I can’t believe that I’ve ignored you people for a month… a WHOLE MONTH! I’m sorry for that…
I wish I could tell you I went on some fantastic vacation… or knocked a whole buncha stuff off my 50 in 50 list… or was kidnapped by pirates… well maybe not the last one unless the pirate was Johnny Depp in which case… do I even have to TELL you?
Alas… I was just busy. I helped to migrate the Mamavation Forums for starters… and it’s amazing. and all of my friends are there… except maybe you so what are you waiting for? I have had a ton happen at work… yes, it’s hard to believe that I have a real job as much as I’m on facebook but it’s true. I’ve had the boys a LOT lately which gets no complaints from me AT ALL… (except when one of them comes down with a crazy unexplained rash… but come on, they are boys.) I’ve enjoyed the occasional brunch or evening out with some of the most amazing friends and well… when there is time, there’s a boy… but our schedules haven’t lined up nicely lately.
I’m still working towards my goal of #13in2013 of course and have a few races under my belt already with many more to come.
I also have some exciting reviews coming up and recipes to share….and a slew of drafts and half baked ideas to flesh out here… when i can find the time… and it always comes back to time, doesn’t it?
It’s a battle I’m not along in, I’m sure. I’d love to hear your tips on time management and how you fit it in because I know I’m surrounded by super moms if not supermom… KWIM?
And while we are at it, here’s a few tips I picked up along the way… I don’t pretend to be great at any of them by the way… if I were, a month wouldn’t have passed beforeI made time to write here….
- Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. In other words, you’ll see where your time sucks are…
- Schedule time for interruptions. -Let’s face it… we’re moms. I can recall a time when laundry took a couple of hours… instead of days. It’s not that the washing machine slowed down, it’s all the hey mom”s that creep up. Add in the distractions of facebook, twitter, google+, our friends, our pets, our co-workers….. well let’s just say that what we used to accomplish in an hour, might now take two. If you don’t build in time for interruptions, you are setting yourself up for failure.
- Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. – Perfect for while you are having the first cup or two of coffee, right?
- Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.
- Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
I agree with these tips… but putting them into practice? Ahhhh… there’s the rub… how do you manage? Do you use a day planner? a notebook? a trusty iPad app? If you have a few spare moments, I’d love your thoughts.
I totally use a paper calendar – like with months. If that makes sense. Got it at OfficeMax or something. I need to have paper in front of me for a calendar.
As for a journal, it’s wherever and on whatever I can write my thoughts down with. I should have something better, but I don’t. So it looks like I have a million pieces of paper everywhere and am totally messy, but actually have a clear head and an action plan.
Works for me. 🙂
I love that it’s uber late and yet here you are reminding me I’m not alone. I love you for that. I hope you know that 🙂