Time Management!!

 Got Time?  Got Energy?

Some have asked me how I get everything done in a day, a week or a month and I figured I'd address it finally.  It's....wait for it......MAGIC...bwahahaha!  No not really although I do wish.  It simply comes down to two things:  1) I hate being idle  2) I MUST have my fingers in many pots at once.  I verge on a Type-A personality but I don't feel I'm overbearing or anal about it (most of the time hehehe).  My husband may banter with me on this subject...but that's why this is MY blog...he doesn't get to banter now does he? Ha!

**Future Posts**

How I Use My Planner and my Project Binder**
**Why I don't eat Lunch or Breakfast & the Vitamins I take That Keep Me Going**

And I move fast...I walk fast...I type fast...I talk fast...and I don't sleep much.  There ya go...all my secrets all revealed to you.  Now this genetic freak of nature gene is passed down to me by my grandma and mom...they put me to shame most days.  My grandma will be 92 and she can still run circles around me...that's no lie.  So you see what's coming in my elder years...my husband is real skeered now!  And well my mom...there's no stopping her, she's always moving.  Growing up I felt like a sloth but apparently when you hit late teens/early twenties in my family it hits ya!  My brother and sister are pretty much the same...they like to stay busy with work, projects and life too.  I just may be a tad "more extreme" in some ways..some call it the "Tasmanian Devil Effect"  ;)

Now my husband likes to say that my falls, trips, burns and other fun accidents that occur to myself are because I move too fast (I only semi-agree to this)...his favorite saying is "SLOW DOWN".  Course this is coming from a man who moves slightly faster than a turtle...project wise and getting things done I mean.  It could take him 6 months to finish a project.  It will be fabulous and perfect when its done but it will take him FOREVER (he cannot deny this).  So think of us married...for 18 years...a super fast moving girl and a super slow moving guy...you are having a visual right now aren't you? hahahaha  Yeah we get into all kinda tangles and banters and arguments because of those facts on a regular basis too.  I want to start a project NOW and finish it NOW...I don't like to have lingering projects..makes me sweaty and nervous.  Now my husband can plan a project for weeks, then gear up for it like we are going to tackle a climb to Mt. Everest and slowly get ready.  Then he will start and it will just stutter into days, weeks, months.  DRIVES ME NUTTERS I TELL YA!  So this is a normal convo in our house:  ME: "I have an idea"  JAMES: "Oh yeah, does it involve me"  ME: "Possibly yes"  JAMES: "Do you have a plan?"  ME: "Kinda but I want to start tomorrow & get it finished up in a couple of days"  JAMES: no comment & shaking of head and frowning.  Yup that's how it happens in this house...then I plunge ahead and leave him in the dust.... :)

But in actuality I REALLY do have a plan that I made up the night before when I couldn't fall asleep (I'm an incurable insomniac).  I just sometimes need him to help me with a few things.  I'm not really asking his permission you see...I'm simply alerting him to the "fact" that I am going to do something and MAY need his help.  That's just how I roll......

So back to time management...I work from home which is great but can lead to all kinds of interruptions and such during the day.  Then I work late in the evenings to catch up but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Working from home means you have to be disciplined to stay on schedule and not be easily distracted...I feel I've perfected it pretty well over the years for ME.  It comes down to simple...

TIME MANAGEMENT (planning and moving fast)

My normal weekday schedule below that does not include grocery runs, doctor appts, gym, kid's events and the like...which happen at least a couple times a week.  Like last night I had a choral event for my daughter so that throws everything askew but you gotta roll with it, no stress.

Morning:

-brush hair and teeth, clean face and get dressed...makeup may or may not come next ;)

-let dogs out and feed them (hubby feeds cats in morning before he leaves)
-Then I drink a warm glass of lemon water...detoxes your liver, good for ya!

-clean any miscellaneous mess up that the teens have left me in their scramble to get out the door in the morning.  (I do not get up with them anymore as it all makes me nervous with them waiting till the last minute to do things & rushing and they are old enough to not need or want Mom's help...although I do say goodbye LOL)

-empty sink of teen's dishes and turn on dishwasher

-throw in a load of laundry and clean litter boxes (6 cats = 6 boxes)

-make a plan for day going thru my to-do lists/project lists to tackle

-head upstairs to make beds and gather more laundry, check teens rooms for disarray

-Household chores (I clean one floor each twice a week, I have 3 floors in my house for about 1.5 hours) I vacuum main floor every day though...hey I have 6 animals KWIM

-sit down, pop a Cherry Coke and turn on my laptop and answer emails, post things, etc. for about 45 mins.

