Time.

I've always wondered when life won't feel so busy.  I think the answer is.. never.

So I've just decided to accept it.

Something I know will forever be a challenge of mine is TIME.  Being productive, not procrastinating, managing time well... all of the above.

With that, I know that the best way to keep myself on track is to have schedules.  I wrote about how David and I look over our weekly calendar on my "Your Life on Your Fridge" post here.  That helps a lot with knowing the MUSTS for the week--like scheduled appointments, dinner plans with friends, birthday parties, etc.

But what about all the other million things I need or want to get done in between those MUSTS?

This week I'm tackling some to do list goals by scheduling them into each day.  Things like washing our pillows.  Cleaning out the car.  Or finishing our Christmas letter (gulp.)

I like to think about goals in terms of "things I can get done in the morning with Ellie," and "things I want to focus on during nap time/at night after E's down."

If I set an actual time for something, that goes even better because I have a way to gauge how I'm doing with my day--just check it against the clock.  When time starts to get away from me, the schedule can pull me back and keep me on track.

Keep in mind, these are things that work with my struggle to stay on task.  This wouldn't be good to do if it leads to feeling pressured or constricted by the time.  I keep it flexible for myself--looking at it like it's approximate--and if I don't get something done one day, no worries--I just look and see where it can fit another day.  The idea is to intentionally take that time to look and plan how or when to get something done.

Quick example--I've noticed how much I struggle with replying to emails.  So that means I need to schedule a time that's uninterrupted to do that each day.  Like the morning before Ellie gets up.

To find time slots where I can fit things into each day, I decided to break down a typical day.  With this "template," I'll be able to find places to put things in, like "buy birthday gift," or "order pictures online," or "plan week's meals."

Here's the break-down of Ellie's and my typical day that helps me stay on track...

Ellies & Mommy's Day
6am - get up before Ellie to have coffee and some time to journal, read God's word, and talk to Jesus :)
6:30am - check emails and reply to two
7am - get dressed, brush teeth, wash face, contacts (while E eats cheerios and a banana on my bed with a show)
7:30am - get E dressed (potty, put pjs away, put laundry I did night before away in her closet)
8am - make breakfast
8:15am - Brekkie (do E's hair while she's still eating)
9am - wash breakfast dishes, empty dishwasher (put on music or a show on laptop to enjoy the time!)
9:30am - start load of laundry, tidy a bit
10am - Snack time for E while I do some sort of exercise (Pilates, cardio, or weights)
10:45am - E's rest time - put on a show (Signing Time) :)
11am - make lunch
11:30am - Lunch
12pm - craft or activity
12:45pm - E clean up toys                                                                                                  
1pm - Nap time (switch over laundry to dryer or hang dry)
1:15pm - my coffee and bagel time; read blogs; watch a show; browse Instagram
2pm - Work/prep for the week's Little Sign of Mine class
3pm - snack and craft or activity once Peanut's awake
4:30pm - put on a show for E so I can cook dinner
5:30 or 6pm - Dinner (take vitamins)  Then clear dishes together, put food away; E plays till bath (needs to put away toys before bath)
6:45pm - bath time
7:15pm - get E ready for bed
8pm - Bedtime for E

So there you have it.  It may not look loose, but it's fairly loose so I can have time for other things, too.  I also like to be ready to scrap things if a friend calls and wants to go to the park. :)

What next?  I have this schedule written down in a notebook on the left--and on the right I'm listing the things I hope to get done this week.  Then I'm going to go to the week's calendar on the fridge and jot down what days (and what time of days) I'd like to do each thing.

Do you have some tricks to helping you get things done?  How do you organize your time?  I'd love to hear!

Here's to a productive week!  Happy Monday. :)

Your Life on Your Fridge

Is there anything better than lists?  I know we may joke a bunch about To Do list obsessions, and how we love to add something we've already done just so we can cross another item off the list...

But I really think that--having been made in God's image--there's a peace about having order... about being thoughtful and intentional with my time... and about being a productive creation.  When I'm lazy or scattered, I just gotta know that that's not included in the abundant life God has for me.

I also think it's super important to remember I've been given these 24 hours each day as a gift.  And when I'm truly abiding/remaining in Him, that means listening to His voice while doing my list-making.  Asking, "Lord, what do you have for me today?" makes such a difference.

So often I think of how Jesus stopped (on his way to helping a dying young girl), so that He could speak with the woman who faithfully touched him as He walked by, knowing she could be healed.  Yes, He could get away with such interruptions a lot easier than we can--He is God after all.  But still, it always inspires me to be aware of others and of situations around me that God doesn't want me to miss amidst "my plans."


