I was thinking yesterday, if I actually did all the things I want to do and think are important, I'd be so productive - but, WHY do I do so many things? In spite of them all, I still have days I feel are very boring, don't feel like I get much done, and yet thinking of all I should be doing, I can even get overwhelmed before I start. I sat in traffic the other day asking myself, how do people just go through life NOT blogging, scrapbooking, reading books, they have no kids, etc. They just go to work, spend evenings eating out with friends, and sleep on weekends? How do you not feel guilty? I feel like everything in the world is up to me to do, fix, take care of, and when I'm not doing all that - it seems like so much falls apart & my whole family is unhappy. Maybe there's a balance?
Let's look at the top 10 things I should be doing with my time:
- 1. Building my faith - if I spent more time in prayer, then I believe things would go smoother, the problems would seem smaller, and my joy would sustain me through bumps in the road.
- 2. Homeschooling - I need to be clearer on what the kids need to accomplish throughout the week. I don't need them to do quantities of work. I need them to learn and focus on quality of work.
- 3. The Home - I have things I do every day, the dishes, wiping down counters, taking trash out, etc., but I need to take time for the sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, laundry, and getting all those missed places more often.
- 4. My Health - I need to be sure to MAKE time for Zumba, be extra careful with what I put into my body. I believe everything I eat is either going to improve my health, or slowly poison me. I don't always make the right decisions, and when I don't, I lose energy and focus. This needs to become more important.
- 5. Couponing - If I don't do this, our grocery bill for the week can double or even triple. I pay more than I need to from our precious little resources, so this is important.
- 6. Growing my business - I've realized that it only takes about 20 people to make more money than I would if I could work 3 to 4 days a week at a job, plus I could keep my schedule my own, never having to give up Sunday church and Tuesday Bible study.
- 7. Kids - Not that they're actually all the way down to #7 on the list, but they need time & attention, too. Adam's pretty much on his own while living here. He eats, sleeps, works, and goes out without any thought to what the rest of the family is doing - typical 18 year old guy. Logan is in need of a haircut, trying to start a part-time job, about to start Drama class where he'll be in two plays at once, and needs a social circle to stay thriving. Jordan, my loner. She wants to make new friends, and we've got plans for that, but in the meantime, she needs me to be there to talk to, watch movies with her, take her shopping when she needs things, and to help her really make a lot of progress in school this year.
- 8. Life Groups - I've been asked to help facilitate a Women's evening Life Group at our church. It's the Women's ministries that I feel called to, so I don't want to say no to this opportunity. It'll help me connect with more people at church, and if I need help, there's 2 other women there to help out.
- 9. Homeschool Group - I know when most homeschool Moms get to their 5th or 6th year, they don't think they need a group anymore. They've gotten their questions answered, figured out a system that works, and found ways for their kids to make friends. The problem is, a lot of groups are left with just the new families. Who are they supposed to ask the tough questions to? Who can offer workable solutions to the problems they come up against? Who can give them insight into certain curriculums? And who has experiences to help lead field trips, classes, and activities? Only the more experienced Moms can do that, so I feel the need to stay in a group to help other women (another facet of Women's ministries?) and to help Jordan find some new friends with common ground.
- 10. Wife & Homemaker - There's no job description for this. It just means that I've got everything under control, yet under God's control. The bills get paid, the checkbook gets balanced, the month of appointments and important events are scheduled, everything my husband needs is handled, and things around the house run smoothly - hopefully with a sense of comfort, safety, and love being felt inside our home.
So - what else do I WANT to add to my time? More sleep, field trips to exciting places, travel, journaling, blogging, scrapbooking, photography, making my own household cleaners & remedies, more time to take care of my hair (needs some attention), time to relax & watch more than a movie a month, so many books to be read, reading dozens of pages a week to be better prepared to teach, should I find part-time work? resolve health issues, make more phone calls to friends & relatives on the weekends, make friends & spend time with them in each other's home, I love to cook, wish I had more time for that, and the list is endless...
This month, I'm going to really make time to prioritize, schedule, and think through how to get in all that's really important. Then I'll figure out how to drop the other less important wants without all the guilt. It'll be a month where maybe I won't get quite so much done as usual, yet I think the end result will be a very focused, productive, last third of the year. Time to drop the time-wasters and kill any semblance of laziness. I want to do better at what's important, and not just be busy with a bunch of things that are of less importance.
What things need more of your attention? What things need less because they really aren't important and just waste time? What could you really get done if you could focus in on just a few really important things? I'd love to hear your feedback.
