Originally posted November 14, 2010 on Time to be Mom
I know, it's supposed to be "the end is in sight," but for me, the end of my office job means the beginning of getting my life in order.
Our team has processed the majority of work and the only ones left are those which require outreach to customers for more information. I'm hoping we can get those calls made (and responded to) before Thanksgiving. I'll be gone the following week, so it is actually possible that I will either be done or only have a few more days of work once I get back.
I had mentioned before that I needed to take the time to really set my priorities in order to decide how to make my schedule. I read a couple of great articles about priorities and time management by Crystal on the Money Saving Mom blog.
She is a Christian as well and pointed out that she makes sure to spend time with God every day and when she prays over her day, she asks him to bless it and "multiply" her hours. She said that, when she does that, she is always amazed at how much more productive her day is. Starting out the day with God not only creates a better relationship with and understanding of Him, but it also gets you in the right mind set to deal with whatever challenges the day will bring.
Another thing she mentioned was that one of the things most of us leave out when we get overloaded is sleep. We try to stay up one more hour, get one more thing done. Funny thing is, getting enough sleep can help us get more done in a shorter time because we are more alert and our rested brain is able to process things better and faster.
Crystal also brought up the idea of a "Time Budget". Most of us have a budget for our money and can clearly see how that makes sense. You start with the money you have coming in, then take out money for things you need/want to pay for. You can't take out more than you put in without going into debt. Why don't we do this with our time? When making schedules, we usually start with a list of all the things we want to do and try to cram them into our day, whether they fit or not.
We go into "debt": usually paid for by lack of sleep, wasting money and health on fast food and cutting out time with our families. What we should be doing is starting with our 24 hour day and taking out sleep and other necessities. Only put other tasks on the calendar if there is actually room for them. Setting your priorities first will help you decide which items need to be left out. Don't forget to leave some wiggle room for unexpected things that come up (Crystal suggests 2 hours).
In this last week or two of my office job, I'm going to be looking at what my calendar should look like once I don't have that on it any more. I'm going to start with making sure I have scheduled enough time for sleep & quiet time with God. .
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Take 5
Originally posted October 28, 2010 on Time to be Mom.
It's amazing what just five minutes can do. In five minutes you can:
-load the dishwasher
-start a load of laundry
-water your houseplants
-say a prayer
-read a chapter in the Bible
-get really upset
-sit in a quiet spot, take some deep breaths & calm yourself down
My time has been so limited lately that I have felt like I couldn't get anything done, so I often haven't done anything. Since my schedule hasn't changed yet but I want to go ahead and start catching up on things, I have been trying to think of what I CAN do. So, I'm going to take five minutes; in the morning, when I get home and before bed to get three things done. That may not seem like much, but it's three more things than I have been getting done.
It's amazing what just five minutes can do. In five minutes you can:
-load the dishwasher
-start a load of laundry
-water your houseplants
-say a prayer
-read a chapter in the Bible
-get really upset
-sit in a quiet spot, take some deep breaths & calm yourself down
My time has been so limited lately that I have felt like I couldn't get anything done, so I often haven't done anything. Since my schedule hasn't changed yet but I want to go ahead and start catching up on things, I have been trying to think of what I CAN do. So, I'm going to take five minutes; in the morning, when I get home and before bed to get three things done. That may not seem like much, but it's three more things than I have been getting done.
Importance and Immediacy
Originally posted October 26, 2010 on Time to be Mom.
Once upon a time, I was a business major. Scary, I know. However, I did learn a few useful things amidst the hours of sheer boredom. One of the lessons that has not completely left me is that of importance and immediacy. Of course, as with many other useful tidbits, it had been filed away in the deep recesses of my somewhat foggy memory until this weekend, when I was trying to make a plan to get things done and torn between two things that both needed to be done.
The basic idea is that you rate things not by one scale, but by two. You rate things that need to be done on importance: high = MUST be done, medium = Should be done, low = Not necessary (even if it's something you'd like to do). You also rate them on immediacy: this scale you can adjust so it's easy for you to think about. An example would be; Now, Soon & Later or Today, This Week, This Month. Once you have rated everything on both scales, you can easily choose which tasks to prioritize. You can even put them in a chart for an easy visual.
As I remembered this organizational tool, it occurred to me that this can be a TREMENDOUS help in trying to get control of my chaos. I can use it for scheduling, for making a plan to keep the house clean, for planning long term goals, etc. I plan on using it alot. I hope it helps you as well.
Once upon a time, I was a business major. Scary, I know. However, I did learn a few useful things amidst the hours of sheer boredom. One of the lessons that has not completely left me is that of importance and immediacy. Of course, as with many other useful tidbits, it had been filed away in the deep recesses of my somewhat foggy memory until this weekend, when I was trying to make a plan to get things done and torn between two things that both needed to be done.
The basic idea is that you rate things not by one scale, but by two. You rate things that need to be done on importance: high = MUST be done, medium = Should be done, low = Not necessary (even if it's something you'd like to do). You also rate them on immediacy: this scale you can adjust so it's easy for you to think about. An example would be; Now, Soon & Later or Today, This Week, This Month. Once you have rated everything on both scales, you can easily choose which tasks to prioritize. You can even put them in a chart for an easy visual.
As I remembered this organizational tool, it occurred to me that this can be a TREMENDOUS help in trying to get control of my chaos. I can use it for scheduling, for making a plan to keep the house clean, for planning long term goals, etc. I plan on using it alot. I hope it helps you as well.
Where does my Help come from?
Originally posted October 23, 2010 on Time to be Mom.