Anyway, all this to say, I love my lists.  Lists of meals for the week... organized grocery lists... store-specific lists (Trader Joe's, Costco, Target, etc.), to-do lists, packing for trips lists, you name it.

Or more appropriately--I NEED my lists.

Because--and truly I tell you this--after having my precious Ellie Joy, my brain completely flew out the window.

Please say you know what I'm talking about.  My brain literally is just gone.  How else could I feel SO SCATTERED??  My brain can't process things like I used to (and especially can't REMEMBER things for the life of me), without visually seeing it or understanding it in some sort of visual way.

I mean, driving directions for instance...  Yikes!! (Especially having to REVERSE them to go home?!?) Although I have figured out now that if I sign the directions to myself (in sign language), I will totally remember them!  Isn't that crazy?  Goes to show how much sign language improves vocabulary as well as memory. :)

So with this list-and-organization-necessity in my life, I've finally found a system I really like.  It's on my fridge, all together, and it's glorious.  The star of the show has been this pen holder (find here at Walmart). It comes with a sticky, but I just cut a strip of magnet to put on the back so it's not stuck in one spot for good.

For monthly calendars (below on left) and weekly calendars ( below on right) I just print out Google's calendar.  I make sure to print several at a time and just have them in a stack so I can easily flip to the next one.

For the weekly calendar, David and I try to take a look at it together (Sunday night works great), and he gives me a heads up on what his week looks like at work.  I jot down what time he thinks he'll make it home, and that has helped us a lot.  It's also a good time to talk about our plans in general and get on the same page so we can tackle the week.

The weekly calendar is also perfect for noting the week's FlyLady Zone at the bottom (this week is the bathroom and one extra room), and I put the day's focus in the top space for each day (Wed. Planning Day, Thurs Errand Day, etc...)

For my lists, I love getting the simple magnet kind that you can find in the dollar bin at Target, Jo-Ann's, Michaels, etc.  Often they have one with the days of the week (see first list above), where I can easily jot the meal plan down (WHEN I actually meal plan.  that's another thing on my list of goals).  The blue magnet on the left of the meal plan list is there to hold my recipe cards and printouts so all the week's recipes are easily accessible.

My favorite grocery list has been this yellow chevron one (below).  I love that when I get to the store, it's already organized for me and I don't have to walk back and forth a billion times (just a dozen), or strain my non-existent brain. ;)  It's super helpful with being efficient when shopping with a restless toddler...  (I had the link for this, but it's not working.  Will try to upload the pdf later.)

The third note pad is just a blank one, where I write my Target list and my Costco list.  This helps so much when I'm thinking of something I need to remember to get next time I go.  If I ever think to myself, "Oh, I don't need to write it down, I'll remember," I'm WRONG.  Haha... (I also use Siri to help me remember things--"Remind me when I arrive at Target to get fruit pouches."--just make sure you have the store's address in your contacts and you're good to go!)

The last note pad is my favorite To Do list.  I just love how long it is and how thin the lines are.  There's plenty of room to even use it for the week.  You should be able to find it at your Dollar Tree.

Do you have a system that works for you?  Do you use your phone or paper?  Would love any tips--especially on keeping coupons handy.

Update: I don't know how I forgot one of my favorite and life-saving lists!  It's called the "What's in Our Fridge" list.

When we buy veggies, I list them on there.  When we put leftovers away, I write it on there.  When I open the sour cream, it goes on the list.  The deli meat or hot dogs, same thing (good for 7 days once opened).  That way we remember what we have in the fridge to use before it goes bad.  Because again, as much as I think I'll remember, I WON'T. :)

Operation Clean My House Starts... TODAY

I have always been messy.  I sprawl out.  Things easily become cluttered.  Papers... clothes... My laundry pile in my college dorm room fondly became known as "Mount Washmore."  And yes, that monument is still going strong on my side of David's and my room today.

(Ohh laundry, how you are my nemesis... I mean seriously, FIVE STEPS??!  Sort, wash, dry, fold, AND put away... I mean really, what is that.  Cause a one-step chore isn't hard enough already... and you HAVE to do each one in a timely--woah wait let me reign it in here...haha... insert Ellie telling Mommy to take a deep breath in her best "Mommy voice" here.) :p

Okay, back on track...

