Tag: To do list

Maximizing my time with a “to do list” ten miles long

We have all been there. A million things to do and not enough time to do it all. And there’s the logistics of how to get it all done. Running here will take an hour of my time. But I need to be here by 10. Which way should I go? Do I have enough time?

Today is a perfect example of that time for me. I needed to drive to my father’s home, pick him up, then drive 30 minutes east to pick up his car from the dealership. Which is 30 minutes back to my house. Did I mention it’s a 15 minute drive from my house to his house? Oh and I need to be home by 10:15 in order to leave to pick up my middle child from Preschool.

Great! No problem. I have plenty of time. Only I get home with 30 minutes until I need to leave again for Preschool pickup. Which I drove past to get home. No errands to do in town, so 30 minutes to wait.

Do you ever feel like 30 minutes just isn’t enough time to get anything done? Or maybe it is enough time but don’t want to start a project you can’t finish? Me too.

What worked for me today was that I needed to go over my father’s budget with him. (More on that later). He also needed a medication, which I keep at my home. So to use our time most efficiently, we took that 30 minute chunk between car dealership pick up and Preschool pickup, to go over his budget.

A big check off of our monthly to do list. Making this Chunk allowed me to get one thing checked off the list, instead of scrolling Facebook or Instagram to kill the time.

Chunking my time allows me to get more done without feeling the guilt of “I should be doing this” or even worse the “I don’t think I sat down today…..and have nothing to show for it” feeling.

Did you have a block schedule in school? We did. We had A days and B days. Each day we had 4 classes divided by lunch. Each “A day” was one set and “B day” was another set. Each day we got to focus on just 4 things. Instead of trying to quickly get all 8 of them done in one day.

I run my days similarly as an adult. There are chunks of time that I use to get things done. It allows me to focus on what I’m currently doing without feeling guilty about what else I’m supposed to be doing.

I have my typical days “A days” and then I have VA hospital appointment, drive all over town “B days.” They look different but each “day” has it’s own schedule that is pretty consistent.

The following is a typical “A day” with each chunk titled to give me focus on what I need to be doing.

6 am to 8:30 MORNING

Get kids awake, ready for school, and out the door to catch the bus, Get myself ready and nurse the baby

8:30 to 10:00 ERRANDS

This includes grocery shopping, going to the library, grabbing that over priced cup of coffee that calls my name, and walking the aisles of stores pretending I can afford to buy it all 🙂

10:30 to 12:30 PICKUP & LUNCH

I pick up my middle child from preschool and make lunch. Some light cleaning usually fits in while I prepare lunch and convince the children to eat.

12:30 to 2:30 NAP TIME

My 4 yr old doesn’t nap anymore, so this is her quiet time. She can read books, have a little screen time, or color. Meanwhile I put the baby down who demands to be attached to me at all times.

I tend to use this time to write, pay bills, order medication for my father, and plan out the month with appointments and varying schedules.

2:30 to 4:30 PICKUP, HOMEWORK, FAMILY TIME

This time is reserved for picking up my oldest or waiting for her bus. She then has to complete her daily homework. Once that’s done it’s time to finish cleaning the mess that was made throughout the day.

4:30 to 6:30 DINNER PREP, DINNER, DADDY TIME

My husband works later into the evening and gets home just as we are about to eat. So after dinner is focused on Daddy catching up with the kids.

6:30 to 10:30 BED

We work towards getting ready for bed by reading, showers, jammies, and teeth brushing. Once the kids are in bed by 7:30, my husband and I get some time to spend together.

“B days” Look quite different. That’s why, like in high school, those days have a different focus than “A days.” They are not consistent and leave little time for other activities. By focusing on what needs to be done on “A days” I keep myself on track. This way when “B days” come along I can shift my focus without sending myself days behind schedule.