-grab a handful of something quick to eat, usually crackers or bagel (this is where I need to improve) and a cup of juice (I juice veggies & fruit at night for next day's juice..makes 2 glasses)

**YES extra spinach in my juice for next few days to get my iron up, if you read my FB posts you know why that is...but no worries I'll be A-OK, I always am :) "**

Afternoon:

I don't eat a formal breakfast or lunch...I'm never very hungry so I grab a quick snack to take upstairs as posted above

-I almost always have a dinner plan for 4-5 nights a week (more on that in another post)

so I would do any prep work for dinner if needed before I head upstairs to work

-head up to my studio and work on projects till about 5:30 (have 2nd juice around 3)

-in between those times let dogs out a few HUNDRED times, switch out laundry, check emails

-some days I fit in grocery store runs or my dr appts, lunch with friends or general errands (I try to consolidate those errands/grocery/appts to one day if I can)

Evening:

-my kids get home at 4:30 from High School so I work for about an hour after that and then come downstairs.  They always come up to my studio, have a sit and tell be about their day

-come downstairs and take photos of my work and load on laptop

-hit gym with the teens for 45 mins four times a week

-start on dinner with Alexa's help, Riley sets table/I feed dogs and cats

-we eat late due to James commute from work, usually 7-7:30 most nights..I believe in having family dinner together, its important...time for us to talk and share with each other

-clean up kitchen, finish any laundry folding

-sit down in my chair with laptop to work on all my computer work (blogs, emails, business stuff, etc)

-during that time we watch TV as a family (9 x out 10 its sports or Modern Family)

-I usually work on my laptop till 10:30-11 pm every night

-Teens hit bed at 10:30 and James and I head upstairs around 11:30

I don't go upstairs until everything is put back where it should be, family room is clean and all litter boxes get cleaned again.

-I put away laundry, clean my face, shower perhaps(I'm a night shower kinda gal) and then I read till about 1:30 am most of the time...its the only time I get each day that's just for "ME" and I love to read while everyone is sleeping, then I don't feel guilty.

There ya go...that's my schedule!  I'm pretty good about not getting sucked into things that waste my time during the day.  I have a daily-to-do-list and I like to finish it, not add more to the next day if I can help it.

Time Suckers I avoid:

-FACEBOOK (OMGEEE you can spend a lot of time there...just don't do it LOL!  I post a couple times a day on weekdays and maybe comment a few times but then I click it OFF) I don't read thru the news feed unless on my phone when I'm in line waiting somewhere or late evening.

-I don't play games...that doesn't mean I don't like games..I simply know they are addictive so I stay away. Simply put--during the week I don't have time for them period.

-Pinterest (another big time sucker) I don't log on during the week unless I'm looking for something specific I need for a project, photo or recipe.  If I have free time I will pin for a good hour...if you follow me on there you will see like 100 pins from me in one hour and then not again for a week LOL.

-Twitter...I post a couple times a day from my phone and check Twitter mostly at night when I'm in bed only.  Again another time sucker

-Phone calls...I don't talk on the phone...ever...well hardly ever.  I HATE IT, I only call my mother and to schedule appts and to talk to husband & kids if need be. (another odd genetic thing passed down to me by my grandma & mom)  I don't like to talk on the phone because I do NOT get anything done and that's BAD...I hate to just sit in a chair and talk on the phone.  I'm not good at working while talking...so I don't talk on phone basically.

I'm a pretty disciplined person which helps.  I know what works for me and what I need to do to get a job done.  And that helps me get a lot done each day.  That doesn't mean some days I run behind because...uh yeah I am HUMAN!  I just simply do my best each day when I'm well..that's all you can do.  So no magic tricks from me on what I do...just simply working and doing the most I can each day!

What tips do you have that work best for you at getting work done?

What are your WORST Time Suckers?

I'd love to hear...so leave me a comment if you'd like!