Time Management for Moms

I’m kind of fascinated by time management. I’ve lost count of the number of books I’ve read or listened to on tape/cd about this subject— probably well over a hundred. Whenever I have a moment or two in the library and I’m not stuck in the toddler corral, I wander into the business books and gather anything from the 658 or 332 shelves that I haven’t already read.

Most business books focus around time management and productivity. Productivity=money in business.

If you take a random poll while walking the streets, I’d venture to bet that most people wish they had more of 2 things: time and money.

I can’t really help with the money, but I can help free up some more time in your day.

Change Your Mindset.

This is probably the biggest obstacle to overcome–myself, included. If you have already decided that you don’t have enough time in the day to get it all done, you’ve defeated yourself before you’ve even begun. Don’t set yourself up for failure.

Remember when we talked about changing your vocabulary? This is the same thing. Decide that each day is a blank slate and schedule out what you want to accomplish.

Learn How to Say No.

Don’t agree to anything that doesn’t directly benefit your family. I know. It sounds callous, but if you don’t want to go to the class bowling party, don’t. RSVP no. Don’t lie– just say it’s not going to work out for you and leave it at that. If you don’t want to help organize the Church rummage sale, or arrive early to set up the chairs for the PTA meeting, don’t do it. It’s not healthy to say yes then run yourself ragged living up to a commitment you didn’t want to make in the first place.

Take back your time. Once you feel as if you’re in control of your time instead of outside influences being in charge, you can begin volunteering again.

Get Up Early.

When I suggest getting up early people sometimes freak out. In all the case studies I’ve read of successful people or people who “make it happen” they each have the same characteristic: they get up early. Usually at 5.

I know. I’m sorry.

I’ve done all the acronyms: SAH, WOH, WFH (stay at home, work out of the home, work from home) and I can absolutely-without-a-doubt credit getting up early as the key to a successful day. When I’m up in a quiet house, I feel peaceful. I love watching the sun rise while I sip my coffee, doing yoga without an audience, or going for an early morning walk or run. When I’m on a deadline, I use that hour or two to work.

In 2008 when I did the crockpot year, I got up at 4am most days. I was working from home doing 2 part time jobs, doing the crockpot stuff, and writing the first manuscript for the Totally Together Book. It was nuts, but I knew I needed to keep going. Once or twice a week I also did what I call the “split shift”: I went to bed at 8pm, then got up from midnight to 4am to work. I then slept till 7am when the kids woke me up.

The first week is the hardest, but it gets easier. I’d highly recommend putting the alarm clock on the other side of the room so you need to get all the way out of bed to turn it off. Once you’re out of bed it’s harder to climb back in (which every single day you’ll want to).

You Don’t Work 9 to 5, You Work 5 to 9

5am to 9pm Day Plan pdf

When my oldest was about 6 months, I listened to a time management book on tape which is what gave me the idea to make a day planner for moms. I emailed the Franklin Covey company and we corresponded a few times before they blew me off (they did send a 15% off coupon, though!) and I decided to create my own.

One of the lightbulb-moments I had while I was playing around with the project was the realization that I was trying to cram everything I needed/thought I needed to do between the hours of 9am to 5pm. I wanted EVERYTHING done for the day before dinner. I was under the misguided impression that the laundry, etc. should be completely finished before I watched TV or relaxed a bit. Once I started folding laundry during my tv goof-off hour (or whatever) I felt better; more whole.

This doesn’t mean that YOU, personally, need to do everything around the house—I’m a big fan of delegation and whole-heartedly believe that all of the chores should be divvied out among the children and the sexes.

Cut Yourself Some (lots of) Slack.

There are times in your life that will always be crazier than others. When you’re pregnant, nursing, not sleeping, sick,  the kids are sick, on a huge work deadline stuff just isn’t going to run as smoothly as it does when everyone is on their A-Game.  Know this and accept it. Life is not a contest, nor is it a picture-perfect spread in a design magazine.

You’re doing an awesome job. You really are.

The Daily 7 for a Highly Successful Household

PROM (purge, remove, organize, maintain)

Clean Less, Play More

How to Company Clean in 30 Minutes or Less

Time Management and Social Media: an oxymorom?

