Wow, doesn’t the year just slip away once October is finished! I’ve spent some time today on my November calendar, and my list of things to do next week is super full. I’m trying to stay calm about that, and focus on the essentials. I’m prioritising ruthlessly at the moment. There is much I feel…
Tag: time management
Winter plans that went well enough
I’m a huge believer of doing things well enough and not expending too much effort getting things just-so. And yet I also struggle with perfectionism. The two probably shouldn’t go together, and yet, in my experience, they totally do. That’s how I can consider my making-winter-bearable (enough) plan a success even though I haven’t…
A blog post about nothing*
Wow it’s been quiet here on the blog. I haven’t checked in for a while and obviously not many others have either. I’ve been busy, and seriously working on improving my use of time; making the most of those odd and unplanned bits of free time with the kids (impromptu walks, games of musical statues etc.),…
Housework as exercise and what three weeks of tracking time showed me
I finished three weeks of writing down what I did during my days, and how much time I slept. It was an interesting exercise in finding out exactly where my hours go and why I often feel I’m not accomplishing much on some days but am still really tired by 9pm! I already blogged some details…
A second week in hours
I’m currently tracking my time to see how I’m spending my 168 hours each week and what I can do to use them a bit better. A few of my Facebook friends are doing this at the same time. You might also like to try it for yourself and see what insights you get from…
A week’s worth of (interrupted) hours
Last week I decided to keep a log of all my hours after reading how a time-management expert, Laura Vanderkam, kept a log of hers for a whole year. She wrote both on her blog and in a New York Times article about how tracking her time helps her to ensure that the way she spends it…
Apples and lollipops
This kid. He is the youngest of five and knows very well that his is a privileged position. We both love the days that he’s home from preschool and we hang out together. These are the days he tells me, “Mummy, it’s just you and me and a cup of tea.” He was sick with…
I didn’t realise I was so rich until I thought about time
At the start of the summer school holidays we had a friend, a priest, over for dinner. We had a lot to talk about but one thing he mentioned briefly and I’ve thought about a bit since was our use of time. He believes that most of us are in for a shock when we…
5 Ways to Make a Huge Task List Doable
I’m about a third of the way towards my 40th birthday deadline which I set myself in my 40 Things For 40 Years Challenge. I’ve completed a few of the easier things, such as buying a beautiful dining table, and growing my own herbs and seeds in pots on our verandah. A couple more challenges are underway, like…
A Day in the Life of a Typical School Mum
That would be me! If you’ve ever wondered what parents who aren’t working do all day while their children are at school, or if you do know but would like a peek into my non-working day anyway, this is for you. Yesterday was the first one back at school for my three eldest kids. We had a great holiday…
Busy? Yeah, me too.
This was my column published recently in The Catholic Weekly (under a different headline though!). I’ve been a little obsessed lately with the idea of time management and just trying to work out how best to use my days. Clearly most of my time is spent on physically caring for young children,…
Want to draw some peace into your parenting? You could start with Sundays.
How was last Sunday? Do Sundays stand out in your family, or do entire weekends just pass by in a blur of shopping, chores, socialising, sports, maybe church, ending in a frantic rush to get things ready for Monday morning? As Christians we know that Sunday is supposed to be day of rest, but have…
