I find it interesting that my last post was about how I don’t have time and I’ve been putting off asking for time-saving tips until I had the time to write about it.
My biggest advice for saving time is something I haven’t been doing myself lately. THINK! Take the time to think and plan what you do.
Take a few minutes each week and then each morning to prioritize your activities. Group together similar activities so you’re not in the car running errands every single day.
If you know you’re gonna be running around all day, pack food in your car for the kids AND yourself so you don’t need to make one more stop at a fast food restaurant.
Keep lists and records. These have shaved off minutes and hours of planning time for me.
If you notice yourself saying, “What the chicken? This is such a waste of time. Why do I always DO this?” stop doing the thing.
If despite all of your best intentions, you are always late, always unkempt and always cranky at your family, cancel some activities. You’re trying to fit too much in and the crankier you are, the less productive you’ll be. (A “friend” has this problem. Phew! I’m sure glad it’s not me.)
I still need a lot of help in this area. What do you do to save time? Next weekend we’ll talk about how to spend all of this free time we’re saving up.
reasons: the giant rat vacuum, car insurance, toilet tabs, sleep
I gotta admit, I’ve NEVER found myself saying “What the chicken.”
I’ve often wondered how someone who is perpetually late doesn’t just wise up and start planning on arriving earlier but the folks I know don’t seem to see it as a problem I guess because it’s a terminal condition.
Homework in the car! There are a couple of days each week where we really don’t have time for homework at home. So I take my 7 year olds work on a clipboard and he does it in the car on the way.
I don’t know. I used to be really good at getting things done and being on time and having my teeth brushed. But now I have a kid. And I don’t know.
I think your idea about cutting down is a wise one. I’ve come to believe that if you can NEVER get everything on your list done (even if you really try) there are just too darn many things on your list!
Be willing to let somethings go. For me somedays it’s the dishes, somedays it’s the shower, somedays it’s the blog. There are days when dropping everything and just reading stories and making cookies are the thing to do. There are days when you have to buckle down, let the kids watch Nemo and clean up a few rooms. You can’t get it all done all the time. It’s a balancing act, that’s for sure. And I’ve taken a few tumbles off the high wire from time to time.
Biggest time saver? When I don’t blog 🙂
I will be saying WHAT THE CHICKEN all day. Like right now, when I looked at my computer screen and realized that WHAT THE CHICKEN it’s nearly lunchtime and I’m not showered!
Argh.
“what the chicken” new catch phrase. lets all say it.
the biggest thing that has helped me control my time better is my new planner (i’m a spaz and i made myself one, so it is exactly how i want it) but it keeps me on task, tells me where i need to be and what needs to get done everyday. i love it. its made me less stressful, and my home cleaner. and with only having two more months til my little ninja pops out, anything that helps is good.
‘what the chicken’ – my biggest timesaver is ordering my take out meals ahead of time instead of going and sitting in the restaurant.
okay. not what you were looking for 😉 but if you say anything more hilarious and original than ‘what the chicken,’ you better write a book is all i gotta say because you made me nearly pee my skirt