Thursday, August 27, 2009
Women's Reterat
Would anybody that actually reads this be intrested in participating in a womens retreat? If so, leave a comment or email me at amandashockey777@hotmail.com.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
It's ok to say no!
To Do, Or Not To Do--That is the Question
In this day and age, we are all bombarded by the roles we are expected to play, and the sheer volume and growing number of priorities in our lives. So how do we balance it all AND find time to work on the many projects and tasks we have to do?
One thing we all have in common is time, At the end of every day it all comes down to time. We can't change time. We can't speed it up or make it last longer. There are 24 hours or 1440 minutes in a day. There are only 7 days or 168 hours in a week.
Factor and remember work and a good night's sleep into that time. No matter what you say or do, there is nothing that is going to change that. So how do you want to spend that time? How do you go about determining whether a project or task really needs to be done?
1. Create a master list of all projects that need to be completed (big and small).
This list can be sub-divided many ways. You must choose the way that will work best for you. Some examples of approaches to sub-divide the list include: to divide your list by rooms or floors of your house, list by importance, put the projects into categories based on time involved in completing them, by the person who will be responsible for doing the projects, among others.
2. Establish your criteria to judge the importance of a project or task.
a. List all projects and tasks and sub divide them into categories such as important/unimportant or urgent/non- urgent.
b. Must this project or task be completed? Is it vital to the running of your household? Would the world end if it wasn't done?
3. Prioritize.
People, especially women, need to realize that we are not super people and cannot do everything. Therefore, we all need to have priorities.
a. Rank and label items according to priority. Make a to-do list for the day. Include some high, medium, and low priority items daily to help ensure many important projects are getting completed.
4. Subdivide large, complicated, or time-consuming projects and tasks into more manageable pieces.
a. A great example of this is writing a term paper. You don't just sit down the day before the paper is due and write it. Instead you need to choose a topic, perform the research, write notes, write a rough draft, edit, and write a final copy.
The same goes for projects in the home, such as organizing a pantry, bedroom or garage.
5. Mix fun and work together.
Give yourself lots rewards for all your hard work. Designate rewards such as a long, hot bath, a rest in your hammock or viewing an hour's worth of your favorite television program, as a reward for cleaning out your closet, organizing a junk drawer or weeding out your filing cabinet.
Play music while you're working, for fun and energy.
Make organizing a game. Play beat the clock.
6. Delegate projects and tasks
Allow others both at work and at home to help you with projects. I know it may seem hard to ask for help, but we need to allow others to help us from time to time.
If you are new at delegating, start small with simple tasks. Provide instructions on what needs to be completed. But be prepared that others are not going to do things the exact same way that you do.
Another tip: play into others strengths. For example, a person who is really good with their hands may be really useful with household repairs.
7. Learn when to say YES and when to say NO.
If what you're being asked fits into your priorities and schedule, your decision whether to say yes or no is pretty obvious. You're going to do something if you really want to do it.
But what if you're asked to give your time to run the pancake breakfast at your child's school, or to join a social club in town, or to work on a fundraising event in town?
It's OK to say YES when you WANT to say yes, but it's also OK to say NO when you WANT to say no. If you don't respect your time, nobody else will.
In this day and age, we are all bombarded by the roles we are expected to play, and the sheer volume and growing number of priorities in our lives. So how do we balance it all AND find time to work on the many projects and tasks we have to do?
One thing we all have in common is time, At the end of every day it all comes down to time. We can't change time. We can't speed it up or make it last longer. There are 24 hours or 1440 minutes in a day. There are only 7 days or 168 hours in a week.
Factor and remember work and a good night's sleep into that time. No matter what you say or do, there is nothing that is going to change that. So how do you want to spend that time? How do you go about determining whether a project or task really needs to be done?
1. Create a master list of all projects that need to be completed (big and small).
This list can be sub-divided many ways. You must choose the way that will work best for you. Some examples of approaches to sub-divide the list include: to divide your list by rooms or floors of your house, list by importance, put the projects into categories based on time involved in completing them, by the person who will be responsible for doing the projects, among others.
2. Establish your criteria to judge the importance of a project or task.
a. List all projects and tasks and sub divide them into categories such as important/unimportant or urgent/non- urgent.
b. Must this project or task be completed? Is it vital to the running of your household? Would the world end if it wasn't done?
3. Prioritize.
People, especially women, need to realize that we are not super people and cannot do everything. Therefore, we all need to have priorities.
a. Rank and label items according to priority. Make a to-do list for the day. Include some high, medium, and low priority items daily to help ensure many important projects are getting completed.
4. Subdivide large, complicated, or time-consuming projects and tasks into more manageable pieces.
a. A great example of this is writing a term paper. You don't just sit down the day before the paper is due and write it. Instead you need to choose a topic, perform the research, write notes, write a rough draft, edit, and write a final copy.
The same goes for projects in the home, such as organizing a pantry, bedroom or garage.
5. Mix fun and work together.
Give yourself lots rewards for all your hard work. Designate rewards such as a long, hot bath, a rest in your hammock or viewing an hour's worth of your favorite television program, as a reward for cleaning out your closet, organizing a junk drawer or weeding out your filing cabinet.
Play music while you're working, for fun and energy.
Make organizing a game. Play beat the clock.
6. Delegate projects and tasks
Allow others both at work and at home to help you with projects. I know it may seem hard to ask for help, but we need to allow others to help us from time to time.
If you are new at delegating, start small with simple tasks. Provide instructions on what needs to be completed. But be prepared that others are not going to do things the exact same way that you do.
Another tip: play into others strengths. For example, a person who is really good with their hands may be really useful with household repairs.
7. Learn when to say YES and when to say NO.
If what you're being asked fits into your priorities and schedule, your decision whether to say yes or no is pretty obvious. You're going to do something if you really want to do it.
But what if you're asked to give your time to run the pancake breakfast at your child's school, or to join a social club in town, or to work on a fundraising event in town?
It's OK to say YES when you WANT to say yes, but it's also OK to say NO when you WANT to say no. If you don't respect your time, nobody else will.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Luck, Luck, Luck.
So my goal for the next 2 weeks is to be up and out of bed by 6 am. Braxton has swimming lessons at 9 so that's a little motivation. My plan is to go running two mornings and I don't know the other days. Maybe read or get some housework done. Hopefully it will work.
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