Using Time Wisely

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Olympic Lessons: Inventing on the Spot

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Olympic Lessons: Inventing on the Spot

Photograph Credit: NVT Office Clips

I’m hooked! Watching the events of the Olympics’ first day, I am glued to the television. What a thrill to watch the first gold medal of these games hang on American snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg!

In an event where each participant gets two attempts, Sage had a perfect run to earn a gold medal on his first try. Of course, the other snowboarders completed their runs, but his score remained at the top.

Later, during his interview, Sage explained how he had never tried the trick he executed perfectly to win. Wow! Talk about confidence.

I’m so impressed by those who know their craft so well that they can invent on the spot even on the world’s greatest stage of competition.

Though I will not be winning any household maintenance awards, I love how Sage inspired me to know my craft, and never be so comfortable with the routine that I cannot add in a new method.

As a creature of habit, I get stuck in ruts. Doing the same routine in the same way may get the task done, but is it memorable?

For me, doing laundry, washing dishes, dusting, and cleaning bathrooms are done according to my efficient routine. But when the task is finished, it is just done. Watching Sage use his skills to try something new inspired me to add a little flare to my daily routines.

Whether I encourage a child to help, try a new product, or change the tasks order, I will add spice to my craft. Making this change won’t get me any medals, but I can bring a smile to a child’s face.

Branching out of my comfort zone to invent on the spot may spur me on to more adventures. In using time wisely, I desire to accomplish tasks efficiently and intentionally. A little flare and spontaneity is good and beneficial which is exactly what I need.

Thanks, Saga, for inventing on the spot and inspiring me to do the same. Happy inventing!

Question: What are you finding inspirational from these Olympic games?

Maintaining: Kitchen Cleanup – Part 1 of 3

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When my kitchen is a mess, I cannot cook or prepare a meal until the mess is cleaned up. There is something about a messy kitchen that drives me nuts. (Yeah, I know . . . I’m probably nuts already, but I get worse when my kitchen is a disaster.) To help me stay on top of the food, dishes, and stuff placed on my countertops, I follow a different cleaning routine after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In each part of this three part series, I will share one of my three different routines for keeping my kitchen clean. I’ll begin with my breakfast routine.

Breakfast Routine:

  1. Clear off the table. After being excused from the table, my two older children carry their dishes to the counter by the sink. Paul and I usually clear off the rest of the table.
  2. Wipe down the table.
  3. Put away any leftover foods.
  4. Rinse each item and place it in the left-hand side of the sink.
  5. Clean all the countertops.

At the conclusion of this routine, I have a clean table, countertops, and right-hand side of the sink. Spending time cleaning up saves me time and energy. My time is saved at lunchtime from having to cleanup from breakfast. I can just start lunch preparations without working around a mess. I also save energy since I don’t need to scrub off dried on food. For me this system helps me to spend my time wisely.

Though I have a routine in place, there are days when this routine does not get finished. Some of those days are when I’m running late, the baby needs assistance eating, a spill needs to be cleaned up, or I just choose to leave the dishes until lunchtime. On those days, I attempt to get the dirty dishes rinsed. This one task saves me the most time.

Remember this breakfast routine works for ME, but it may or may not work for you. These are just my tips for helping me stay organized. Next week, I’ll share my lunch routine.