Finding More Time

Have you ever heard or seen that phrase – “You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce”?  It’s all over Pinterest.  I have to admit, that phrase used to kind of bug me.  Something about that phrase just made me feel less than, like I was some kind of slacker.  Because let’s get real y’all, I’m not exactly slaying my days like Queen B.  The thing is though, those words are nothing but true.  We all get the same number of hours in a day.  There are 24 hours in a day no matter who you are, where you were born or how much is in your bank account.  And you, and only you, get to decide what you’re going to do with those precious hours.

My goal this year is to do better at managing my time.  The lines between work and home can get a little blurry.  I’ve realized that I spend too much time just barely treading water, and I’ll never reach my goals if I don’t make better use of my time.  So I’ve started by eliminating time sucks from my life.  I did a “time-ventory” if you will, and I can’t believe what a world of difference this has made!

Three Simple Things Giving Me More Time

1. I deleted the Facebook app from my phone.  Like, wow, who knew?  I didn’t even feel like I spent that much time on Facebook, but by eliminating the app I’ve definitely noticed more room in my day.  There’s also less politics, which has been a nice added bonus.  I still connect via my laptop, but now I check in with more intention and purpose.

eliminating time sucks

(planner, battery-charging phone case)

2. I’ve started ordering my groceries online.  Turns out, this service only costs $5 at my local grocery store and the amount of time it saves me is well worth that fee.  Am I the last person on Earth to take advantage of this service?!  Why did no one ever tell me?!  I pull up at the front of the store, hit the call button and a magical fairy comes out with my grocery bags and loads them into my car!  Plus I feel like I spend less and make healthier choices when I’m ordering online because nothing that I don’t really need, like say, gluten free Lucky Charms, sneaks its way into my cart.  😉  So it’s a total win-win-win!  And it’s so nice to spend my precious kid-free hours doing something other than grocery shopping.

3. Lastly, I’m slowly learning to embrace the house chaos.  I’ve always been a little type A when it comes to keeping my house clean and orderly.  But it’s so time consuming, not to mention never-ending with two active kids and their friends constantly coming and going.  I give myself 30 minutes a day to hit the house reset button.  I’ve realized that the time it takes to keep the house perfectly clean is kind of wasted.  My time is better spent doing something that won’t need to be done again in 20 minutes.  😉  This is a hard one for me, but it’s getting easier.  The extra time I have to work on side projects makes overlooking the mess a little easier.

eliminating time sucks

(pendants, chandelier, metal side chairs, end chairs, table, faucet)

And I’m realizing that there is still beauty even when there isn’t an inch of empty counter space and the sink is full of dirty dishes. It’s all a matter of what I choose to focus on.

Have you ever done a “time-ventory”?  What is saving time in your life these days?  I mean if I was Beyonce I’d have a personal chef, a personal trainer, a personal assistant and a nanny…….but hey, same amount of hours.  😉  She didn’t always have those things.  Started from the bottom now she’s there.  Insert fist bump emoji.

 

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  • I think this is a brilliant thing to do. We have a new puppy at our house (my youngest’s), and I’ve realized while caring for him that there are certain things I’ve had to let go. It’s nice to know the world won’t end if I do!
    On a side note, just placed another BC order. Thanks again for introducing me to their wonderful products. I am loving them all!

  • Oh I so agree. When I worked full time and was raising children I seemed to get it all done, then after I quit work I really slacked off a lot. Now back to getting up, dressing, getting chores done, planning meals, cooking and still time left over. You are right, there are certain things that really suck the hours out of a day, so I try to limit those if at all possible every day.

  • Like the previous poster, I got it all done when I was teaching but since retirement, I have wasted way too much time. Thank you so much for this post! I needed this reminder-or kick in the pants to get organized again.

  • As I was slowly scrolling down reading, and came to the top of that last photo, I was hanging on with baited breath, “Is she going to post a picture of the mess?”. ;p

  • Have you found that ordering produce with your grocery order is successful? We mostly eat fruits and vegetables and I’m always so nervous that if I’m not picking the produce myself I’ll get a moldy onion or something!

