Nathan just got home from … get this … Vegas! Unfortunately he had to work long hours while he was there, but it’s still cool to say he was in Vegas, right?? I was, alas, back in Ohio editing lots and lots of pictures. And I realized, as I was regaling him with stories of my four days alone, that while he was gone I had eaten two entire frozen pizzas, made three trips to get frozen yogurt and made the same number of trips to Starbucks for caffeine.

It’s official. I live like a poor, college student when I’m left to fend for myself. (Now do you see why I can’t claim to be a foodie and why I include “cook real meals” as a monthly goal … every month??)

After the realization sunk in of just how many hours I had spent in front of the computer and how few nutritious things I had put into my body in four days, I knew I needed to refocus and take a hard look at how I was spending my days. You know, before I start craving Ramen or something.

I remembered a post Nancy Ray did awhile back about her ideal day, and I knew that if I could actually put down on paper what an ideal day in the real world looks like for me, I might be able to achieve it once in awhile. So here goes:

7 a.m.  Wake up with Nathan, make a healthy smoothie and settle myself on the couch with my laptop, ready to tackle e-mails (while yesterday’s “Ellen” is playing in the background. I know it’s probably not the most productive but I love this time)

8 a.m.  Post the day’s blog (that was hopefully completed the day before) and spend time on social media

8:30 a.m.  Head upstairs to get dressed (or at least do the Shetzie) and to my office to tackle admin stuff—taxes, budget, contracts, filing, etc. (I’ve found that if I don’t do a little bit of this each day, I get overwhelmed with how many little detail things pile up)

9 a.m.  Edit photos (or whatever big task is on my to do list for the day) without social media/e-mail breaks

10 a.m.  Work out and have healthy snack afterwards

11 a.m.  Do office work without social media/e-mail breaks

Noon  Eat lunch, read and/or mindlessly surf the Internet

12:30 p.m. Do office work without social media/e-mail breaks (if you haven’t noticed, I work best in 1-hour chunks)

1:30 p.m.  Tackle a house chore, like picking up the living room or cleaning the bathroom

2 p.m.  Write my blog for the next day

2:30 p.m.  Do office work without social media/e-mail breaks

3:30 p.m. Check e-mail

4 p.m. Do office work without social media/e-mail breaks

4:45 p.m.  Pick up the office and plan for the next day

5 p.m.  Make a healthy dinner

5:30 p.m. Sit down to dinner with Nathan and talk about our days

6 p.m. Spend the evening with Nathan (taking a walk, watching our favorite show, reading, making a fro yo run)

9 p.m.  Pick up around the house, do dishes, take a bath … in general, get ready for the next day

10 p.m. Be in bed reading, doing a devotional and winding down

10:30 p.m.  Lights out

Hands down, my worst habit (and I’m really ashamed to admit this) is not sticking to my office hours and working well into the evening, all the while missing time with Nathan. Now that he’s gone a lot, I really appreciate every hour I have with him. I want to make this ideal day a reality so that I don’t spend time in front of a computer screen all night. It’s all about working smarter, not wasting time on Facebook and planning ahead. And big news: Nathan and I decided to suspend our cable this summer so that we’re spending more quality time with each other and enjoying the outdoors instead of sitting inside mesmerized by a screen. It’s all about living in the moment, folks!

So what about you? What does your ideal day look like?