2016 Update: My happiness project had to be put on hold for a few years as I couldn't take it on as all my focus was on getting our son better and I also had some health issues.
I will be resuming it in the near future as I still think it would be a great thing to do, so I'll keep ye posted :)
As part of my happiness project 2014 my March mission was Time Management. During my research for this month I learned a lot, and made a lot of changes,....slowly....hence only writing about it in July. The first part of this process is explained here, in case you'd like to catch up.
Well, I'm only human, so yes, I'm a few months late. Still, I am making a difference, and slowly but surely I am able to spend more quality time with the kids, be less frantic, and have more of those melt moments when you get lost in thoughts looking at your child that is oblivious to the fact that mummy is totally in love with them.
So carrying on from the previous post, where I wrote about the first six points of action I took to get my time management to work better, here is the final part of this 'experiment'.
7. Get storage
A lot of my stress when trying to keep the house tidy came from lots of clutter just piling up in heaps on the floor and on surfaces. Even when the big clear out was done there was still piles accumulating. Well I figured there's a reason. Storage. Lack of it! The clutter that piled up was there because practically I was in too much of a rush to sort it out there and then, but it needed to be put somewhere, and that was alright for now. Well now I've invested in boxes and baskets.
I have small baskets in nearly every room that I just put clutter into when I simply don't have time to tidy it right now. The big culprit was the hallway. A MOUNTAIN seemed to grow there whenever we came back from town or a road trip. Another mountain of stuff seemed to grow in the bathroom after baths & showers. Well I've put a box with a lid in each of these spots. Now with all the baskets and boxes I can just fling stuff in there instead of having it in a heap. I'll get to tidying it eventually, but until then, it looks neater, and like as if its supposed to be there. ha ha :)
8. Priorities
I'm a fairy. A complete 'list addict, wanna be organised, fairy'. I used to be more focused, but I think having two young kids has for the moment permanently fogged my focus. I start one job and then get distracted. Or I try multi task to the point where I'm actually not getting much done. So my solution was to prioritise. On a list of course :)
I made a list of everything I needed to do on a daily basis.
The really urgent tasks got four stars. Torins medication and skin, jolie's playschool runs, feeding the animals, making bread and watering the garden were among the ones that came under this heading.
Then came the three star tasks that weren't urgent, but I really wanted to do, like one on one time with the kids, Tom time, making soaps & creams and gardening. Laundry and washing eggs were some of the tasks under this heading, not that I want to do them, but I really should, though they're not urgent.
Next came the two stars, blogging and having a bath instead of a quick shower came under these. I needed and wanted to do them, but they just needed to wait until the three star tasks were done because after all, my family and our homestead is most important.
And lastly, with one star came photography and Facebook. I have a passion for photography, and even a diploma in it, but at the moment my career is on hold, so I rarely dig out the camera unless I have a few hours where I can get creative and have peace and calm.
Facebook is generally only something I sit at when I'm completely exhausted. For a while there I had the app on my phone and checked it several times a day....any new notifications? any new photos?....what a waste of energy. I deleted it from my phone, and I now spend those free moments thinking of something creative, or talking to people in the same room as me. Don't get me wrong, Facebook is very useful for keeping in touch with family far away, and for lots of things, but I don't make time for it anymore. It just slips in there when I really have nothing else to do, or I physically don't have the energy to do anything else.
Finally at the end of my priorities list I wrote: 'Don't forget paperwork'. This is an ongoing task that just needs to be address when needed.
So now, when I start daydreaming when I should be doing something useful, I snap out of it and try get focused. Priority list to the rescue.
9. Sort out paperwork
The files and boxes of unorganised paperwork from my fiances work and just life in general were taking over the TV cabinet. I had made an attempt before with some folders to organise it all but it just didn't work. I bit the bullet and bought a filing cabinet. I sorted it out, his and hers sections, and the kids got their own folders too. I went through all the paperwork, threw half of it out, and filed the rest. Then I bought an inbox tray. A three tier one. Now Tom and I each have an inbox,and the third is for the kids. Everyone knows it's there, and as soon as a letter enters the house, if it doesn't land in the recycling, then it lands there. The trays are pretty shallow, a good idea, because it's impossible to load them up to the brim. I just HAVE to tackle the paperwork regularly because otherwise it topples over. Sorting paperwork and having it organised makes the whole idea of accounting and letters seem less daunting, and I feel more in control. Less scared I'm going to get some random fine in the post because I lost the warning notices somewhere behind the couch or the bread bin.
10. Think and chill
Finally, the last step I took in my time management mission was to just have a little think in the evening what I'm doing the next day. As a mum who still has to get up and give my little boy three bottles every night (well Tom and I take it in turns, but either way you still wake up), the morning wake up call is usually followed by my brain trying to remember what day of the week it is, did I wake up late?, and what was I meant to do today?. Well now I just spend 10 minutes in the evening thinking, right, what AM I really going to do tomorrow. Realistically.
Then comes the chill factor. Life isn't by the book, and if it's too planned it's all so very boring. Organised or not, mostly, my kids, the animals, and the garden decide my time schedule. There's no point in being miserable or cross if I can't get everything done. I'm trying my best, and I'm doing a hell of a lot already. If I can't get it done, or if at this moment in time I'd rather giggle with the kids or have a cuddle with Tom,then so be it. Life is too short. I want to enjoy it. :)
Books read as part of my research:
- Simplify Your Life by Mike C. Adams
- Time Management for Manic Mums by Allison Mitchell
- Time Management by Richard Walsh
Please note I am not promoting any of these books or any products. These are simply my opinions and experiences.
