Finding Time: Tips from Readers
Missed the first posts in this series? Start here.From Kathi:
My kids are 2, 3, and 5, and the older two go to two different preschools. Our preschool mornings were absolutely insane until I instituted this rule: Everyone must be up and dressed to shoes *with teeth brushed* before breakfast. I know it seems odd to brush teeth before eating, but otherwise I spent the next hour nagging all three to finish breakfast so we had time to do their teeth before we had to leave. Now, when it's time to go, I just take the remaining plates away and we're out the door! It puts a whole different spin on the morning.From Amy:
I know a lot of people do laundry every day, and I tried that for years, but it just didn't work for me. With three messy young kids, I definitely have the clothes to do it every day, but the process seemed to be taking up way too much of my waking hours. So I revised it. Now I have three laundry days: kids' laundry on Monday and Friday and my and husband's laundry on Wednesday I separate the kids' and adults' loads because I find it far quicker to sort little clothes OR big clothes rather than trying to find a tiny onesie in a pile of men's XL undershirts!
Each laundry day requires about three loads, so I start the first one the night before, throw it in the dryer and the second load in the washer as soon as I get up, set my timer to get ready for the third load, and if all goes well, all laundry should be washed and dried by 10 a.m. or so without much effort. I then give my 5- and my 3-year-olds their own baskets of clothes to put away. No, they don't do it perfectly, but I've learned not to obsess over whether a 5-year-old boy's T-shirts are perfectly folded in his drawers...
My last tip is also laundry related. It seems like a lot of work at first, but it makes the dreaded sock-sorting chore a lot easier in the end. First, I buy all the kids plain white socks, so that I can bleach them if necessary. Second, I mark each pair with a black fabric pen: one dot for the oldest, two dots for the middle child, and three dots for the youngest (this is not my original idea--I took it off another website long ago--wish I could remember which!).
As I'm passing down socks, I simply add another dot if it's going to the next child. Then, on wash day I throw all the socks into a couple of large mesh lingerie bags. The bags go in both the washer and dryer. Voila! No missing socks when I'm ready to fold!
Stay away from time bandits like tv, telephone, and computer. Use your caller ID and answering machine.From K. Quinn at Homemaking Organized:
Avoid too many activities or trips out of the house. Each trip will drain your energy and change your focus.
Plan your meals. Stick with regular meals, like Monday- Spaghetti, Tuesday- Chicken, Wednesday- Fish, etc. so you won't spend so much time trying to figure out what to plan for dinner. Brown hamburger or form patties or meatloaf to freeze as soon as you come home from the store.
Put laundry in the washer before bedtime. If you have a timer on your washer set it, if not then it will be ready for you to run in the morning.
Deal with junk mail immediately, so it doesn't pile up. Before going upstairs or to another room see if anything needs to be picked up and carried away.
When I was working 8 to 5 in the corporate world many people asked me how I managed to get so much done. We were not parents at the time but I was learning to play the piano, sewing clothing, baking all the time , and just getting a lot done. Here are some of the things which have helped me keep on task:Have a great time management tip or sanity-saver to share? Feel free to comment or email me!
Starting my day on the right track. In God's presence with my Bible and prayer. Like Elizabeth George says, it just seems like everything else runs smoother when you start it off with the Lord.
Lists are at the top of my must have tools for time management. I used them in college, in the work force and continue to use them to manage my home and especially in the care of the children I care for as a foster parent.
We all know television is a huge time waster. A good friend of mine made a decision with her husband to severely cut back on their TV time and they were amazed at how much they were able to get done without being tied to the couch. We have not had a television in all of our married life.
My timer set for 15 minutes is a life-saver for me! I can clean my bathroom, take out the garbage and vacuum the house, make dinner, clean the kitchen, clean up the house after a family get together, even take a nap. You would be amazed at how long 15 minutes really is when you use that timer. You'll be anxious for it to go off it seems like such a long time. It's also a great tool to get the whole family involved in. Children find it a great game to see who can clean up first. And with your younger children they get excited running around helping mom.
Labels: Finding Time
posted by Crystal Paine at 5:00 AM
6 Comments:
This might seem silly, but I find that my days goes so much better if I get up before the kids. If I am showered, dressed, and have eaten breakfast before my kids get up, I can get so much more done throughout the day. If I get up with the kids I am playing catch-up.
I usually read a small passage of scripture in the a.m., but do my main bible reading at night, after the kids are in bed, I always felt rushed trying to do it in the morning.
To make sure our school days start at a reasonable time I make the kids clean up their rooms and make their beds, get dressed and have their teeth brushed BEFORE breakfast. It is a very good motivator and I don't have to nag them, their stomachs do it for me!
I was having such a disorganized mess and money waster of planning meals. I love to cook and like to try different things. But trying a new recipe every night of the week was expensive and CRAZY. My family never tasted the smae thing. Since we had to do some major cut backs in the money area of groceries I decided to use one of the tips mentioned in the post. I asked my family what were some of there most favorite meals. I picked 5 basic meals we have weekly. Every week. I rotate days if I want. But I know exactly how much these meals will cost and what to always have on stock. On the weekends we do 1 meal out after church. On saturday I try that NEW recipe that I REALLLLLLY want to try. It works for me.
So far I only have a 7 mo old baby BUT all his life his socks have gone straight into a mesh bag. Saves alot of time and energy. I plan to keep the mesh bags around for a long time. They work for me.
For Kathi-
I saw the "dot" marking tip on Counting the Cost several years ago, so that may be where you saw it as well!
I am a complete news junkie. I find that is what distracts me the most. I want a quick look at the top news stories. So I turn on the tube to fox news and then before you know it I have wasted 30 minutes on recaps of the daily news.
I think I long for the fix of the news because I want "adult" conversation. Real world issues/politics, the stock market, stuff like that truly interests me. Probably more so because its not about cookie monster or another wheels on the bus toon.
I will be praying that I can somehow kick this habit cause I know it is my biggest time waster.
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