There are some women in my life who have wondered how I do it all. Well, my husband wonders also. I've been told my time management skills are top notch. In one way I'm proud and think, "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome." But usually I scoff, "Uh, it isn't that big of a deal." Yes. Yes, it is a big deal.
A few months ago I remembered the beloved bra commercials that bragged of comfort for 18 hours. Do you remember those? The woman goes from work to dinner to a club. Because isn't this what we all do? Hmph. You see, I know the importance of sleep: recovery from workouts, dealing with stress, regulating the body's systems. We're supposed to get 8 hours of sleep. I try for it, and usually get about 7. Let's say we get our 8, that leaves 16 hours of awake time. The way I see it, I have 16 hours to make the most of my day, and I don't need that 18 hour bra. So what do we do in those next 16 hours? I can't speak for everyone else, but my schedule changes from day to day. Regardless, I know I will have at least 2 hours of work Monday-Thursday and Saturday. That leaves 14 hours. But most days I work more, like 6 hours and my time drops to 10 hours left. An hour, maybe, for a workout. 13-9 hours. How much time do we spend preparing, cooking, serving, and eating food? Especially those of us stay at home mamas that are getting food for our kids every hour and a half! I clearly don't spend too much time on my appearance, so the shower and getting ready doesn't take much time. When we come down to it, we have single digit hours to get the house clean, laundry done, groceries bought, and more. How are we expected to do it all and keep ourselves together? Here's how I do it. I schedule and plan like it's my job. I fell in love with a planner that has months, weeks, and days. I write down every appointment. I write down every client. People think I'm crazy. Some would say I'm too rigid. But when the end of the day comes, I feel accomplished. I know I get more done in a day than others do in week. It isn't just a list of chores. It's also my checklist for what I do daily- quiet time, workout, reading, writing, work, AJ's schoolwork- and weekly - project for knitting, candles for client, typing pages for novel, posting on the website or blog. My "work" is something that I created for myself when I was getting ready for shows and building inventory. "Work"ing is my weekly to do list. So for my "work" to get checked off, I would have to do part of that list. Here's a big key of to do lists: The check off. When your day has 18 things to do, each check mark next to something empowers you to do more. And at 6:00pm when the last item is checked off, you feel the freedom. You can let yourself relax. Now, I will give you some advice about those checks. Do not check something off until it is completely done. My husband used to kill me with this. When he had a day off and wanted to help me, he would check things off like crazy. One day I felt so accomplished seeing all the checks. Until I walked into my bedroom and there were two loads of laundry unfolded and hanging out. I had a conversation with my hubby that went a little something like this: "Um, Charlie?" "Yeah." "I thought the laundry was done?" "It is. I just need to fold it and put it away." "Then it isn't done." I repeat - DO NOT CHECK SOMETHING OFF UNLESS IT IS DONE COMPLETELY. It just leads to misconceptions and false hope. Here's and example of a typical week day for me on my planner. **Note - I wake up at 5:00 to do my workout, even though it gets a different time slot. 6:00- QT (quiet time) Workout 7:00- Read Read 8:00- Write Work 9:00- AJ Schoolwork 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 - Training (I write the person's name, but I won't share online.) 2:00 - Bus 3:00- Tutor/Tutor (Two students at the same time) Tutor 4:00- Tutor Caleb Homework 5:00- Training 6:00- Caleb read Daily list: Weekly list: Linens Type (35 pages) Sort kids laundry Candles Walmart Knit Scarf Bank Two workouts online Now, my daily things in the time slots are usually done by 10. They are there to be checked off. (Yes, people think putting Quiet time, also known as devotional time or time with Jesus, shouldn't be a check list item. And now, I probably don't need it. But I used to. I used to need it on my daily planner to make sure I made time for HIM.) The clients, be it training or tutoring, are placed at their appointment times. I'm sure some people still think I'm crazy for writing every little thing down. I am! And I will be more crazy if I sit around trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing! So list it out. List out every little thing! Then check it off! You'll find yourself with more things accomplished, and more stress free free time! It is good for the soul to manage your time well. The Bible teaches us repeatedly to be good stewards of what we have. That includes our money, time, influence, talent, and more. The verses that keeps me moving are Ephesians 5:15-17. I will leave you all with it. "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of time because the days are filled with evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
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May 2023
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