Work With What We Have

I realized last night that if I’m going to make it though this 31 Days Challenge successfully, then I really need to write each post early in the morning.

If you have school-age children you’ll understand when I say that “All heck breaks loose in my house after 3:00 every day!”   No matter how organized I think I am, not matter how mentally prepared I am for the chaos that will present itself when the kids get home from school, there are always surprises when you have kids – especially when a they all play sports!

Today, for instance.  At the last minute I was needed to drive to hockey practice and be at the rink for three hours.  I actually welcome the quiet time sitting in the hockey rink.  It forces me to relax because I know I can’t be anywhere or do anything else.

This brings me to the first of two very important points I’ll be talking about this month.

In order to simplify our lives,

we have to work with what we have

and not against it.

Today, let’s just talk about how this relates to TIME MANAGEMENT.   Ha!  Is there really such a thing when you have kids?  Let’s try anyway…

If there’s a time period in your day that you know is the craziest, then try these three simple tips to make life a little less complicated:

Don’t Make Plans

Really!  If your home is like mine and nothing seems to go as planned between the hours of 3:00-5:00 PM, then make this a block of time in your day that you don’t plan anything!   Don’t plan to run to the grocery store to get dinner for that evening.  Don’t plan to work on your business from home.   Don’t plan to make important phone calls.

Change Your Frame of Mind

Yes.  I could have huffed and puffed and stressed over the hundreds of other projects and errands I could have been getting done instead of sitting at the rink, but it was out of my control and I had to just work  with it.  So I found a pad of paper and a pen in my car and began writing.  I made use of the time I had as best I could and didn’t worry about the rest.  It was all I could do and I accepted that.

Keep a Project Bag With You

When I got the phone call asking if I could drive to hockey, I was in my car completely unprepared.  That won’t happen again.   I plan to pack a project bag that either stays in the car or I carry with me between the hours of 3:00-5:00 PM.

My particular bag will include

1. A sweatshirt.  The rinks get very cold and it’s always a good idea to have an extra layer with you.
2. A notebook and pen so I can write for my blog or document other business ideas that I can research on my phone.
3. Unclipped coupons.  As coupons arrive at my house, I put them in a basket then clip them sitting in front of the TV, at the rink, or in the car as I’m waiting for kids at practices.
4. Catalogs & Magazines.   As a blog writer, curtain designer, and furniture painter, it’s important that I stay on top of what’s hot in the industry – colors, styles, etc.   People love refinished furniture that looks like a knock-off of the more expensive stores but at a much cheaper price.  If I don’t read the catalogs, I won’t know which looks to duplicate.   Sitting at a hockey rink is a perfect time to catch up on the many catalogs and magazines that arrive in my mailbox every day.   I tear out and keep only the pages that have an inspiration photo and these go in one small idea box I keep on hand.

What will your project contain?