Personalized gift bag from my Moms of Multiples board- Thanks Kathryn!

Personalized gift bag from my Moms of Multiples board- Thanks Kathryn!

HOW I GET IT ALL DONE:

If you read my blog you know that I am a person who gets things done. I like completing projects I start and I manage my daily time to get things done on time and arrive to functions on time or early. I have adopted some skills and habits that have helped me get things done and mange my time during the day most efficiently. Here are some of my best tips:

  1. Take Advantage of Your Bursts of Energy: During my undergrad studies, the President of the University I was attending, Jerry Falwell, once talked about getting things done. He quoted a study of some sort that recognized that the average person has seven bursts of energy during the day. He went on to say that we need to take advantage of these moments of energy to get important things done. I have lived by this advice. When I get energy I take advantage of it and get through a bunch of things on my to-do list. I don’t waste it on Pinterest or time on Facebook (I can do that when I am exhausted and it’s time to relax). I get up and get stuff done when I have a burst of energy. We all get them throughout the day. How we take advantage of it is up to us.
  2. Keep a To Do List: I have a running to-do list. It is simply a medium size notebook that fits right inside my agenda book. I lay it on my night stand in the evening and jot things down before bedtime. At night we often have thoughts about what we need to get done the next day or in the future. That is why having a notebook handy is important. When you have your bursts of energy during the day you can look at your to-do list and get things done on that list. The more you get done, the greater sense of accomplishment you will also feel.
  3. Live an Organized Life: I have blogged a bit about how to get your home and life organized. https://livingjoydaily.com/2016/04/11/my-top-12-tips-for-living-organized/  You save time and energy when your household is organized. If you are wasting time looking for shoes, backpacks, and keys every time you want to leave the house you end up wasting energy as well. If you can’t organize your entire home right now, give yourself a little advantage by doing a few simple things: keep a basket for shoes by the door, keep car keys in a bowl or hanging place where you can easily grab them when it is time to leave the house, and have a shelf or cubby for purse and/or backpacks so things get placed in the same place each day which will eliminate the need to search for these items each day.
  4. Multitask: whenever possible I multitask. If I am stopped at a long stop light I can send a voice to text message to someone for something on my to do list that needs to get done. For example, I received some sweet cards and handwritten notes from ladies in my bible study. The next time I am in the car I will take advantage of the red light stops by sending them voice to text messages using my smart phone. If the light turns green I set the phone down and pick it up and continue where I left off when I am once again stopped. Another good time to multitask is during the evening. This is when we sit down to relax at night, the kids are in bed, and we typically watch a movie or series on TV. I use that time to pull out a task I am working on. I have a basket of projects- it is the size of a plastic milk crate and it contains some projects for events, holidays, school activities, etc. that are coming up in the future. I work on them when I have this time to do tasks that don’t require full concentration. This way I get things done well in advance of their “due date”, simply by utilizing my TV time at night for multitasking. For example, I will buy the Valentine’s Day items for the kids’ classes when they come out in the stores. That way I get the good selection and am not waiting until the last minute. I put these items in my project basket and then put them together during evening TV time. I had all the Valentines ready for school this year about two weeks before Valentine’s Day actually rolled around.
  5. Work Fast: when I am working on a project I work fast. I don’t linger on the task. I work to get it done, especially when I have a burst of energy. I will often time my activities as a personal challenge to get the task done quickly and more efficiently. For example, when folding laundry I can fold an entire basket in 5-10 minutes. If I have three very full baskets that need to get folded I will look at the clock and then give myself 30 minutes to get it all done- 10 minutes per basket. It helps me stay focused on the job and get the job all done before the 30 minutes is up.

One thing that is guaranteed in life is that time will keep ticking by whether we want it to or not. How we spend that time and how much we get done is up to us.