How I Make the Most of My Time

I have often been asked, "How do I have the time to do all the things I do?"  Well I think the easy answer is that I just keep moving.  Tonight was a perfect example.  While I wrote this blog post, I was making dinner while checking my date book to mentally prepare for tomorrow.  I finished emptying out my son's lunch bag and looked through all of his school work.  I already had on my work clothes on so that I can get a few projects done after the kids go to bed.  I had Emma in her seat and prepared her food all the while keeping an eye on dinner to keep it from burning.  I was stirring rice while fielding questions from my boys and Bobby.  I just move!  From one task to another without stopping.  I must say that I am high energy and love to get things done.  The down side is that I sometimes over extend myself which then overwhelms me, but I recover quickly.  I am a multi-tasker.  I developed this trait while working for 8 years at a very busy mortgage company.  I try my best to take advantage of the time that I do have. I would have never thought that the skills I was learning then would be just what I needed as a busy mommy of three.

Even if you are not high energy or do not enjoy being busy, there are some things you can do to gain more time.  One of the biggest thing that I gave up that freed up so much time for me was TV.  We still own one, but we do not have cable or DVR.  We have Netflix which has some cute shows for the kids.  It has been a year now, and I do not miss it at all.  Many nights after putting the kids to bed and doing our own separate projects, Bobby and I will wind down with 30 minutes of a show before bed.  This allows me a couple hours after the kids go to bed and before I do to get some things done.  If I have a task already planned then I can usually get it started and finished before the end of the night. 

Another thing that really helps me is the idea of baby steps.  If you have a lot to get done and you think of all of it at once it feels like too much to handle and we tend to give up before we even get started.  Getting something done, even if it is a small task is better then not doing anything.  If you get a few things done everyday then by the end of the week you have accomplished a lot.  Try to break it up into baby steps.  Pick a few task to get done for the day.  Make sure you get those things done and do not worry about everything else!  That way when you go to bed you feel like you have reached your goal.  That gives you motivation to do more the next day.  It also helps, if you are a list maker like me, to write down a list of what you did accomplish during the day, which is encouraging instead of a list of what you did not do, which is discouraging. 

Finally the most important change I made when trying to make more time for myself was creating routines.  Bobby and I have an amazing morning routine.  We work together like a well oiled machine.  We set out each with our own tasks to get us all ready in the morning, fed and properly prepared for the day.  I am amazed at how much I get done before 8 am.  Routines are hard in the beginning so start slow.  Once you are doing it for a couple months it feels natural.  Then you can add to it.  Be reasonable and only set out to do what is necessary and what you are capable of.  Do not try to be superwomen.  You will set yourself up to fail.  Remember baby steps!  I laugh, because every time I "say" that I think of "What About Bob".  Anyone else?

I hope that some of these ideas can help some of you.  They help me daily.  If anyone else has some good ones to share please do.