After a very long week, my little family is all back in our home .. and everybody is sleeping but me. The dogs are totally worn out from running around with Rocky this week, Sean is also catching up on some much needed rest. So I’m here, trying to figure out what to cook for Easter dinner, as all the stores are closed and I got home too late last night to shop. Oh well ..
So .. I had a free week this week .. and what did I get done? Not as much as I had expected. I had a ton of craft projects to complete, photos to edit, paperwork to file .. but none of it got done. I’m starting to think I really need a schedule. Its not something you hear to often, but I think I have too much free time. Yes, you read that right .. too much free time. I dont have a regular day job, I dont have kids, I dont have any structure to my day at all .. so why can’t I make time to visit the gym daily .. or scrub the soap scum from my shower once a week? When I look back at my day or weeks gone by .. most of my time is spent on the couch, with a dog in my lap and me surfing around on all my favorite friends’ sites .. reading about everything they’re doing and realizing I’m not doing ANYTHING! I could be building the garden I designed last year, painting touch up paint on my walls, scrubbing showers, sewing special projects that I could actually sell online, cooking meals and photographing them, oh .. so many different things .. but none of it is happening. I realize I have very little energy right now, but that would change if I could start exercising regularly and eating regular, healthy meals.
So .. do any of you guys out there have schedules? Especially you SAHMs .. I dont even know where to get started, considering I dont usually get dressed until afternoon most days anyway. I guess a schedule is really a work in progress .. so if you guys have suggestions, or have things that help you organize task lists .. let me know!
I’m in the same boat as you. I’m horrible with schedules! If it wasn’t for Nicole on Thursdays, cleaning wouldn’t get done on a regular basis (although I am getting pretty good at doing my own cleaning on Thursdays even when she doesn’t come). And if it wasn’t for Annabelle’s school, we’d stay in pjs all day (like we do on non-school days). I don’t have much advice for you here, except maybe just make lists of things to do. Lately I have been keeping a short term list of things to accomplish that week, and a long term list of things to accomplish in the next month or so. Each week I try to accomplish at least 1 of the things on the long term list in addition to the weekly stuff. I don’t always finish it all, but I feel a sense of accomplishment by crossing off the things that I do finish and seeing that I did actually do something even if there’s still lots more to do. Also, if I actually have some free time, it helps to have that list to go to rather than plopping myself in front of the computer or TV (not that I always go to the list… it’s probably 50/50 chance that I’ll still go to the computer or TV).
So, I guess what I’m saying is that I’m not a good schedule keeper either, but keeping the check list helps me to still get things done on my non-schedule. Maybe that’ll help you too?
Oh… and HAPPY EASTER to you too!
I will post about this tonight for you. Too long to put in a comment. I am a schedule, list, and spreadsheet FREAK!
Like Angelle said, I am a list freak fanatic. It’s the ONLY way I can stay organized and on top of housework. I have all my weekly chores saved in an excel spreadsheet and each week I print out a new list to start crossing off. This also gives me a sense of accomplishment, so it is a double duty of sorts….
To motivate myself to exercise, I make myself accountable for all to see by putting the ticker on my website. In addition, I pick things to compete in – races, challenges, etc. That way if I’m signed up for these things, I know I have to actually be in shape to do them…..
For short/ longer term goals, I have a list online at 43things. I try and update it regularly and post about my progress, to keep myself motivated and on top of stuff,.
Oh, and I’m trying to limit my internet use lately, since it is a HUGE time sucker. I can be surfing away and an hour will go by like the blink of an eye. I’ve started using a timer to track myself because it’s amazing how much time I can waste on there without even knowing it!
There is a cool site that I used to use called joesgoals.com – it’s a daily online habit tracker that helps promote good habits and break bad ones… I used it for a while…
Hope this helps…