So long no insurance and crappy wages, hello 401k, employee stock purchase plan and PAID vacation!! SWEET... Fast forward 2.5 years... That cushy job with the 401k and paid vacation went bye bye due to a buy out. So December 2012 I was LAID off! That didn't stop me! I hopped right into health and fitness (first for me then to help others).

2 Years Later: How do I do it?
ORGANIZATION

The more color coded the BETTER

My days, weeks, months and year are VERY scheduled. Organization has never been a weakness for me. I have three calendars: Mommy, 9-5 and Health and Fitness. My iCalendar acts as my control center.
COMMUNICATION
You know those employees in the Mommy company? They know what my day and week look like. We discuss the upcoming week on Sunday. Who has swim team, who has a nightly meeting, what days they go to daddy's house. The 9-5 is a bit more flexible in that I am present during those hours, attend scheduled meetings and meet my daily requirements. My health and fitness happens primarily during a "POWER HOUR" (or 90 min) 6 days per week.
BUDGET
Everything is on a budget; time and money especially. This might be the actual KEY to how i keep things together. I set up a process and stick with it even when I don't feel like it.
SACRIFICE
Yes I make MAJOR sacrifices! I start my day at 5-5:3am Monday-Friday and 6:30am Saturday and Sunday. My body is used to it by now so I don't consider it a sacrifice but in the beginning it was not so easy. My day is OVERLY scheduled which makes flexibility somewhat difficult. An idea of an exciting evening is renting a movie from Redbox and falling asleep halfway through (again I don't find this as a sacrifice but assume it would be considered one).


Is it all worth it?
Short answer, YES! I'm building my financial freedom, showing my little one the importance of commitment and being true to yourself and focusing on ME rather than everyone else! Are there times I want to throw in the towel, YES! But those are actually the times when I work BEST! I want to be able look back and say I got here and couldn't have done one finger nail MORE!