Do you ever find yourself looking at the time and wondering where it went? One of these six time wasters is probably to blame!
As a very busy mom of three little boys, I am always getting asked, “How do you do it all?” My standard answer is, “I have no idea!” But, in actuality, I do or don’t do a few things that most people don’t think of.
So, if you are interested in finding more time in your day to devote to your kids, your blog, or yourself, continue reading on. Or, don’t read it and save 2 minutes! 🙂
Turn Off The TV (Or Put Down The Phone)
I watch T.V. but not every night. When I do watch, I fold laundry, knit, cross-stitch, draft posts, file papers, check school papers, or something else productive. Even if you only watch television 1 hour a day, you are losing 365 hours a year! How many hours are you wasting in front of your electronic box?
CSI, CSI NY, and CSI Miami waste 3 hours a week. 🙂 Idol and Survivor add three more hours. Seriously think about it. If you can’t give up your shows, can you do something during them?
If you really want a wake-up call, look at your screen time on your phone. Or don’t. It might shock you.
Shop Once
! I only majorly shop once a month. Not only do I save all the wasted time, but also money! One main shopping trip (groceries, toiletries, prescriptions, dog food, etc) per month gives me only one shot at impulse buying.
Menu Plan
It seems crazy, but if my menu is planned then not only do I know what to purchase at the grocery store, but I also know what to cook! No last minute runs to the grocery store and no “quick” trips to a restaurant! Again, time AND money saved.
Utilize Wait Time
We all have those ridiculous time wasters, USE THEM! Doctor’s Office, Vet, School Pick Up Lines, Sports Practice… take things with you: phone calls to make, bills to pay, correspondence, notebook for brainstorming and drafting posts, crafts, etc.
Automate Payments
Have your power, cell phone, house phone, insurance, garbage, credit card payments, water, etc automatically come out of your account and not only do you no longer have late fees, but you don’t have to sit down and pay bills. Same goes with paychecks… sign up for direct deposit (if your company offers it) and you don’t have to go to the bank anymore!
Use A Timer
We all have to do tasks that we prefer:
- Check email
- Browse TikTok
- Read Books
- Scroll Through Instagram
… and those to do tasks that we HATE:
- Iron Laundry
- Put Away Laundry (yes, I despise laundry)
- Dust House
- Clean Toilets
If you use your timer, you will find that you get more done. It is easy to get sucked into those tasks that we enjoy and hard to do the ones we don’t. Spend one hour testing this and you will be AMAZED at #1 how easy it is and #2 how much you get done. Do 15 minutes of “must do” alternated with 15 minutes of fun. Remember, you are doing 1 hour to start, so you will do two of each!
I would love to know how these tips work for you and if you have a tip or two to share to give us all a bit more time for our blog… err family.
Kelli writes tips and tricks to being a fit, stay at home, blogger who parents (or parent who blogs? LOL!) at 3 Boys and a Dog. She also has a weekly “Blogging Basics” series that everyone should check out.
I have done the 15 minutes of chores thing before, and I’ve been able to spot clean our whole apartment. Enough for company. Granted, now that we wont have a dishwasher, if the dishes are piled up, the best you can do is put them in sudsy water and pretend you were in the middle of it when people dropped by.
I try to leave the tv off, but I do DVR a couple of shows and ffwd through them, usually doing something else in the meantime. Quite frankly, my baby wont let me get anything else done if it means i’m not directly looking at her or playing with her. I try again and again, but she wont ‘leave me alone’ so to speak, to blog, email, pay bills, etc. so at times I have to let some of our ‘special’ together time be tv time. keeley sits with me, plays with her toys, and i get my fix of Rachael Ray and Ellen, with minimal commercial interruption. I use her nap time to get chores and fun time in for myself. It sucks, but that’s the way it has been especially since she started walking…
Jill, the best way to get your little girl to give you some of your own time is to have another child. 😉
Do you not have a friend that will trade afternoons each week to give you each some time to get things done?
I have made it a habit to be my binder so I can work on paperwork, write notes, etc. while waiting. But lately I’ve been choosing to use my wait time to relax and rest and I’m finding myself much MUCH more peaceful and calm for having moments like those 🙂
Deb,
I “run away” pretty much every evening after DH is home and supper has been eaten.
I say, “I am running away” and that is key for, I am going to take a hot bubble bath, I don’t know how long I will be in there, HANDLE IT. 🙂
Def need to try the timing thing!
Messy Mommy,
Oh it is great! In fact, I recently started a Blog Frog group where we list our to do list, then play along together on twitter chopping down our list with a timer. It is a bit of motivation AND a little accountability. 🙂
Great list! I just recently wrote a blog article about the dangers of watching too much tv so, we’ve been trying to cut down on it here. It’s amazing how much you can get done without the tv going. 🙂
Thanks for your Kudos! As soon as I get a moment, I am going to check out your dangerous tv post. 😉
To be honest,tv dont intrest me much more.In the mornings during checking my emails i will turn the news channel on so i know whats going on in the world.I pretty much have a set schedule while my kids are at school im home with my 2yr old.Im up at 5am while he sleeps intill 8:30am,i will have my coffee and surf the internet.I allow him to watch learning channels in the morning,he will then eat breakfast(he wont eat when he first wake up)we or he will play for a while,maybe while im cutting my coupons he has his kid safty sissors cutting newspaper of his own.During his noon nap time i clean the house and catch up on dishes and wash.about time he wakes up we take showers and after were done we wait for the older kids to get home.By then its time to prepare dinner and im entering giveaways while cooking.After we eat and catch up as a family we all clean up again and sit at the table for homework.I will check their work and email teachers.By then its almost time to go to bed for all the kids and i get my free time!
sorry this is a long post,im in a talkative mood!lol
thanks,shannon
shannpf1977@yahoo.com
we typically do homework right after school so that it is done and doesn’t get forgotten. 🙂
I need to follow these tips. This post was written for moi! Thanks! I also like Jill’s reply. I have done that more than once (sudsy water). 🙂
LOL, Shannon! Timer is a girl’s best friend. 😉
This is FABULOUS! Terrific post!! We have so many time wasters it’s truly a wonder we get ANYTHING done! Great post!
Thanks Lynsey! Ain’t that the truth?? I really stay so busy… then this whole year seems to have been spent traveling… it is getting a bit wild on my end. LOL!
Great tips!!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! The timer one works like a charm!
Ahh another timer freak. 😉 I don’t know how I survived without a timer…. not sure I ever did, actually. LOL!