I’m a Closet Homeschooler

When I was pregnant with my first (10 years ago), I informed my husband, Adam, that I “reserved the right to homeschool.” He was (skeptically) agreeable, so I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could about homeschooling in case the day ever came when I felt that I could do a better job teaching the kids than our local school.

We now have three little girls: 9 1/2, 6 1/2 and age sixteen months. We’ve moved a few times since I “staked my claim” to homeschool ten years ago, and now live in a very good school district.

so my kids go to public school (the baby is home, of course).

The children are happy, and are thriving. They continue to excel in class and are all naturally inquisitive and have a thirst for learning. I’m happy with a lot that the school provides, but continue to supplement at home as much as I can. I try to be “around” the school a lot, which allows me  opportunity to see firsthand behavior issues, and the time wasted moving from activities or lessons. I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing–it’s just something I’m very aware of. Adam says I’m keeping score. Maybe I am!

I’m greatly looking forward to having the kids home with me when school lets out (8 days!). No matter how involved I am in the school, during the school year, Adam and I are not in charge. The teacher is. I wish I could say this doesn’t bother me, but I’d be lying. The school calendar dominates our day to day life, and I’m looking forward to getting a more natural flow to our days.

I have gotten a few emails in the past week or so asking what activities I do with my children during the summer. My oldest is going to attend a 2-week enrichment program (3 hours a day), [updated, 6/1: just got an email that the program has been canceled due to lack of funds/enrollment. NOT HAPPY. ] and my 6 year old will attend a gymnastics class twice a week. I’ll probably throw in a week of swim lessons, and we’re hoping to get a sponsor for a late-summer book tour to Albuquerque, and will visit the Grand Canyon.

Otherwise, our days will be pretty loose— park trips, library visits, and playdates. The television will be turned off for the day by 10am, and the kids will have free range of the art supplies, books, games, and the back yard.

will they fight?

A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E.L.Y.

will I lose my temper (more than I should)?

Y.O.U. B.E.T.C.H.A.

will they complain that they’re bored?

W.I.T.H.O.U.T. A. D.O.U.B.T.

I can not wait.

Resources shown above, and what I use in our (closet) homeschooling curriculum:

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons — I taught my big kids to read with this book. It’s actually not shown in the above picture because I lent it to our neighbor to use with her 3-year-old. I do not use the writing exercises at all. At the end of the 100 lessons, your child will be reading on a 2nd grade level. I started just for fun at around age 3 1/2 with my girls. I followed the lessons in order, but didn’t have a set time frame. If the kids wanted to sit with me and practice, we did. We would go months without even opening the book, but sometimes we’d do 4 lessons in a day. They each finished the book in it’s entirety before entering first grade.

BOB Books. — I’ve put these books away until the baby is ready. Warning: they tear easily! These are fun, whimsical books that teach reading both through phonics and memorization. I actually think it’s mostly from memorization, but many disagree. Empowers young children that they can read an “entire book.”

Brain Quest decks — we have at least a dozen of these decks. I love giving them as gifts, and love receiving them! I toss a deck into the diaper bag to pull out at restaurants when we anticipate a long wait, I use them in waiting rooms, in the car when waiting for music lessons to dismiss, etc. I keep a basket on the shelf on the end table and the kids pull them out when they’ve got some time to kill.

Brain Quest Workbooks — we were given a few of these, and the kids use them, but there’s definitely a workbook feel. I keep them “out” and sometimes they’ll do a page or two on their own, but mostly they are used for playing school with playdates.

Summer Bridge — I bought a set of these a few summers ago mostly to pacify myself that the kids were on the right track and their brains weren’t turning to mush. I’ve since relaxed a bit on worksheets, but if you are a person who likes order and want the confidence of knowing the kids are *actually* learning or your kids like completing worksheets this is a good summer project.

Never Bored books — Mazes, word searches, brain teasers, coloring pages, etc. My kids like these better than traditional workbooks. I would recommend buying up an age group for a bit of a challenge. Some of the activities require scissors and glue.

The Story of the World series, by Susan Wise Bauer — This series of books is written by the same author of The Well-Trained Mind. We only have the first book and are only a third of the way through. It starts with Ancient Times: Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor. The book is written in story form, and is written from a secular perspective.