I will be resuming it in the near future as I still think it would be a great thing to do, so I'll keep ye posted :)
As part of my happiness project 2014 my March mission was Time Management. During my research for this month I learned a lot, and made a lot of changes,....slowly....hence only writing about it in July. The first part of this process is explained here, in case you'd like to catch up.
Well, I'm only human, so yes, I'm a few months late. Still, I am making a difference, and slowly but surely I am able to spend more quality time with the kids, be less frantic, and have more of those melt moments when you get lost in thoughts looking at your child that is oblivious to the fact that mummy is totally in love with them.
So carrying on from the previous post, where I wrote about the first six points of action I took to get my time management to work better, here is the final part of this 'experiment'.
7. Get storage
A lot of my stress when trying to keep the house tidy came from lots of clutter just piling up in heaps on the floor and on surfaces. Even when the big clear out was done there was still piles accumulating. Well I figured there's a reason. Storage. Lack of it! The clutter that piled up was there because practically I was in too much of a rush to sort it out there and then, but it needed to be put somewhere, and that was alright for now. Well now I've invested in boxes and baskets.
I have small baskets in nearly every room that I just put clutter into when I simply don't have time to tidy it right now. The big culprit was the hallway. A MOUNTAIN seemed to grow there whenever we came back from town or a road trip. Another mountain of stuff seemed to grow in the bathroom after baths & showers. Well I've put a box with a lid in each of these spots. Now with all the baskets and boxes I can just fling stuff in there instead of having it in a heap. I'll get to tidying it eventually, but until then, it looks neater, and like as if its supposed to be there. ha ha :)
 |
| The bathroom box |
8. Priorities
I'm a fairy. A complete 'list addict, wanna be organised, fairy'. I used to be more focused, but I think having two young kids has for the moment permanently fogged my focus. I start one job and then get distracted. Or I try multi task to the point where I'm actually not getting much done. So my solution was to prioritise. On a list of course :)
I made a list of everything I needed to do on a daily basis.
The really urgent tasks got four stars. Torins medication and skin, jolie's playschool runs, feeding the animals, making bread and watering the garden were among the ones that came under this heading.
Then came the three star tasks that weren't urgent, but I really wanted to do, like one on one time with the kids, Tom time, making soaps & creams and gardening. Laundry and washing eggs were some of the tasks under this heading, not that I want to do them, but I really should, though they're not urgent.
Next came the two stars, blogging and having a bath instead of a quick shower came under these. I needed and wanted to do them, but they just needed to wait until the three star tasks were done because after all, my family and our homestead is most important.
And lastly, with one star came photography and Facebook. I have a passion for photography, and even a diploma in it, but at the moment my career is on hold, so I rarely dig out the camera unless I have a few hours where I can get creative and have peace and calm.
Facebook is generally only something I sit at when I'm completely exhausted. For a while there I had the app on my phone and checked it several times a day....any new notifications? any new photos?....what a waste of energy. I deleted it from my phone, and I now spend those free moments thinking of something creative, or talking to people in the same room as me. Don't get me wrong, Facebook is very useful for keeping in touch with family far away, and for lots of things, but I don't make time for it anymore. It just slips in there when I really have nothing else to do, or I physically don't have the energy to do anything else.
Finally at the end of my priorities list I wrote: 'Don't forget paperwork'. This is an ongoing task that just needs to be address when needed.
So now, when I start daydreaming when I should be doing something useful, I snap out of it and try get focused. Priority list to the rescue.
9. Sort out paperwork
The files and boxes of unorganised paperwork from my fiances work and just life in general were taking over the TV cabinet. I had made an attempt before with some folders to organise it all but it just didn't work. I bit the bullet and bought a filing cabinet. I sorted it out, his and hers sections, and the kids got their own folders too. I went through all the paperwork, threw half of it out, and filed the rest. Then I bought an inbox tray. A three tier one. Now Tom and I each have an inbox,and the third is for the kids. Everyone knows it's there, and as soon as a letter enters the house, if it doesn't land in the recycling, then it lands there. The trays are pretty shallow, a good idea, because it's impossible to load them up to the brim. I just HAVE to tackle the paperwork regularly because otherwise it topples over. Sorting paperwork and having it organised makes the whole idea of accounting and letters seem less daunting, and I feel more in control. Less scared I'm going to get some random fine in the post because I lost the warning notices somewhere behind the couch or the bread bin.
10. Think and chill
Finally, the last step I took in my time management mission was to just have a little think in the evening what I'm doing the next day. As a mum who still has to get up and give my little boy three bottles every night (well Tom and I take it in turns, but either way you still wake up), the morning wake up call is usually followed by my brain trying to remember what day of the week it is, did I wake up late?, and what was I meant to do today?. Well now I just spend 10 minutes in the evening thinking, right, what AM I really going to do tomorrow. Realistically.
Then comes the chill factor. Life isn't by the book, and if it's too planned it's all so very boring. Organised or not, mostly, my kids, the animals, and the garden decide my time schedule. There's no point in being miserable or cross if I can't get everything done. I'm trying my best, and I'm doing a hell of a lot already. If I can't get it done, or if at this moment in time I'd rather giggle with the kids or have a cuddle with Tom,then so be it. Life is too short. I want to enjoy it. :)
Books read as part of my research:
- Simplify Your Life by Mike C. Adams
- Time Management for Manic Mums by Allison Mitchell
- Time Management by Richard Walsh
Please note I am not promoting any of these books or any products. These are simply my opinions and experiences.
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