Using Time Wisely

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Using Time Wisely: Counting my Blessings (1-10)

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Allergy season has definitely arrived. All three of my children have been congested, miserable, and exhausted. Zapped of energy and just needing snuggles and hugs, my children have camped in my lap this week.

Instead of worrying about the piles of laundry, menu plans, grocery shopping, and other Mommy-responsibilities, I have been counting these blessings:

1. A wonderful husband, who after working all day comes home to play and snuggle with our children, assist with dinner, and handle the cleanup;

Family picture - Summer 2011

2. Slobbery kisses from my 20-month-old;

3. Special breakfast shared with my 6-year-old son;

4. My 4-year-old organizing partner;

5. Benedryl to relieve the allergy symptoms;

6. Soft pillow and a warm comforter;

7. Going to bed early and waking refreshed;

8. Listening to my son read;

9. Hearing “Mommy” (even though it is repeated way too many times); and

10. Lap filled with snuggling children.

Hard to believe this picture is almost 2 years old. I need to continue using time wisely because time is flying by!

A day is quickly coming when my children will no longer desire to crawl into my lap for comfort (insert sad face here). But rather than dwelling on the inevitable, I am choosing to count my blessings.

Keeping my perspective on the blessings of today and thanking my Heavenly Father for another day to spend with my family, I am using time wisely by living today with no regrets. If you find life getting overwhelming with responsibilities piling up, try changing your outlook by counting your blessings.

Question: For what are you thankful today? What are your blessings? Wanna leave a comment?

Daylight Savings Time: Sunday, November 6, 2011

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Mick Watson)

On Saturday night, daylight savings time comes to an end. Here’s a great time to choose one of those projects around the house that really needs to be done, but you have not found the time to do so. Now you will gain an extra hour on Saturday night, so plan now to tackle that project.

Though the official time change will be at 2:00 a.m., I plan to set my alarm clock back prior to the time change. We wouldn’t want to arrive an hour early for the morning church service, now would we? 🙂

At each time change, remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. This safety feature is worth the extra time in maintenance.

In using time wisely, I hope you are thinking now how best to use your extra hour prior to Sunday, November 6’s time change. Happy planning!

Question: What do you think of daylight savings time? Please add your answer to the comments.

Using Time Wisely: Counting my Blessings (11-23)

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I am so glad to be back into a routine after struggling with illness for over a week. Thank you for your patience with the posts as I took a little break to heal and then wrote with a vengeance over the weekend. Back on track, I am so thankful to be doing the mundane things that required so much work a week ago. Here’s my grateful report:

11. A healthy body that allows me to work and help others;

12. Garbage disposal that saves me so much time while cooking in the kitchen;

13. Patient husband, who tripped and stumbled over the piles of toys, clothes, and shoes that cluttered our house during my stay in the recliner;

14. Cool weather and lots of sunshine, so my kids could play outside away from the germs;

15. Friends, who prayed and checked on me during my illness;

16. My husband’s supervisor, who understood when Paul needed to take our son to school and arrive at work a little late;

17. Comforting words from the Scriptures to uplift my spirit;

18. My youngest daughter’s little hands sneaking up to tickle me;

19. Help from my oldest daughter matching the socks from the clean load of laundry;

Concentrating on finding the matching socks

20. My son’s quick wake-up in the mornings to get ready for school;

21. The uncontrollable laughter and giggling of my children before bedtime;

22. Thanking our Lord for our family while praying together each night; and

23. Wonderful Readers, like you, who keep me accountable.

Reflecting back to count my blessings encourages me as I see the progress made in the last few days. I may not be as far along on my To Do list as I would like, but thankfully, I am not where I started last week. Baby steps while using time wisely will help us reach those goals. Just remember to count your blessings along the way.

Question: For what are you thankful today? Please add your answer to the comments.

Time Management: Working on a Deadline

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Lesley Lizard)

If it weren’t for deadlines, I would not get as much accomplished. Knowing that someone is depending on me ignites my energy and gets me motivated. With a sense of urgency to complete the task accurately and completely, I press on until the project is finished.

Life gets really busy and well-meaning intentions fall by the wayside on the excuses of “if I only had more time.” My problem is not that I need more time, but rather I just need to plan better.

How do I do this?

