How to Not Waste Your Time
Oh hello there! It's me, the girl who is super organized, motivated and tactful one day to completely scattered, lazy, and basically a hot mess the next! If that describes you as well then yay! Let's be friends :) so if you can't tell, this post is coming as a result of me wasting my day today and trying to get recentered and geared up to do better tomorrow! So hopefully this post may help you recenter as well!
On the days that I'm feeling most like myself, I am super organized and I always like to have a plan. I LOVE making lists and just all sorts of little notes and plans and goals. But I admit sometimes I let myself fall into the bad state of being overwhelmed where I turn the opposite and get nothing done! Funny how that works huh? Anyway.. Amidst all of this, I actually do have a few ideas/tips to share that really help me live a more functional and enjoyable life so I'd like to share those with you!
Tip One: Have a daily schedule. A "schedule?" What is that? (Insert hysterical laughing from the stay at home mom with 3 kids) I know I know, schedules are not for everyone. I should know, I've been trying to force my husband to get on a schedule for our entire marriage and he still won't because it's just not how he works! BUT I can say that the times I have constructed even a flexible schedule and really tried to stick to it, I have been way less stressed out and much more happy and productive because everything has its own time and place and I'm allowed to just think about one task at a time. So it doesn't have to be strict or steadfast. Ours is in the middle somewhere. We have mainly set meal times, set errand times, set work time, and yes even set "veg out" time because I think we all need a little mental break. And the most important I think, is a set bedtime! Along with that is having a routine that your child can expect and depend on-trust me it's worth it!
Tip Two: Have a weekly plan. So this is different from the daily schedule. With my weekly plan (I usually draw it up Sunday night) I decide what day I'm going grocery shopping, what day we will have a play date with a friend, what day will I dedicate to working on my business, what day will I try to have some one-on-one time with my husband ect. This really helps me see when I will be able to get things done instead of thinking of it all every single day and either trying to do it all and burn myself out or doing nothing and then feeling guilty and then writing a blog post about it... :)
Tip Three: Give yourself 3 things that you MUST accomplish that day and then 2-3 additional things that you'd like to. We all like feeling that awesomeness when you've gotten something done right? Well why not give yourself three of those times in one day?! Even if it's small things, I think it's important to give yourself something to work on each day and to be proactive about completing it. Sometimes I like to set myself a timer to complete things (yep basically like I'm a 5 year old) For example, I set a timer for 30 minutes and tell myself I have to clean the kitchen/do laundry/play with my kids or whatever exclusively for that time and get as much done as I can. When the timer goes off, I let myself off the hook if I want (not necessarily with my kids.. well there's the timer, I'm done momming-see ya kids! Hahaha) and I can just be proud I got *something* done!
Tip Four: Plan Ahead! Again, I know this is hard for some of you but for those of you like me, my life depends on it! Okay maybe not literally.. But I do get a little crazy if I don't have a plan. Specifically, plan out your meals!! Instant stress removed and money saved when you do this! I just do mine weekly but you can be daring and go for two weeks or even a months worth of meal plans! Every time you go to the grocery store you spend money and usually more than you intended on. So by reducing the amount of trips you make, you're going to save money! The other specific planning ahead is your social media. If you are a blogger, direct sales consultant, or a mom that loves to document her day, really anything that requires a consistent presence on social media, you need to plan ahead of what you're going to post and when! When I DON'T do this, I spend WAY too much time on my phone trying to figure it out and constantly getting distracted by everyone else's content. I know this one seems a little silly but really you have to do it! After my kids are in bed, I plan out what I will post the next day. I find the photo, make sure it's edited and ready and sometimes even fill out the caption. You can use the app Planoly if you want! (I like it but it's only free for 30 images a month which I always surpass) I also plan out if I'm going to do a Facebook live or film a YouTube video and decide what my topic will be and when I want to film it.
Okay those are my basic tips for taking control of your time better! I can honestly say that the days I discipline myself to follow our schedule, make a plan, and not sit around, are the days I feel like I really had a good day and I go to bed happy! There really is SO much we can accomplish and work on in one day so let's not waste our time!
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