The other day, Psalm 121:1-2 got stuck in my head- all day! Of course, it started with hearing the song version on the radio, but the words stuck with me. "I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord- Maker of heaven and earth."
It got me thinking: what would that help look like? We know that he can give us peace in our distress and clarity in our chaos, but what about practical help? When Jesus walked the earth, he offered physical help. He fed people who were hungry and healed those who were sick. If God is the same now as he always has been, then He must still offer practical help, not just emotional.
As I pondered, it occurred to me that he often uses his people to meet needs. When forming the church, he designed it so that all of the people, who have different strengths and weaknesses could work together to make the church fully functional. Without the business-minded people, the budget would never be made or held to. Without those called to study and preach, we would not learn more about God than what we can discern for ourselves. Without the creative people, there would not be music to worship to. The church needs all kinds of people.
I'm wondering if He designed not just the church, but families to work this way as well. In my family, Mike is the detailed, logical one, so he does the finances, and I'm the organizer (Funny, I know, when I'm having problems with chaos), so I schedule appointments and organize the house, etc.
If I look beyond my home, my mom is the creative one and she actually enjoys cleaning! I also have a working student who enjoys gardening. Perhaps we can help each other. I can help my mom organize her schedule and craft supplies and she can help me deep clean (after I've gotten the mess under control). and maybe I can have my working student do her work in the garden rather than in the barn. Together, we'll have 2 clean organized homes with beautiful gardens and my student will enjoy both her working time and the riding time she earns.
How can you pool your resources with others to help enhance everyone's life?
The other day, Psalm 121:1-2 got stuck in my head- all day! Of course, it started with hearing the song version on the radio, but the words stuck with me. "I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord- Maker of heaven and earth."
It got me thinking: what would that help look like? We know that he can give us peace in our distress and clarity in our chaos, but what about practical help? When Jesus walked the earth, he offered physical help. He fed people who were hungry and healed those who were sick. If God is the same now as he always has been, then He must still offer practical help, not just emotional.
As I pondered, it occurred to me that he often uses his people to meet needs. When forming the church, he designed it so that all of the people, who have different strengths and weaknesses could work together to make the church fully functional. Without the business-minded people, the budget would never be made or held to. Without those called to study and preach, we would not learn more about God than what we can discern for ourselves. Without the creative people, there would not be music to worship to. The church needs all kinds of people.
I'm wondering if He designed not just the church, but families to work this way as well. In my family, Mike is the detailed, logical one, so he does the finances, and I'm the organizer (Funny, I know, when I'm having problems with chaos), so I schedule appointments and organize the house, etc.
If I look beyond my home, my mom is the creative one and she actually enjoys cleaning! I also have a working student who enjoys gardening. Perhaps we can help each other. I can help my mom organize her schedule and craft supplies and she can help me deep clean (after I've gotten the mess under control). and maybe I can have my working student do her work in the garden rather than in the barn. Together, we'll have 2 clean organized homes with beautiful gardens and my student will enjoy both her working time and the riding time she earns.
How can you pool your resources with others to help enhance everyone's life?
Getting Organized
Most of us know that being organized can save time, money and stress. At the same time, many of us don't feel like we have the time to get organized. If that's you, think of it this way: How many times have you rushed out the door because it took you forever to find your keys only to realize that you had forgotten something else? How many times have you gone to the store and bought something thinking, "I could have sworn I had one of these somewhere"? This is not forgetfulness. This is disorganization.
I will bet that it will take you less time to get and stay organized than it takes you to find all your misplaced items everyday. My mom and I realized that we spend at least 10 if not 20 minutes every day looking for things when we are disorganized. I know that the initial clean up will take longer than that, but you can do it a little at a time and then, once it's done, that 10-20 minutes is enough to keep up with it. So the time may end up being the same but your stress level is much lower. And that's not counting trips to the store or back to the house for missing or forgotten items.
Organization is one of those things that we all want and, if we think about it, we know how to do. The problem is that many of us put things off until there is suddenly a massive pile of stuff to deal with and we just don't know where to start. The key is to break everything down into bite-sized pieces. I'm going through the same thing at the moment, so I'm right there with you. I will be more than happy to share any helpful ideas or information I find and would love to hear any of yours.
This blog will inevitably have some duplicate posts from Time to be Mom in the Home but I will try to keep posts about organizing on this page and those with tips on cleaning, decorating, etc on the other blog. As with my other blogs, all posts are available on Time to be Mom and I will repost those that apply to the blogs on individual topics. Thanks for your patience while I restructure to make the information more accessible!
I will bet that it will take you less time to get and stay organized than it takes you to find all your misplaced items everyday. My mom and I realized that we spend at least 10 if not 20 minutes every day looking for things when we are disorganized. I know that the initial clean up will take longer than that, but you can do it a little at a time and then, once it's done, that 10-20 minutes is enough to keep up with it. So the time may end up being the same but your stress level is much lower. And that's not counting trips to the store or back to the house for missing or forgotten items.
Organization is one of those things that we all want and, if we think about it, we know how to do. The problem is that many of us put things off until there is suddenly a massive pile of stuff to deal with and we just don't know where to start. The key is to break everything down into bite-sized pieces. I'm going through the same thing at the moment, so I'm right there with you. I will be more than happy to share any helpful ideas or information I find and would love to hear any of yours.
This blog will inevitably have some duplicate posts from Time to be Mom in the Home but I will try to keep posts about organizing on this page and those with tips on cleaning, decorating, etc on the other blog. As with my other blogs, all posts are available on Time to be Mom and I will repost those that apply to the blogs on individual topics. Thanks for your patience while I restructure to make the information more accessible!
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