Using Time Wisely

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Time Management: Expecting the Unexpected

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Last week I shared my strategy for planning each day. Lest you believe that at the end of each day I have accomplished all I set out to do, I give you a glimpse into my life. Last Sunday night before heading to bed, I planned a general idea of what I wanted to accomplish on Monday. I was planning to do laundry, menu planning, and blogging in the morning. My children and I headed off to school. After dropping off my son, we headed home. About 3-5 miles from home, I hit a pot hole and popped my front passenger-side tire. After moving to safety onto the shoulder, I examined the damage. Yep, the tire was flat.

After calling my husband, I used a temporary AAA membership, which came in the mail as a promotion, to get the tire changed. There were a number of gracious folk who stopped to make sure the girls and I were not hurt. One lady passed us and sent her husband and son to come help us. When they arrived, I informed them that AAA had been notified and was sending someone to help. The husband/son team offered to wait in their vehicle behind our car to be sure we stayed safe. This dad has 3 children of his own and would not want his wife to be stranded without some protection. How kind of this family to spend their time ensuring the safety of myself and the girls while we waited for AAA to arrive!

Many offered to change the tire for me, but I did not want them to get dirty. Some of them were wearing their business attire or white shirts. Their offers were kind, but I’m thankful we waited for AAA. About 1 hour and 15 minutes after calling, the employee arrived. He noticed that our spare tire was flat, so he pumped it up. He also had a really sturdy jack, unlike the one included with our spare tire. Since the car was in the dirt/sand, the girls and I stayed behind the car as he worked. He quickly finished, and we were on our way.

My morning was then spent at Discount Tire to repair the damage. After inspecting the tire and wheel, the employee informed me that I would need a new wheel/rim and a new tire. Remember how I opted to pay for insurance on the new tires I purchased? Having that insurance saved our family about $130 for a new tire. Discount Tire replaced the gashed tire for free, and I added the insurance on the new tire for $16. In the event that I hit another pot hole, this new tire will be covered as well.

The wheel is another story. A refurbished wheel for the year and make of our car is $180. Yikes! Learning that the car is drivable with the current bent wheel, I opted to look around. After speaking to our mechanic, I called a store in a nearby city and found a refurbished wheel for $125 plus tax. Our mechanic suggested having ours fixed, so I called another local establishment. They will fix our wheel for $125. Since our mechanic likes the local business that repairs bent wheels, I now need to find a day that works in my schedule. Working around church, soccer, school, and family obligations is quite tricky.

Though I had a plan for my day, the unexpected occurred. I did not plan to hit a pot hole, be in the car with my girls for over an hour, and then wait at Discount Tire for the repair work to be completed. I’m not sure I know of anyone who would have this on their To Do list for the day. On the list or not, it happened. I just used my time to play with my girls. The baby enjoyed “driving” the car. She loves pushing all the buttons. My oldest daughter enjoyed changing seats. She kept moving from the front seat to the back seat. We read books, stacked rocks in the sand, and watched the passing cars. They both were worn out as they fell asleep on the way back to school to pick up their brother.

We were safe, the car is almost repaired, bonding time was achieved during the morning, and the planned items were pushed off to the afternoon and the next day. As all the items on my list for the day were “need to be done” items, I did not have a pressing need to be home. I’m thankful that the Lord protected us from harm, provided the resources to repair our vehicle, and allowed us time to spend with each other. When life throws me an unexpected delay, I attempt to seize that time and spend it wisely.

Time Management: Rising Above the Unexpected

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Do you ever have those weeks where you’re just off? Thankfully, these weeks are not often, but I had an “off” week when I hit that pot hole. The entire week I was a day off. On Tuesday, I thought it was Monday. On Wednesday, I functioned like it was Tuesday. This continued ALL week. Though I would look at my calendar and know what day it was, my brain continued to associate the day with the tasks I performed. When I hit the pot hole on Monday, I changed my normal routine. I concentrated on fixing my car and the regular schedule was moved to Tuesday. My brain finally reset on Sunday when I returned to my Sunday routine.

For some reason, I could not reset my brain during the week which had the following results:

  • Failed to prepare for church on Wednesday night.
  • Fell behind on laundry.
  • Missed a sale on business cards.

