I’m a mom, I work full-time, and I act with a local community theatre. This means I hear a lot of “How do you do it?” and “Don’t you miss spending time with your kid?”  Some people genuinely want to know because they are trying to do the same thing, and others use these questions as a way to mask their accusations that I’m a terrible mother. This post is for those who genuinely want to know. To everyone else-f$%# off.

First of all, yeah, it’s rough. I’m not going to lie, things get a little out of control sometimes, the house is a disaster, but I can’t give up any of these things. They each contribute to my personal and emotional (and financial) well-being. What works for me isn’t going to work for everyone, but here’s how I make it happen:

1. A supportive spouse. He enjoys watching me perform, helping me study lines and likes having some daddy-son bonding time. We equally share household responsibilities, and I would be just as supportive if he decided to join a bowling league or something. If you’re single, hopefully you have a best friend or family member who can fill this role, because a support system is crucial.
2. Know your limits. I perform in one full-length play a year, which is roughly two months of rehearsals 3 nights a week. The rest of the year, I might do a couple last minute staged readings, go see some live theatre, or do a one act with minimal rehearsal commitment. I like theatre, so I keep it in my life, but it’s really only a huge time suck for a couple months of the year and that’s what makes me happy.
3. Blue Apron and Kroger Clicklist. I do not have time to meal plan or grocery shop, also I hate both. Blue Apron plans three healthy and delicious meals for me each week and ships the ingredients to my house. It’s worth it. Kroger now has my favorite thing ever, Clicklist. You order all your groceries online (in my pajamas on my ipad), swing by the store on your way from work, and they load everything you ordered into your car.
4. Wake up early to make time for things that you love. I like having breakfast each morning with my kid at the kitchen table, so I make time for it. It’s very easy for me to choose this over an extra 15 minutes of sleep, for some of you it might not be. Especially for those of you who have kids who aren’t sleeping through the night yet.
5. Go to bed early. This clearly goes hand-in-hand with #4. Nothing good happens after 9:00pm, right? Don’t tell me if it does.

Those are my top five tips, hopefully they will help you in some way. I might also suggest “hitting the highlights” rather than deep cleaning and giving up on ever committing to watching a tv show on a regular basis.