Time Management

These past few weeks, I have become the queen of time management!  (Yes, I just tooted my own horn.)  Last week, I wrote about my tendencies to procrastinate.  My husband even made a joke about it: “If you were a nation, which one would you be?”  Response: “Procrastination!”  Cheezy, I know.  I decided it had to come to an end! 

Not only am I trying to live by the motto, “Just Do It!,”  I am trying to get into the habit of writing out lists of what needs to get accomplished the next day.   I am naturally a morning person.  I have no problem getting out of bed at 5:30 and getting the day started, so I’ve decided to do as much as possible in the mornings!

This is what our dry erase board had for me to do one morning:

I have 2 ½ hours between the times my alarm goes off in the morning and the time I have to go to work.  I knew this list would be difficult to complete within 2 ½ hours, but I wanted to see just how much I could actually get done.

What was accomplished:

·         Puppy bedding in the washing machine

·         Puppy out for a walk (1.25 miles – 30 minutes) while her bedding was being washed

·         Picked snow peas from garden / collected an egg (this was a surprise! Our 3^rd hen finally started to lay eggs!)

·         Hung puppy wash on the laundry line

·         Put in a second load of laundry (was not expecting to do this)

·         Prepared shortcake muffins (35 minutes to bake : 15 minutes to prepare)

·         Shower

·         Ate breakfast

·         Started dinner for the evening (was not expecting to do this either)

·         Checked my email (I shouldn’t have done this – I got sucked into its vortex for 15 minutes)

·         Got ready for work

·         Hung second load of laundry out on the line

What wasn’t accomplished:

• Pick red raspberries
• Pack for our trip out of town

When I got home that evening, all I had to do was reheat dinner (chicken parm), pick the red raspberries (5 minutes) and pack for our trip.  All of this took less than 30 minutes.  I had the rest of the night to enjoy with my hubby and our animals!

I have also been learning that my lunch break at work is a waste of time; why not make the most out of it?!?  Once every week or two, I run to Aldi’s down the street and pick up any items we may need so that I don’t have to worry about going to the grocery store on the weekend or after work.  On the other days, I read during my lunch break.

I wasn’t sure how I would find an hour a day to keep up with the Bible in 90 Days reading program I started over at MomsToolbox, but I have been able to plan my time and use it wisely, and thus far, haven’t had a problem keeping up!  It is amazing when you make a plan, how easy it is to stick to it (and even have some time to spare!)

Do you make yourself a schedule to accomplish every day?

How do you stay on top of tasks? 

This blog is linked up to Homestead Revival's Preparedness Challenge.