The results were not devastating losses, but there were repercussions to my “off” week. Fortunately, these “off” weeks are few and far between. When I am dealing with an unexpected situation, then another area of my life is likely to fall apart. Keeping it all together, all the time is not a possibility for me. Life will happen, and choices will need to be made. Overall, it was a very eventful week. I’m thankful it is over even though I am still working on getting my bent wheel repaired. In fact, my car is currently sporting the spare tire as the regular wheel is at the repair shop.

How do you keep it together when the unexpected arises? As you can see, I have room for improvement. Can you offer me any advice? If so, please leave me a comment. I need to know that I am not the only one who experiences these bumps in the road.

Hurry Up to Waste Time

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (a_s_h.)

Confession time . . .  I get clumsy when I am in a hurry. It’s true! You would think that I would learn to either schedule a few extra minutes or forget that “one more thing” I can squeeze into 5 extra minutes. But, no, I have not learned.

Just this week, I finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes and decided to do “one more thing” before leaving the house. That “one more thing” was sweetening the brewed pitcher of tea, simple task with no complicated steps.

However, I got in a hurry.

As I poured the full sugar scoop into the pitcher, I hit the edge and dropped the scoop into the tea. My “one more thing” then turned into a project. To correct my error, I had to use a few more minutes of my time to:

  • Retrieve the scoop,
  • Wash the scoop,
  • Dry the scoop, and
  • Continue to add sugar to the tea pitcher.

By the time I finished sweetening the tea, I had spent more than 5 minutes. The extra time was gone, and I had exerted more energy than needed. In my effort to maximize my time, I hurried up and wasted time.

Though I will probably repeat this mistake again, I hope to remind myself to slow down and relax during the extra minutes rather than wasting precious time and energy. Using time wisely is a constant set of choices. With good intentions, I still often fail, learn from those mistakes, and choose a better option next time.

Question: What obstacles hinder you from using time wisely?

Time Management: Do the Next Thing

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Addison Berry)

In seasons of busyness when I am weary, taxed, and tired, creating a plan takes too much energy. Surrounded by a hungry family, attention-seeking children, piles of laundry, the phone ringing, appointments to keep, and blog posts to write, I really just want to crawl into bed and rest. However, I am mom, and my family needs me to care for them. With a prayer for strength, I proceed without a plan by doing the next thing.

What needs to be done? The answer to this question is what guides my actions. Operating with a To-Do list would be my optimum preference. But in seasons of exhaustion, I concentrate on the top priorities. The other items can wait until after I get some rest and life settles down.

If this sounds hard to you, I understand. Having stressed myself to illness over keeping everything clean, organized, and in its place, I am still learning that life is more than a clean house. My little ones need more than a clean house. Though I still work hard to keep my household clean and running smoothly, there are seasons of intense busyness. In those times, I am learning to let the little things go, and concentrate on the top priorities. For me, those items are meals, time with my children, and completing the next immediate task at hand.

As I overlook the scattered toys in the hallway, the mound of dishes in the sink, and pile of newspapers and mail on the counter, I know I will get to it. That time might not be today or tomorrow, but those items will not be there all week. In continuing to work on the top priorities, I complete one task and then move on to do the next thing. Before long, those scattered toys, mound of dishes, and pile of mail are getting addressed as my house gets back in order.

Seasons of busyness may overtake you, but by doing the next thing in order of priority, you can operate without a detailed plan. Those household chores will be waiting for you after your little ones receive food, clothing, and comfort. In using time wisely during seasons of busyness, keep your priorities in check and do the next thing.

Question: How do you forge through a season of busyness? Please add your answer to the comments.

Using Time Wisely: Giving Mommy-Time

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Andrew @ cubagallery)

On this rainy day, our temperatures are dropping here in South Carolina. I am enjoying the cooler weather snuggled in my blanket with my socks warming my feet.

This week has been a bustle of activity having finished a large fundraising event on Saturday and getting my household back to running smoothly. My To-Do list is far from complete, but I am doing the next thing and making progress.

My kids have gotten a little more Mommy-time this week which has greatly improved their behavior. We have spent time at the playground, taking family walks, reading together, and going to the library.

As you complete your responsibilities and time gets short, remember to spend time with those you love. In using time wisely, you will not regret investing in the lives of your family and friends. Happy fall!

Question: How do you handle the busy seasons of life? I would love to hear your tips.