The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys — We have both of these books. Practical guide to pretty much anything: letter writing, fire building, camping, tying a variety of knots, how to be a good friend, proper restaurant manners. These aren’t books to be read cover to cover, but used as a reference guide. I like to give these as gifts.

The Little House on the Prairie books — I have girls, so I’m not sure how well this series would fare in a house full of boys. I read this series outloud to my big girls, starting when my oldest was 6 (I skipped over some of the Laura and Alfonso stuff). Reading this series outloud was hands-down the best history lesson my kids have ever had (thus far. they are still quite young!). We refer to “Laura and Mary” quite often in our house, and apply the knowledge of this time period to other history lessons to provide perspective. I plan on rereading the series in a year or so to refresh all of our memories.

I Can Draw books and Pocket Doodle books — My first grader loves to draw and doodle, and will happily work for hours creating and recreating animal or people pictures. These are the easiest-to-understand for little kids drawing guides I’ve found.

Soduku Unifex game — If you’ve never played soduku, or are intimidated by it, this is a FANTASTIC way to learn the game– for little kids and for grown ups! This is a one-player game, and once the fundamentals are learned, soduku is a solitary game enjoyed throughout your whole life. Math, reasoning, strategy, and spacial awareness are all key aspects of this game. The box says ages 7 and up. My kids enjoyed playing (with help) at age five.

We play a lot of board games! I’ll be back next week with a board game round-up. Happy Memorial Day!

the last week of the year.

361

Congratulations!

It’s the end of the line. You’ve done it.

This is a week of recovery—-for the next 5 days (4, if you’re entertaining for New Year’s Eve like we are), just put things away and get back on track.

Find a space for everything. If you’ve run out of space, PROM again. If you are planning on moving, or planning on adding on, that’s great. But unless you’re packing up tomorrow or breaking ground, you’ve got to embrace your current space and living arrangements. Make it work.

You can do it.

It’ll be okay.

Today:

recover

meal plan

daily 7

Monday, the 340th day of the year

340

The end of the year is approaching. Fast. Even though I didn’t intend to, I’ve already begun my ritual of wandering around the house deep in thought. What went well this year? What didn’t? How can we make next year even better?

Counting your blessings is very important. the most important, actually. but I also think it’s okay to look forward to new ones.

what’s on your list?

Today:

weekend recovery

daily 7

don’t worry about your To Do list. Make a list of 5 things to MAKE HAPPEN today. Do it. Get them done. start the week of with a bang.

on a side note: I was happy to find this blog today (yesterday!): Pen and Prosper. She has fantastic writing tips, and a terrific list of writing blogs in the sidebar. Here’s a great article on getting started freelance writing.

and? I have another visa giftcard up for grabs on Totally Together Reviews

Have a wonderful Monday. This is going to be a great week. xoxo

three hundred and thirty

330

Hello! How was Thanksgiving? How do you feel? Are you tired and sluggish? Worn out and exhausted?  or Excited and Exhillerated?

Are you black friday shopping?

I only did the black friday thing once. My friend picked me up at 4:30 and we went to Walmart. I didn’t buy anything but a 1.5 quart crockpot (and this was in 2005, way before I went crockpot-crazy) for $5.  Score!

Today:

Holiday recovery. Drink some strong coffee, turn on upbeat music and get it done. Unload the dishwasher and load it right back up again.

clorox wipe or lysol the doorknobs, phones, remotes, and light switches.

Wednesday, day 265

265!

Thank you so much for all of your help and suggestions yesterday about Jennifer’s situation. I’ve emailed her all of your comments, and know she greatly appreciates your input.

you all rock.

Today:

dust, vacuum, and quick mop. Oh! and does anyone have one of those Hoover Floor Mates they are showing on TV? Is it bad to covet a mop/vacuum?

daily 7

make sure your meal plan is up to date. Plan stuff for the weekend so you’re not tempted to hit the drive through or a restaurant. Unless someone else is paying—then you should go for it!