  • I’ll just tag on to the response above – blogs, or just time on the computer in general,can really suck up a huge amount of time before you even realize it. I work part-time, but on days I am home, I give myself a certain amount of time to read my blogs, etc. I’m not huge on FB but I agree with you there. I have a friend who is constantly lookng at her phone (it’s actually a little annoying!) to check every ding, ring, etc. Really I would say all social media can be a big drain of time. TV is another thing that can suck up hours.

    Online groceries is picking up around here I think, but I honestly don’t know of anyone doing it. As much as I don’t enjoy grocery shopping, I can’t imagine letting someone else do it. I’d have to at least go and pick out my produce, meat, etc. I do try to limit my time spent on this by one shopping trip a week to the main grocery store and usually a trip to a produce or specialty shop.

  • 3 weeks ago I deleted my Facebook and instagram accounts. My house is now mostly spotless, I have done painting projects that I’ve been putting off for 4 months, and just been way happier because I’m not measuring my life by how many likes and comments I get.

  • I’ve been doing it for months now and haven’t had any issues. There is a notes section so you can add specifics about what you want – like say if you want your bananas to be more green than ripe.

  • This is such a wonderful idea, Carmel! And definitely one that I need to start doing. I always feel like I am chasing a to do list and running from thing to thing. I bet if I sat back and really evaluated my day, I would find some extra time that didn’t need to be so chaotic. Maybe I could even throw in a Beyonce dance move, too!!! So glad I read this post!

  • Social media is a struggle for sure, especially since I use it for business and not just personal reasons. But it can easily suck up time! Deleting the FB app from my phone really opened up a lot of room in my day, that I honestly didn’t even realizing I was wasting. I’ve also been setting time limits for myself – and I force myself to get a workout in the morning done before hopping on social media. Laying down some rules for myself has been really helpful!

  • I have a strict no phone when socializing policy. I never want to be that friend that is distracted by a phone when we’re supposed to be spending time together.

    The grocery shopping thing took some get used to for me as well – but I find that the notes section in the online checkout page is helpful for me to request specifics, like green not ripe bananas. I do occasionally pop in for fresh fish but I’ll typically hit the small shops and only have to pop in for just one or two items.

  • I don’t recommend cutting out blogs. 😉 Ha! In all honesty, it’s helpful to set time limits. Give yourself a set amount of time, maybe even set a timer, and then when the time is up move on. That’s what works for me anyway.

  • Yes, I think there is something about monitoring your own time that makes it so much harder to really focus in and get things done. I’m really trying to be more aware of where I’m investing my time.

  • Oh – so fun and also crazy having a new puppy in the house!

    So glad you’re loving BC! I have a little something special to send to you!! xoxo

  • it’s ridiculous to compare your 24 hours with Beyonce’s. Do you think she does anything herself around the house? no — she hires people to do everything.

  • Love your blog! I wanted to comment on an earlier post, but couldn’t: what color is the green paint on your exterior? I know it was there when you bought it, but I love it!

  • I thought the same thing at first too. It’s true she has a staff of people, but did she always? That saying isn’t meant to do anything but motivate. None of us should really compare ourselves to someone else but we can draw inspiration and motivation from successful people.

  • This is so true! I returned to fulltime work a few months ago after being a stay-at-home mom for 6+ years. It has been a huuuuge adjustment because I really had a great routine down that allowed me to do “it all” (most days) and BAM! Suddenly I’m away from home for 60-70+ hours a week and guess how good that stay-at-home routine works now! I recently realized that our old routines were no longer going to work for us, and we’re making a lot of changes in how our evenings and weekends flow in order to better maximize our time. One thing I always caution people about when it comes to time management though is DON’T COPY WHAT SOMEONE ELSE DOES! It’s great to draw inspiration from tips from what works for others, but ultimately we each have to sit down and analyze our own, unique individual circumstances and priorities, and determine what will work best for us. These are great tips!

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