Time Management: Stay On-Task

So I haven't updated in a while, first because I was on vacation (just me! I visited my sisters-in-law in AZ and it was fantastic, as were the solo kidless plane rides). I got back on Sunday, and except for a couple of naps to reset my internal clock, I've been working on getting myself in gear.

Report: Black holes

I'm doing okay here. I definitely still get stuck on Pinterest a little more often than I should, but I am pausing to think before I take the computer out of hibernation. I used to get on first thing in the morning to check my email, but lets face it--nobody has anything that important to email me about. So now I'm eating breakfast with the kids, getting dressed, and checking my email (quickly) later.

I'm also following my rule that if I start trying to think of things to do online, it is time to get off.

New Goal: Stay On Task

Now that the black holes are getting a little more in line, I've added staying on task to my time management goals. My friend Jenna, who I find very efficient, suggested this to me--to just do one thing at a time.

This is really hard.

Part of being a stay at home mom is being frequently (constantly?) interrupted (unless the TV is on) and I think that combined with my natural multi-tasking tendencies has made me a little ADD. Which means I'll get halfway through folding the laundry and get distracted by a messy bedroom. Then I'll get halfway through that and give up and start on lunch.

So I'm trying to start--and then finish!--tasks before moving on to something else. I still get off track often because of that ADD thing, and because I do have to stop doing things sometimes to disentangle a kiddo fight or something, but I think this is going to make me much more productive.

Already I have noticed that cutting out internet time and trying to stay on task have made me feel like I'm getting more done, because a finished job is more visually pleasing (and emotionally rewarding) than several partially finished ones.

Question

I know blogs are supposed to have pictures... Are you needing a picture to feel more into what I'm writing? I won't take offense, I'll just probably start adding a picture. ;)

Time Management: Black Holes

I do good thinking at breakfast, so while the kids and I dined on cereal (dry Cheerios only for Charlie) the other day I wrote up a list of things I could do to help me my days in order:

And since Photobooth took this mirror style for some reason, here is what it says:

• eliminate black holes (metaphorical, not literal)
• have a (flexible) schedule
• make a list
• say no when you need to
• stay on task (or don't multi-task)
• plan ahead
• finish what you've started

After I wrote up that list, I left it sitting on the table because I really didn't want to deal with step number one very much because it is just so fun to click around on Pinterest all the time! But today I'm ready to get started. (Well tomorrow I guess, since today is already part-way over?)

Eliminating Black Holes


Design Mom has been posting about having a good Work-Life Balance, and the tip that hit me was to get rid of what she calls the "internet black hole." The internet is definitely a black hole for me--it sucks me in and before I know it all the time I'd mentally allotted to doing the dishes has been spent perusing blogs and window shopping for new bedding for our room (still haven't found the one for our room anyway...).

So my goal for this week (and part of next, I guess) is to really limit my internet time. I'm going to pick a few times a day that I can surf, and other than that, no dice. Here is how I'm planning to accomplish that:

1. Keep my computer closed except during the appointed times.
2. Keep a pen + paper list of things I want to look up/email/etc. so I don't feel pressured to do it right away.
3. Replace some of my "fun" or "bored" time on the internet with other fun things like working on my stash of crafts, taking the kids out, or reading something fun.
4. Get off when I find myself searching for things to look at (no need to check facebook more than once!)