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How i stopped wasting time
time management is important
If you’re a busy stay at home Mom like me, you know how important time management is. Yet, so often
time is wasted. I am the first to admit that the minute my kids get on the school bus, I
am mentally drained. A few minutes later and I’m on the couch watching tv or scrolling mindlessly on
social media just trying to decompress. The trouble is, how much time is enough before you need to
pull yourself together and begin the rest of the day. The longer you sit, the more comfortable you
become and the more difficult it is to get motivated to accomplish anything. So an hour becomes two
hours and before you know it, the entire morning has been wasted and you’re making a mad dash to
the store for groceries and back home for a quick lunch and maybe some laundry before picking up
the kids.
So how much time do you need?
So how much time should you give yourself to gain your sanity back? That’s totally up to you and your
own personal emotional needs. For me, I know if I sit and unwind for an hour, I feel ready to start the
day. I found that the best way to motivate myself to get moving when the hour is up, is to set a timer.
Use your phone and set a timer for an hour. When the timer goes off, it’s time to get to work on your
daily tasks.
make a list
One of the most important things I do is always have
a plan for the day and a list of things to accomplish. I like to use a
favorite notepad or journal. Find something super cute with a
magnet on the back so you can keep it on your frig for easy access.
If you’re more of a tech savvy person, use your phone, tablet or
laptop. You can use excel to create a spreadsheet for the day or
week. There are also lots of apps you can download that will create
lists for you. You can also check out my page on how to Make Lists
list all of the things you plan to accomplish for the day
Make a list of all of things you plan to get done for the day. This list can be as simple or as complex as
you like but be realistic. Think about how much time you have and what you can accomplish in that
time. This will make you so much more productive because it’s forcing you to focus. Make your list the
night before so you don’t waste any time in the morning making it.
cross out as you complete each task
Cross out (or delete) each task on your list as soon as you complete it. I find crossing things off my list
gives me a great sense of accomplishment. It could be the smallest task like calling for an appointment
but once it’s done, you can put it behind you and move on. What about all those little things to do that
tend to pop up throughout the day? Add them to the bottom of your list so that you don’t get distracted
or put them at the top of the list for the next day. A “to do” list can be such a great benefit to organizing
your day. It helps keep you from feeling overwhelmed and will motivate you to get things done. When
tasks are put into a list you will feel less overwhelmed and more focused.
too many household chores?
But what about household chores? Add them to your to do list! This is a great opportunity to organize
daily chores into specific time slots on your list so that they don’t become an easy distraction from the
main focus. Daily chores like washing dishes and folding laundry can easily take over the day and
become the excuse for not completing your list. But if you set aside a specific amount of time each day,
you will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Once that time is up, the remaining
household chores should be left for the next day’s list. You will find, it is okay to leave things undone so
that you can make time for other more important things like time for yourself!
Don't start your day on social media
Starting your day scrolling through social media can set you up for
loads of procrastination. Social media sites can become a big
distraction from everyday life and often used as a way to comfortably
ease into your day. The worst part is that for most people, the first
few hours in the morning are the most productive. Using this time to
check emails or social media takes away that productivity and leaves
you less motivated to do more important daily tasks. I am just as guilty
as the next person for saying, “Ill just take a quick look….”. Before you
know it, 5 or 10 minutes turns into an hour of wasted time.
To help keep you on track, turn off notifications on your cell phone so you are not constantly being
bombarded with the latest social media posts trying to suck you in. You may find this difficult if you’re a
hard core fan of social media but trust me, its so worth it. You can then set aside time at other parts of
your day to check emails and scroll through posts. You will be surprised to see how much more you can
accomplish this way.
be realistic
Set realistic goals for yourself and try to stick to them. If you have 15 things on your daily
to-do list, you can bet on not finishing all of them in a day. Choose the largest, most important tasks on
your list and be sure to accomplish those first. Keep things simple and you won’t end your day feeling
completely overwhelmed. You want to end your day feeling accomplished and successful. Be the best
version of you!