I should note that luckily David and I are perfectly matched in this area... (Or unluckily??)
He can accept me for my messiness cause he was also The Messy One amongst his housemates
back at good ol' B-IO-LA.  (I once heard of an incident of him leaving a KNIFE between the cushions of their couch after eating in the living room, lol.  ohhh my husband.  See, we're perfect for each other!)  So... you can imagine how we definitely egg each other on in pulling the "uhhhhh, we're too tired to tidy up, let's just go to sleep" move, or the "I'll sort through that later," mindset.  But with both of us being messy people of the disorderly nature, one of us still has to err on the more organized side, right?  As with many things in our marriage, I'd say we've probably flip-flopped this role a few times depending on whatever season we've been in (he was literally Husband of the Century when I was doing student teaching and then starting my first year as a teacher).  But currently, while I'm working from home, I'm trying to take on the majority of the household chores and "management."

And here's the thing... I can do sooooo great with making the bed, planning out meals and groceries, staying on top of laundry, cleaning up after Ellie and myself, and making meals and doing dishes--for like, a DAY.

And then one thing slides.  We're in a hurry to get out the door and I just don't have time to put the breakfast dishes away.  Or any zillion of other things that causes my perfectly organized and balanced schedule and plan to go whoosh (that's the gone sound, right?).

So all this to say.  I needa the haylp.

Enter... FLYLADY.  Dun da da duuuuun!!!!

Have you met FlyLady?  (she loves to go fly fishing.)  She is amazing.  She will change your life.  She has changed the way my mom and I (not to mention aunts, cousins, friends, etc.) have looked at house cleaning.  She lures you away from the temptations of procrastination and perfectionism and she inspires you to look at your daily routines as a way of BLESSING your family, your home, and even yourself.

FlyLady lovingly nudges you to: start with baby steps, build small habits into your day, create simple daily routines for yourself, break your home into manageable zones for monthly cleaning, set up a control journal to keep all these things organized (including baby steps to making this), and so so much more.  And it's FREE!  It really is glorious.  The Monica in me (Friends reference), hears angels singing when it comes to all things FlyLady.

You can start FLYing (Finally Loving Yourself hehe), here.  And if you want to join me, I'm starting her 31 BabySteps TODAY!  (The BabySteps link is under "Getting Started.")  Baby Step #1 is: Shine the Kitchen Sink!!!  This is where it all starts.  Comment below if you want to do today's baby step with me!  We can do this together! :)  Oh, and a word of warning--If you sign up for her emails (which I should say, can be really helpful), make sure to do the once a day option or your inbox will become quite full. :)

Here's what Marla (the FlyLady) has to say about Baby Step #1:

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Day 1 – Shine Your Sink

Your very first BabyStep is to go shine your sink. Don’t listen to those voices that tell you that it is not going to help your messy house. This is exactly where I started, and this little habit has changed my life! Take this BabyStep in faith and go do it. Check out my step-by-step post on how to shine your sink!

After you do this, you will keep it shiny by drying it out after each time you use it and making sure when you go to bed that it is shining so it will make you smile in the morning. This is how I get to hug you each day! That shiny sink is a reflection of the love that you have for yourself.
Our FlyLady system is all about establishing little habits that string together into simple routines to help your day run on automatic pilot. You can do this!

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Shiny Sink 101

Click here to see my Shiny Sink 101 post with step-by-step pictures and tips.

Note: Be sure to rinse well between each step!
And remember, You only follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink. You do NOT need to follow this method every day. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.

1) Take all the dishes out of the sink.

2) Run some very hot water into the sink and fill it to the rim. If you have a two-sided sink, only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for one hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don’t have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug. Make sure you wear gloves so the bleach doesn’t irritate your skin, and don’t get the bleach water on your clothes.

3) Rinse your sink well.

4) Use some powdered cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or baking soda) and scrub your sink. Be sure to rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.

5) Take a sharp edge, such as a butter knife, and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.

6) Clean around the faucets. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.

7) Now, get out your window cleaner; I use Windex. Give it a good shine.

8) If you still don’t like the way it looks, then you can try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place!

9) Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one every night as part of my before-bed routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this every time you leave your kitchen! The rest of the family will, too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.

10) Don’t have a fit if someone doesn’t take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part; you will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty, hurtful words are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.

11) If you don’t have a dishwasher, don’t worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish-drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink, or go buy a new set.

12) To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught, either. It is going to take some practice.

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.

If you still can’t get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.

Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLady

Last note: Be sure you don’t mix cleansers like Comet with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners); you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step!