5 Tips to Complete it All and Remain Sane in the Process
There is a way to complete it all – you just have to find your way.
As a stay at home, work from home, homeschooling mom of three active boys, I tend to stay fairly busy. To add to the chaos, my husband is a packrat who hates clutter (take a moment to mull over that fact).
Over the last seven years, I’ve been struggling to find ways to meet all the demands that I face without losing my mind in the process. Here are the top five things I’ve discovered about how to get it all done.
Five Tips to Complete It All
5. Make a list. Whatever works for you is fine -by the minute, hour, day, or week. It’s important that you know the tasks you need to accomplish so that you have something to aim for
4. Stay on task. If you are working in the living room, then stay in the living room. Going into the kitchen will just distract you and make you want to clean in there. Finish one task before you begin the next one
3. Know your strong time and plan around it. Morning is my best creative time. I try to do most of my writing before the sun is too far up in the sky. In the afternoon, my energy starts to fade, so I try to do something fun and energy-boosting at this time (play ball with the kids or go for a walk). After dinner, I usually have a few more minutes of go power (while my husband is getting the kids ready for bed). I use this time to do some straightening (or to wash dishes).
I can write at night -when I absolutely have to -but it doesn’t flow as easy for me. Others that I know ONLY write at night. You can’t determine your schedule based on someone else’s personality. Make it your own.
2. Delegate, delegate, delegate, and then allow them to do it their own way. If you want your kids to make the beds, let them. Don’t go in behind them and “do it right.” The job they do may not be done to your perfection, but it will be one less thing you have to do. Eventually, they should get better.
Assign tasks according to likes and skills -my oldest child enjoys organizing things, while my middle child is more active (I have him picking up or doing things outside most of the time).
1. Prioritize. In a perfect world, the day would have enough hours for you to complete everything on your list and nothing would stand in the way. In this world, life happens. If you know what MUST be done and what could be done and what needs to be done at some time, it makes letting things go a little easier. Does the floor HAVE to be mopped again this week? Does the refrigerator HAVE to be cleaned out today? Learn to let it go. In the end, even if you don’t check off any of your to-dos, things will still get done.
Life can be hectic. Life will be unexpected. Life will not likely play by your rules. By following these few, simple guidelines it becomes more tolerable. Peace isn’t something you gain by doing it all, it’s something you learn to find in the midst of the doing what you can despite the chaos swirling around you.
Be blessed,
Flip Your Focus to Find Your Peace
Practical Proverbs offers simple ideas – pulled from the Wisdom of the Proverbs – to live a life of peace, joy, and encouragement.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I really enjoyed your tips above. Homeschooling three boys? Wow! You are the super mom! My wife home schooled our oldest daughter for nearly her first two years of school. I know that is a challenging task, just from observation. But we got pregnant with our third and the sickness kicked in so we decided that private school was a better option.
Anyway… where was I? Oh this is a blogging project… that’s right, stay on task. I think my biggest downfall is in number one and number five. I actually went to Wally World and bought myself a dry erase board for my home office today 🙂 and will be actively fixing the problem.
Keep up the good work! Always good to see fellow Christians out there blogging.
Why is it I nodded my head throughout the entire list, but…can’t seem to do any of it regularly? Haha.
You are so right about not leaving a room until you are finished! I work at home, and I can tell you that you shouldn’t leave your home office until your project is finished. As soon as you leave that office, the laundry, the dishes, and everything else start to beckon. It’s easy to get sidetracked. I don’t know how you do it all, even with these excellent tips. My hat is off to you!
For the record – I don’t do it all. That’s why I said you have to learn to let it go. As a get more active in my writing career – and now that spring has FINALLY sprung and I can start doing the gardening thing – I’ve actually asked someone to come by once a week to help around the house.
Next investment will be a laptop – so I can work even when I’m waiting (at the doctor’s office, at the repair shop, at ball practice, etc).