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. –Alan Lakein

Monday: weekend recovery

263

Good morning! How was your weekend? We had a great one, and it started off with me sleeping in until 9:30! I know! Completely bonkers. I knew Adam got up at 6 with the baby, but just assumed that I’d get up very soon after. The next thing I knew, the clock spelled out 9:27. woah. I forgot what it feels like to have so much sleep!

Today:

weekend recovery

make sure you’re on track with your meal plan

is Halloween in order?

do you have your Holiday shopping list made?

daily 7

third weekend of September

261 & 262

Hello, weekend!

I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since Tuesday afternoon. We’ve got soccer on the agenda, but that’s about it. I’m really glad to have some down time.

How about you?

this weekend:

family time

yard work

anything need to happen on the punch list?

are Halloween costumes picked out/purchased?

keep up with the Daily 7

Wednesday, Sept 15

258!!

258! It’s day 258, and a huge honking thank you to Sara for taking the time to figure that out for me. I have a bright blue post-it (in retrospect, not the best color for a post-it because it’s hard to see ballpoint pen) stuck to the computer armoire telling me to figure out which day of the year it is. The post-it keeps falling off because it’s so old the stick is wearing off.

Thank you Sara! I LOVE the internet. LOVE it!

Your comments yesterday on the tentative schedule/routine were wonderful. We ended up not following it and blew off soccer practice to finish the math worksheets before the school’s PTA and ice cream social. I think it was a good call.

Today:

speed dust, vacuum, and quick mop.

daily 7

and Christal reminded me that I should probably change the sheets.

Tuesday, sept 14

Tuesday.

We have PTA tonight. Right after soccer. And last night was a Daisy Girl Scout meeting. I’m a big fan of saying no, I really am, and it’s only once in a while when our weekly schedule gets (what I think is) too much, but when it does, I HATE IT.

I like down time. I wrote last week on the crockpot blog that I’m kind of a hermit, and while most people  I come across on a daily basis wouldn’t categorize me as exceptionally hermit-like, I’m the most comfortable at home in my pajamas.

Just like Hugh Heffner.

I really liked the comments you left yesterday on how to help Jill out. IN A SUPER WEIRD twist of irony a different Jill emailed yesterday (hello to the Jills!) and asked if I had a regular weekly schedule. I sort of do. Kind of. Maybe. This is what I wrote back to her:

Hi Jill!

I have a loose schedule that I sort of kind of stick to, depending on outside activities/responsibilities. I work from home, so I don’t have a set time for when I do these things, I just fit it them in when I can.

Monday: weekend recovery
Tuesday: run errands/make sure we’ve got food in the house for the weekly meal plan
Wednesday: dust, vacuum, mop (I try to spot clean through the week)
Thursday: water indoor plants/garden/ I end up baking a lot on Thursdays because the kids are cranky and I like to have some sugar around to ward off the crankies.
Friday: catch up day/clean off desk (I’m not in charge of paying bills, but if you are you might want to)
Sat & Sun: yard work, punch list items, family meeting to make meal pla

I truly try to do the Daily 7 as much as I can. If I can’t get to the speed dusting/mopping/vacuuming on Wed, I’ll just spot clean and make sure the Daily 7 is up to speed. It’s amazing how put together the house is when all you’ve done is make beds, emptied garbages, and kept up with the laundry.

I hope this helps just a bit.

One thing I’ve learned is that *I’m* in charge of my time. While I typed this to you, the phone rang. I saw it was my girlfriend, and let it go. She then called my cell phone, but I let it go. I get it that this kind of seems mean, but if I stopped what I was doing to chat (technically answering email is work? I’m not sure— anyway, the baby is napping, and it’s the ONLY time I can be on the computer, whereas I can call my friend back while the baby is up, KWIM?) I’d never get the stuff done I need to.

I also try real hard to make some sort of To Do list everyday where I quickly write down the absolute MUSTS for the day—-not the “wouldn’t it be nice.. ” items. So for today, we’ve got a Daisy meeting and I signed up for snack which means I MUST make muffins, and I MUST write up a list for the moms on the ground rules.
LOL, the phone is ringing again!!!

anyway, there you go! clear as mud.

What about you? Do you stick to a schedule? Maybe schedule is the wrong word. Routine?

Today:

Daily 7

run errands

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