I know. At this time of year everyone is talking about this, but there's a reason. All too often, as we trudge through our daily lives, we forget to stop and appreciate all the things that are good in our lives. I heard a great analogy today (in regards to something else, but it fits).
The speaker said it was as if she had blinders on. She could not see anything on either side of her, only what was directly ahead. I know that I can very easily get caught up in my to-do list: what's the next things I HAVE to do, ok, what's the Next thing I have to do, and I go from one "have to do" item to the next without even looking up.
So, I want you to take a moment to stop all of your doing and going. Take a look around and see- really see- what you have.
Do you have someone who loves you? Think of your friends and family.
Are you and those you love healthy? Think of the things you can do with that great body of yours.
Do you have a passion in your life? Think of the things that bring you joy.
Is there beauty in your life? Think of the beautiful fall leaves out your window.
We all have something to be thankful for. I bet that if we stopped more than once a year to remember that, we'd be much happier and contented people. Today I am thankful for my son and his unabashed love (knowing that one day he will be more reluctant to show it) and for my husband who is so patient and supportive when I least deserve it and for my God who somehow loves me even more than my two boys do.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Google Calendar
OK, so I've tried it out for a week. I'm not totally sold.
What I like
I do like that it's online and therefore available anytime, anywhere (even if I forget my calendar at home). I also like that you can color code your different "calendars" so each family member could have their own color, or you could color code items for importance or work/personal, etc.
What I don't like
It does have "tasks" so you can make a to-do list, but I can't find a way to make more than one list. You can make lots of "calendars" if you know when you want to do something, but what if I need to make some lists first so I can schedule them. I need a list of house chores, barn chores, house projects, stuff for Josh. These don't all start out scheduled. I need to know what all is there so I can figure out when I can get to them.
It emails you reminders about your events for the day but it seems like, if you're going to be online to check your email, you could just look at the calendar yourself.
Something else to try
Mike said he uses Outlook since they have it at his work. He can coordinate between work and home and even sync his phone up with it (for those of you who have smart phones). I don't know if you can color code calendar items, but you can make multiple task lists and, if you sync it up with your phone, set alarms to remind yourself of appointments and things.
I'll look around and see if there is something that can do all 3 of these things. I must admit, I'm still a paper organizer girl at heart, but with my memory, I like the idea of having something that I can't forget at home.
What I like
I do like that it's online and therefore available anytime, anywhere (even if I forget my calendar at home). I also like that you can color code your different "calendars" so each family member could have their own color, or you could color code items for importance or work/personal, etc.
What I don't like
It does have "tasks" so you can make a to-do list, but I can't find a way to make more than one list. You can make lots of "calendars" if you know when you want to do something, but what if I need to make some lists first so I can schedule them. I need a list of house chores, barn chores, house projects, stuff for Josh. These don't all start out scheduled. I need to know what all is there so I can figure out when I can get to them.
It emails you reminders about your events for the day but it seems like, if you're going to be online to check your email, you could just look at the calendar yourself.
Something else to try
Mike said he uses Outlook since they have it at his work. He can coordinate between work and home and even sync his phone up with it (for those of you who have smart phones). I don't know if you can color code calendar items, but you can make multiple task lists and, if you sync it up with your phone, set alarms to remind yourself of appointments and things.
I'll look around and see if there is something that can do all 3 of these things. I must admit, I'm still a paper organizer girl at heart, but with my memory, I like the idea of having something that I can't forget at home.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Beginning is in Sight
I know, it's supposed to be "the end is in sight," but for me, the end of my office job means the beginning of getting my life in order.
Our team has processed the majority of work and the only ones left are those which require outreach to customers for more information. I'm hoping we can get those calls made (and responded to) before Thanksgiving. I'll be gone the following week, so it is actually possible that I will either be done or only have a few more days of work once I get back.
I had mentioned before that I needed to take the time to really set my priorities in order to decide how to make my schedule. I read a couple of great articles about priorities and time management by Crystal on the Money Saving Mom blog.
She is a Christian as well and pointed out that she makes sure to spend time with God every day and when she prays over her day, she asks him to bless it and "multiply" her hours. She said that, when she does that, she is always amazed at how much more productive her day is. Starting out the day with God not only creates a better relationship with and understanding of Him, but it also gets you in the right mind set to deal with whatever challenges the day will bring.
Another thing she mentioned was that one of the things most of us leave out when we get overloaded is sleep. We try to stay up one more hour, get one more thing done. Funny thing is, getting enough sleep can help us get more done in a shorter time because we are more alert and our rested brain is able to process things better and faster.
Crystal also brought up the idea of a "Time Budget". Most of us have a budget for our money and can clearly see how that makes sense. You start with the money you have coming in, then take out money for things you need/want to pay for. You can't take out more than you put in without going into debt. Why don't we do this with our time? When making schedules, we usually start with a list of all the things we want to do and try to cram them into our day, whether they fit or not.
We go into "debt": usually paid for by lack of sleep, wasting money and health on fast food and cutting out time with our families. What we should be doing is starting with our 24 hour day and taking out sleep and other necessities. Only put other tasks on the calendar if there is actually room for them. Setting your priorities first will help you decide which items need to be left out. Don't forget to leave some wiggle room for unexpected things that come up (Crystal suggests 2 hours).
In this last week or two of my office job, I'm going to be looking at what my calendar should look like once I don't have that on it any more. I'm going to start with making sure I have scheduled enough time for sleep & quiet time with God.
Our team has processed the majority of work and the only ones left are those which require outreach to customers for more information. I'm hoping we can get those calls made (and responded to) before Thanksgiving. I'll be gone the following week, so it is actually possible that I will either be done or only have a few more days of work once I get back.
