Rhythms of Time, Forced to Time Manage and Love it!

Easily, I could think I was unique in being "forced" to manage my time. I have five children, and a long list of to-do's every day, but the fact of the matter is, EVERYONE is racing against the clock in one way or another....even children nowadays have homework galore and deadlines from first grade on...I probably feel the HEAT of managing my time poorly, because I see or feel immediate results, but I am definitely not alone in needing good time management skills.

Organization is an area in which I am naturally gifted, but I still have pursued time management skills in every area of managing the house. Flylady, at www.flylady.net has been a great resource for me that's free and has lots of support, ie: radio/podcast show weekly, and other free information and outlets on keeping your home clutter free, body clutter-free, closet clutter-free...etc. LOVE Flylady! But really, when I summarize all I have learned and do on a daily basis, I have to say that I have said a little prayer about a "home area" or "kid issue", and God has consistently sent me an answer on how to do things. Either a book, news article, person, or just a "knowing" on what to do...He gets the message to me somehow.

I have little things that I do that seem to help the process along. I ALWAYS make a to do list at night or even in the morning. This one tip makes me so much more accomplished on a daily basis. If I forget to do this, I begin "wandering" through the day with very little purpose and by the end of the day have not really accomplished much. I got a fancy ap on my phone, but for some reason, the little crumple of paper seems to work best for me. If I lay it on the kitchen counter and look at it only once, my day is immediately more productive. I bake bread, make kombucha, finish school, read 10 books aloud, and paint a painting with time for a nap. On the days I don't "do" my list, I wander around the house, pick up things off the floor, check facebook 10 times, fold a little laundry, put the kids in front of videos, and then wonder what happened to the not-so-productive day at the end??

Another BIG trick is setting the timer. This is a Flylady deal. Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a chore you don't want to do. When it rings, stop doing the chore. Don't get into perfectionism, just DO IT for the duration of the Timer and feel awesome about yourself when the Timer rings. This one is for the down and dirties like cleaning toilets, washing AND FOLDING laundry AND getting it put away, and things like that. If you only set it twice a day, you'll feel like a champ for getting the rough stuff done each day.

I like to read books on organizing-well, to be an honest, a book a year. I read on book on "Speed Cleaning" how to clean your house in the fastest amount of time...Homeschooling, How to Organize Everyones's schedule....and these books, or at least one or two tips from each book, is part of my day.  I have a daily routine....school is routine, meals are routine, naps are routine, reading books to kids, bedtimes....all of those are MUSTS and many times I have typed out the exact TIMES just for me. It helps to look at these parts of the day pretty often, so that you don't run behind (at least for me). The routine makes the children very stable and secure. All of the "to-do's" get sandwiched between the "must-do's".

One thing I have realized, and the reason I named this article "loving it", is I have had a little resentment for HAVING to manage my time so diligently. I have been forced to manage my time for a decade now, and I think I have grumbled or complained more about this issue (inwardly and probably outwardly) more than any other. If I go shopping, it's not leisurely nor is it enjoyable. It's literally, me, running as fast as I can to the lingerie department, yanking my sizes off the sale rack, and yelling to the cashier to hold my purse while I make sure my boobs are still the same size....something about the intensity of that has made me a pouter more than once....until now. Now, I'm grateful. Time is precious, and I know it. I have figured out how to manage my time by force, but enjoy my time immensely and appreciate the minutes-those golden nuggets called minutes.

Finally, and really, I could write a whole book on this subject, I try to maximize each minute to the best of my ability. Appreciate time, and viewing time as precious, has been one of the motivators for my successfully handling "time", and not taking it for granted. Time is the one thing, if lost, I will physically cry over. Birthing 11 pounds, whatever........wasting 2 hours of time, let the tears fall and get the kleenex ready.