  1. S.T.O.P.
  2. Take a breath.
  3. Sit down with the calendar.
  4. Preview the activities and plan those intentions.
  5. Break down the tasks.
  6. Schedule time to complete each part.
  7. Execute the plan.

Yesterday, I shared how I enjoy kicking off my cookie baking by attending a cookie exchange. When I know that my friends are depending on me, then I will be sure to have all those cookies baked. That deadline will be met because I will make the time to get it done. Due to scheduling conflicts, I had to decline two invitations to cookie exchanges this year. I had two chances, and neither fit into our family schedule. 🙁 Does this mean without a deadline that cookies will not be baked this year? No way! It just means, I need to set my own deadline.

Creating a Deadline

After stopping, taking a breath, and looking at the calendar, I begin to put together a plan. With hubby home and school out of session, next week will be baking time. In preparing, I checked our pantry for basic ingredients and added needed items to my grocery list pad.

When I go to the grocery stores this week and gather my savings, I will purchase the remaining items needed for next week’s baking. Then over the weekend, we will plan our family events for next week.

By planning ahead, breaking down the parts, and scheduling, I can get those well-meaning intentions executed. Without a plan, they remain only intentions. Taking time to plan is the best way to using time wisely. Yes, it means stopping to gather the information. But when one task is finished, you just move on to the next. You don’t need to keep stopping to consider what to do next.

During this busy season, plan to stop, take a breath, plan, schedule, and execute while using time wisely. Your season will be less complicated when you work on the priorities first. Happy planning!

Question: How self-motivated are you to get things done without a deadline? Curious to hear to your answers.

Time Saving Strategy: From Night Owl to Early Bird

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Peter Lee)

Are you rolling your eyes just reading the title of this post? If so, I understand. I was there right with you.

Burning the midnight oil has been my way of life since graduate school.

Up until about a month ago, hubby and I would awake around 6:45 a.m. and retire for the night between 1:00 – 2:00 a.m. Some days I would snag a nap with the girls, but this schedule was my norm.

My Effects of Staying Up Late

    • Sluggish energy level
    • Unmotivated
    • Tired
    • Irritable

If you are a night owl, you may or may not experience these effects. The older I get, the more these effects show themselves.

Motivated to Change

I was struggling with stress, exhaustion, and mood swings. (Yes, I was a mess, and still am on some days.) When I found myself too tired to help my daughter on the playground, I felt the stab of reality –  my children are growing up, and I am “too busy” to help, play, and enjoy. At this turning point, I knew my priorities needed realignment.

Back to the drawing board I went to set my priorities:

      1. God
      2. Husband
      3. Children
      4. Ministry
      5. Business

Finding a Solution in Rising Early

Upon reading a number of blogging articles about the benefits of rising early and the downfalls of staying up late, I knew this change was for me, but where to start? I just did it. I went to bed early around 10:00 p.m. one evening and chose to get up at 6:00 a.m. when the alarm sounded.

Wow! What a difference a change of routine makes.

The Benefits of Rising Early for Tracy

No distractions. With everyone sleeping and the house quiet, I am free to think and write.

Post written. Come 7:00 a.m. I am either done or mostly done with the post for tomorrow. Having this task off my plate for the day is a weight lifted. I do not need to concentrate on “when I can fit in writing today?” With the post written, I am free to spend my day with my kids.

Blanket of Calm. Love this benefit because I can crawl on the floor and build with my toddler or paint my preschoolers’ nails without rushing and trying to get that post written. The more relaxed I am, the happier my children become because “Mom has time for me.” (Wow . . . heart tug here.)

As a perfectionist, I really struggle balancing family life with blogging life. As you can tell, my blogging life was superseding my family life. When I realized this downfall, I stopped.

Though I still get to bed late, I treasure my 6:00 -7:00 a.m. time frame. My system is not perfect and I still hit that snooze more times than I want, but this one change, from night owl to early bird, has decreased my stress level and increased my energy, my attitude, and my productivity.

Life with little ones gets exhausting. You will get tired, cranky, and need that nap. If you are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and unproductive, I understand. Consider making a change to rise before everyone in the household. Just fifteen minutes of calm can improve your day.

Though I am learning down here in the trenches, I plan to rise early this year expecting more productivity while using time wisely.

Question: What change are you making to increase your productivity this year? Feel free to add your answer to the comments.