I had mentioned before that I needed to take the time to really set my priorities in order to decide how to make my schedule. I read a couple of great articles about priorities and time management by Crystal on the Money Saving Mom blog.
She is a Christian as well and pointed out that she makes sure to spend time with God every day and when she prays over her day, she asks him to bless it and "multiply" her hours. She said that, when she does that, she is always amazed at how much more productive her day is. Starting out the day with God not only creates a better relationship with and understanding of Him, but it also gets you in the right mind set to deal with whatever challenges the day will bring.
Another thing she mentioned was that one of the things most of us leave out when we get overloaded is sleep. We try to stay up one more hour, get one more thing done. Funny thing is, getting enough sleep can help us get more done in a shorter time because we are more alert and our rested brain is able to process things better and faster.
Crystal also brought up the idea of a "Time Budget". Most of us have a budget for our money and can clearly see how that makes sense. You start with the money you have coming in, then take out money for things you need/want to pay for. You can't take out more than you put in without going into debt. Why don't we do this with our time? When making schedules, we usually start with a list of all the things we want to do and try to cram them into our day, whether they fit or not.
We go into "debt": usually paid for by lack of sleep, wasting money and health on fast food and cutting out time with our families. What we should be doing is starting with our 24 hour day and taking out sleep and other necessities. Only put other tasks on the calendar if there is actually room for them. Setting your priorities first will help you decide which items need to be left out. Don't forget to leave some wiggle room for unexpected things that come up (Crystal suggests 2 hours).
In this last week or two of my office job, I'm going to be looking at what my calendar should look like once I don't have that on it any more. I'm going to start with making sure I have scheduled enough time for sleep & quiet time with God.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Resources
As I've mentioned before, two of the biggest challenges (for me, at least) are time and finances. I'm going to spend some time researching good sources for tips and help in these areas and any others that you find useful. If anyone has any good ideas or knows of a good website, etc for that kind of thing, please feel free to post a link. I'll post links to any good ones I find as well. There are so many good ideas out there!
One helpful idea that I found was for google calendar (www.google.com/calendar). I had no idea there was such a thing. It's similar to the outlook calendar but it's online so you can access it (and update it) from anywhere- you'll never have "left it at home" as long as you can get on the internet. It emails you when you have an appointment coming up. of course, that's only helpful if you're on the computer. I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.
A few other sites I have found that have lots of tips and ideas:
www.organizedmom.net
www.lifeorganizers.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
I have included helpful blogs on my blog list. Hope these help!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's ideas and findings!
One helpful idea that I found was for google calendar (www.google.com/calendar). I had no idea there was such a thing. It's similar to the outlook calendar but it's online so you can access it (and update it) from anywhere- you'll never have "left it at home" as long as you can get on the internet. It emails you when you have an appointment coming up. of course, that's only helpful if you're on the computer. I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.
A few other sites I have found that have lots of tips and ideas:
www.organizedmom.net
www.lifeorganizers.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
I have included helpful blogs on my blog list. Hope these help!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's ideas and findings!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A Good Start
Just wanted to post a quick note about how the weekend went, since I was planning on "finally getting to it".
Thanks to my amazing husband, who helped me with some of my "to-dos" rather than working on his own, I was able to get the barn cleaned up and the house halfway presentable before my friend arrived. Luckily, she's pretty laid back and understands the lack of time to get everything done all too well, so I knew she wouldn't mind the piles of stuff I still have to go through. I still have a long way to go before things are where I want them, but at least I can see the improvement from where we started.
Bonus: Josh has even started picking his toys up when he sees that we're "cleaning house". I told him that, when the house gets clean, he can invite his friends over.
Thanks to my amazing husband, who helped me with some of my "to-dos" rather than working on his own, I was able to get the barn cleaned up and the house halfway presentable before my friend arrived. Luckily, she's pretty laid back and understands the lack of time to get everything done all too well, so I knew she wouldn't mind the piles of stuff I still have to go through. I still have a long way to go before things are where I want them, but at least I can see the improvement from where we started.
Bonus: Josh has even started picking his toys up when he sees that we're "cleaning house". I told him that, when the house gets clean, he can invite his friends over.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Finally getting to it
After two weekends in a row of having my catch-up/clean-up plans put on hold, I am so relieved looking at this weekend! I'm finally getting over the cold I've had for a week and we have no other plans in place.
Of course, with a massive undertaking like I've got on my hands, the first question is usually, "Where do I start?" For this weekend, that has been answered for me. A breeder I know is going to be stopping overnight with some of her young horses on the way to Florida for the convention for their breed. It will be her first visit to my little farm and I want it to look taken care of. That means this will be a weekend full of fence fixing, branch burning (if they're not too wet), and cleaning and organizing in the barn.
We've also finally gotten most of our work for the office project I've been doing. My supervisor has said that, as the workload lessens, I can cut my hours back. With the barn and land work done after this weekend (hopefully), I can use that time to begin work on the house.
It's a little sad how excited I am, but I just imagine my home neat and organized and how peaceful and relaxing that will be!
Of course, with a massive undertaking like I've got on my hands, the first question is usually, "Where do I start?" For this weekend, that has been answered for me. A breeder I know is going to be stopping overnight with some of her young horses on the way to Florida for the convention for their breed. It will be her first visit to my little farm and I want it to look taken care of. That means this will be a weekend full of fence fixing, branch burning (if they're not too wet), and cleaning and organizing in the barn.
We've also finally gotten most of our work for the office project I've been doing. My supervisor has said that, as the workload lessens, I can cut my hours back. With the barn and land work done after this weekend (hopefully), I can use that time to begin work on the house.
It's a little sad how excited I am, but I just imagine my home neat and organized and how peaceful and relaxing that will be!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)