All those years ago when I began homeschooling, we had a third grader, first grader, three-year-old and one-year-old in our family. I still kept up with laundry, had a hot meal ready at dinnertime (well, usually) and maintained our home so it stayed at a decent level of cleanliness.
As time passed, the kids got older so my work load shifted as they took on responsibilities at home. That allowed me to work part time for about nine of the past eleven years.
Now I work two part-time jobs, mainly from home, but I cannot keep up with anything anymore. The concept of time management, which I thought I had nailed, is eluding me.
Laundry sits in baskets for days turning into a wrinkled mess. The clock reads 5:30 p.m. and I am clueless about what to put on the table for dinner. We run out of milk and fruit and laundry detergent. The bathroom sinks are grimy and none of the windows have been washed for a very, very long time.
Where is all of that missing time going?
Have any of you noticed some strange time shift in the past decade? What do you do to keep yourself on schedule and carpe diem?
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Interesting...! I have been pondering the SAME type of thing recently! AND - I am much more tired just taking care of myself than I was keeping a 13-room home, 3 1/4 acres of property, 2 children, several house guests through the years and caring for several churches in succession...!! Ratzz, I hate this 'getting old' stuff! ;-[ Nice to know I have 'company' -
ReplyDeleteLynden
http://aneleganttouch-lynden.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Elegant-Touch-/162889457132788
Getting old? Me? You must be referring to someone else entirely!
Deleteoh yes ... i hear you ... 2 things help me here. one - turning off the computer. two - keeping an ongoing to-do list where tasks big and small get crossed off as they get accomplished.
ReplyDeletei think you'll love Scattered Thinking -
http://creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2012/01/scattered-thinking.html
Haven't had time to check out the link yet. LOL. But I plan to. Thanks for sending it along.
DeleteI was just bemoaning the fact that we are watching too much tv lately. Everything takes so long, but when we want to crash we're not doing anything productive.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. TV and computer are sucking my life away. But there's no one to blame but me. Sigh.
DeleteI think having the kids home kept me accountable for my time, kept me more organized. Now I don't seem to be quite as productive. One friend mentioned that I am doing more things now that the kids aren't chipping in on the big chores like yard work, dishes, laundry but still I do sit and do nothing more than I'd like to admit. Oh and did I mention the body aches when i overdo! ugh!
ReplyDeleteI think we've been living the same life, but in different bodies. LOL.
DeleteHave you tried the Pomodoro Technique? www.pomodorotechnique.com. It is a way of focusing, zeroing in for a short time in a concentrated effort. I think,we have more choice in how we spend our time now. Before, a house full of kids mandated every minute. Now, with a bit more flexibility, we aren't familiar with how to handle it. A huge thing for me is focus. If I know what the next thing is, it really helps, rather than, hmmm, what shall I do now? The 25 minute Pomodoro is just right for me to say, OK, just 25 minutes concentrating on [this], and that seems doable and comfortable. Great website, lots of info and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to check this out, as soon as I have time . . .
DeleteTime flies these days whether I'm having fun or not. I sometimes feel frustrated by the amount of time I spend on the computer, but just turning it off is not always an option. A lot of daily tasks involve using the computer, but I am way too easily sucked into non-essentials when I am online.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, time flies no matter what I'm doing or not doing. Do we all need to unplug our computers? I would miss reading your blog if I did that, so maybe not such a good idea.
DeleteThis is so funny and true! I feel the same way. The older I get, the less I get done. Maybe it's age...the brain just can't multi-task as well. I also have more things to focus on now, as to when the kids were little and I was a fulltime mom. That's all I did, so I wasn't as scatted. That's my thinking and I'm sticking to it. :-)
ReplyDeleteScattered is a great way to describe it. I feel very scattered, so I don't finish anything, or start anything.
DeleteI am doing a little bit each day. working on one area at a time. I am staying off the computer a little more too and alowing myself only an hour on each day. Half hour to blog and a half hour to catch up with Rav etc...With the exception of once a week having a little more time as a reward for my hard work. Hey we gave our kids rewards, why can't we have them for ourselves?
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Linda. One of my problems is that I'm rewarding myself too much lately.
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