With the train of life starting to pick up speed now that I have kids in school (room rep!) and am gaining more commitments, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed. I've had to find little ways to save time, de-stress, and be more productive. And by little, I do mean little. I want to maximize time with my kids and I want to be a happy mom and not a crazy stressy mom. (Sidenote: Last night Emma was sitting with me and asked me if I was "stressed.") So here are some things I've done/am doing:
*I unsubscribed from almost all the "junk" emails I receive. I mean, received (past tense). Every morning when I would check email, I would have between 15 and 20 emails, about half being "junk." My Blackberry's battery would be almost dead from receiving emails all night long. I've now gotten my overnight emails down to 8-10. Less time deleting, less time reading, more time for...something else. In theory.
*I unsubscribed from unnecessary blogs. This one was hard for me to give up. I actually unsubscribed from PW! She is just fantastic but reading and envying her every morning was just cutting out more time that I needed. Now I can go to her site when I have the time, hopefully much less frequently than every day. I didn't go far enough to give up personal blogs of friends and family, but I was subscribed to 110 of them in total and had to lose the unnecessary ones.
*Laundry. I still hate it, but now I use that time more efficiently. I put most of it away right when it's done and then do some of the folding in my room while I have the scriptures (audio) playing on my computer. (I was under a Bishop-imposed deadline to have the BoM done by tomorrow!) That has made the time more enjoyable, though all the multi-tasking makes my head spin sometimes.
*Dinner lists - I plan ahead. This is probably a big no-brainer, but I would stress out every day around 3:00 as I couldn't figure out what to make, or if I had decided to make something but didn't have all the ingredients. I used to plan out dinners for the week but it just wasn't enough. I started planning 3-4 weeks out and it has completely simplified my life! I ask Spencer what he'd like me to make, then I fill in the rest based on what I have stocked or our plans for the month. I keep updated shopping lists on my phone and have a list on the fridge of what is on the menu for the near future. No more calling Spencer frantically, asking him what he wants for dinner, just to shoot down all his suggestions because we don't have the stuff to make it!
I'm not simplified out yet, so tell me: How do you simplify?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
simplifying
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9 comments:
I've been cutting back my computer use to the morning (before the girls are up), and little snatches during the day IF NECESSARY. I'm still working on it, of course, but I've noticed big improvement. So if that means I don't get to read all the blogs or Facebook craziness, it's okay.
I've been doing the meal planning too. It's SO much better this way. Smarter shopping and no-stress cooking. Love it.
Currently no longer taking any classes, life feels simplied already. Here's my tip: Every dinner does not have to be a big deal. Dinner is just food, nutrition, that's all. As a society, we can place too much emphasis on dinner. For us, sometimes dinner is grilled cheese sandwiches and Ramen. Sometimes, dinner is pancakes or waffles. It's just food to keep you from starving. EVERY NIGHT'S DINNER DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A BIG SPLENDOR!
Making my kids do more jobs has been a big one for me! That and having them be in school so the house doesn't get as messy! :) I could cut back on calling you and that would give us both more time, but that's not likely to happen!
Great post! About a month or two ago I too unsubscribed from PW's blog! I did not need to be reading her many posts about homeschooling or her dogs! Although she is a beautifully witty writer and chef, I too had to simplify and say goodbye. :)
You have some great ideas here! Planning dinner 3-4 weeks in advance?? Now that's impressive!!
What a great post! I keep telling myself I want to simplify and I even think of things I could do to make things easier but the only thing that got me to slow down was getting sick... one thing I have done though (now that I'm feeling so much better) is making a double batch when I DO cook and freezing a meal for later... it's been wonderful for the days when I work (and even the days that I don't work).
I've decided the dishwasher is my friend. I used to be crazy about hand washing everything but plates, silverware, and glasses- now I just throw it all in! I figure having to buy a new set of pots and pans sooner is worth all the time saved washing dishes.
i eat quesadillas everyday. that's how i simplify :). thank goodness i'm not married - my husband would've left me by now!
What is PW's blog? Maybe I don't want to know since you and Natalie unsubscribed because too much time. But am I missing out?? HEE HEEE. I too have simplified by just doing the basics. dishes, laundry, sometimes dinner, and MY KIDS!!!
I make lists. Lots of lists. Lists of things I need to do and things I want to do. I don't know if this is really simplifying or just organizing my life but it certainly makes me feel better about all the things I have to do. When I'm really tied down for time, I make a list of two or three items that are ESSENTIAL to getting done that day and can't wait any longer. Like grocery shopping when all the milk is out. Or sending that birthday card before it turns into a belated birthday card. That way I can focus on just a few items at a time... then if I have extra-- I look at my master list and try to tackle a couple of those. Like scrapbooking :)
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