Making Time

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One of the things I most struggle with is the one a lot of people struggle with also: time.  "I don't have time for that" is something I'm sure has been said once or twice before.  This whole "launch" has postponed over and over because of that.  I have my schedule which I really try to follow, and most of the time I do, but sometimes something happens and I abandon it.  I just got tired/frustrated/aggravated/upset that I wasn't doing what I wanted to do.  And not only what I wanted to do but what inside I felt I NEEDED to do. Maybe it's a stay-at-home-mom thing, I dont know. I was just...like I said, tired/frustrated/aggravated/upset.

The day I scolded myself for being behind, for not putting in the time, for letting distractions stop me, I felt somewhat better.  I was able to get work in and though things didn't come out as I "worked" them in my mind before, once I was done I felt satisfied.  I felt that I accomplished something.  It wasn't the amount of work I would've expected for the time put in, but I did SOMETHING.  And that feeling of "Yes! I got work done!" was pretty rewarding.  I saw myself one step closer to that particular goal.

So if you're feeling that you just "don't have the time", try this:

• What do you REALLY want to do?  If it's more than one thing, work on ONE thing at a time.     I think maybe this is one of the main reason I was struggling.  I have many "projects" I want to do and some I was doing simultaneously.  Because of this, nothing was really getting done.  I listed them in order of work needed from least to greatest and have started knocking them out like that.  When it came to NE-Things, because it needed time for me to actually sit at home (and not something I could do on the fly or while waiting somewhere) it'e been a little harder to get work done.  PLUS, the other commitments I have.  Which brings us to...

• What other commitments do you REALLY have?     My child?  Commitment.  His mealtime, his playtime, his therapy time (which I call homeschooling time and my homeschooling involves play), his chilltime?  Commitment.  The four-leggers?  Commtiment?  Laundry and cleaning areas we use?  Commitment.  Dinner?  Commitment...wait.  Nope, it depends.  If we (and by we I mean the two at home all day) had a heavy lunch, we may just have leftovers for dinner.  Or if I don't really feel like cooking then my partner has to bring home food. SO you see, it's all about checking what commitments you really have.  Of course, getting dinner ready (doing more than taking it ut of a plastic bag) is a commitment to most.  But, TV time?  Really?  MUST you really watch Days of Our Lives or Avenida Brazil?  There ARE programs I MUST watch (Scandal, anyone?), but that's why I love DVRs.  Sit and think what commitment MUST you work on and which ones you can let slide.

• Break it down.     Like I said before, break down your goals.  It's so much easier!  I have a project management app on my phone which I love because as I tickoff tasks I've done it gives me a percentage of total work done towards that project.  Seeing that little counter fill up (even if it fills up slowly) helps with that sense of accomplishment.

• Block off time and make it part of your routine.     Schedule, schedule, schedule.  Routine, routine, routine.  I realized I can't expect to have the same block of time to work, so I had to make some changes.  I had to wake up a little earlier so that I can get some minor things done and they won't take up my time during the day so I can work on major things. It would make more sense to wake up early and work on the major things, but I have to keep checking in on my king to see when he wakes up.  He calls me, but sometimes he's up but quiet...and quiet does NOT always mean good.

• What are your distractions?     TV?  Phone calls?  Internet?  Text messages?  Your partner?  Find a way to cut them.  Here, I like the TV turned on usually after a certain time.  It also depends on the morning.  If I'm behind on morning chores or I have to step out of the house, I turn it on to distract my king.  (I've tried toys, but it doesn't work).  I sometimes put my cellular phone on vibrate and purposely lose it inside the house.  I say purposely, because I know if I put it somehwre and do 3 things immediately after, I will forget where I put it.  And if I don't have my phone I get not text messages or notifications.  I also keep the computer off for a while.  And my partner?  I've done the serious "I'm sorry but I can't right now.  I REALLY need to work."  It's not rude.  It's me needing to work the same way HE goes out to work.  Of course, I have to tell him like three times in one day sometimes, but little by little it's working.  He's beginning to see it as "work".

• Imagine the finishline.  (Is there a reward?)     As I worked on the background for the estore, I kept imagining what it would look like.  It took me hours (on and off), but as I kept working I kept seeing it come together and imagined the end result of that alone.  Then, I imagined seeing the store with the items in it.  As I worked on each piece, I fought off little grabby hands as I imagined what the finished piece would look like.  I don't have a rewardplanned for me.  But I am all for rewards. Maybe new equipment?  Or maybe a day out for the king and I?  I don't know right now.  It may be just to be able to say "I DID IT!"

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