Saving Time

Guest post today from Kristi:

Before I start, let me just say, I’m not a perfect wife by any means. I’m not mother of the year, either. A year ago, my father got sick and it felt like the world came crashing down around us, and it’s taken us the past few months since his death to crawl out from under the rubble. So I’m a little dusty and a little rusty on some things, but I’m stronger and I’d like to think, smarter.

I’ve had this blog entry running around in my head for weeks. When I read that one of the upcoming topics was “Saving Time,” I didn’t even think about it—the next thing I knew, my hands were typing away on an e-mail to Today’s Housewife, asking about a guest post. It must have been God, because I work in education and this is probably the busiest, craziest time of year for me. But maybe that’s exactly why He led me here—He does have a sense of humor, doesn’t He?

Here’s the thing: as I’ve gone around and around about this in my mind, I keep coming back to the same thing: for me, saving time is all wrapped up in being organized, efficient, and purposeful. So it’s not just one thing as much as it’s a mindset.

I try to find a balance being organization and chaos in our lives and home. Obviously, my home and life are not as organized as they were before James and I had kids. Seriously—if that’s your marker, girlfriends, let that one go. It’s not possible without letting something important slide (like time with your kids and husband, or being able to ENJOY time with them…and neither of those are up for grabs. So let the other go.) Here are some of the things that work for me, and my family:

--I always, always have back-ups in the cabinet for shampoo, toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, you name it…we don’t run out of anything. When we use one and get another out of the cabinet, it goes on the grocery list and gets replaced immediately so we (usually!) don’t run out. How does this save time, you ask? Well, nobody has to run to the drugstore at 7 AM on school days for toothpaste or hair gel. And that also saves stress, which means my whole day isn’t thrown off…you get the idea.

--One of the things that drives me nuts is mail…I hate to come home and see a stack of mail on the table. When I get the mail, I immediately recycle the junk mail and circulars and open bills, letters, etc. and file them or put them on James’ desk--basically, I put them where they GO. This takes all of 30 seconds every day. But, if I let the mail pile up, how much stress will that cause, and how much time will it take to move the mountain when guests come over…and then, to finally go through weeks’ worth of mail? Ugh—my blood pressure’s up just thinking of it! This works best if you actually have a system for filing bills, etc. Seriously, that saves time, too, because what you need is always at your fingertips…no digging through a ginormous box for that doctor bill from last March.

--Another little thing that makes a big difference is having a schedule, even if it’s an unwritten one. By that, I mean…do the same things on the same days every week if you can. Like, empty the bathroom trash into the big trash on trash day. That way, it always gets DONE. Go to the library on the same day each week (or whenever)…you see how this works. Feed the dog and the fish at the same time(s) each day, or they can get lost in the shuffle. Simply getting things done on a schedule saves time. Can’t explain it, it’s mommy magic.

--Another big stress: Laundry. Try not to let laundry pile up if you can avoid it…pick a couple days a week to run a load or four, depending on how many loads your family creates in a week. Or, if you’ve got the time, run a load each day. But here’s the kicker—fold/hang as things come out of the dryer (or washer, if you’re that awesome). It’s like the mail—it’s quicker to do it as it happens than it is to let it pile up somewhere. Seeing a pile of clean laundry sitting around is just as stressful for us women as a pile of dirty laundry…so avoid piles if you can. There are lots of weeks I don’t follow my own advice, but those are also very stressful weeks around here!

--I’m a big fan of night-befores. So, before we go to bed, my daughter’s backpack is packed and ready for school the next day, her clothes (from panties to socks and shoes) are ready and waiting, and we have a plan for her breakfast and lunch the next day. If she’s taking her lunch, we’ve decided what she’s taking…and if I’m really “on”, her lunchbox and various containers are already sitting out, waiting to be filled. When I’m really, REALLY “on”, my husband and I iron our clothes the night before--at the very least, I know what I’m wearing the next day before I go to bed. That totally saves time in the morning!

--Meals are a great way to spend time…and an easy place to save time (and money!). We have the best weeks when we have a menu and stick to it. What works for us is to go shopping on Sunday afternoon then spend an hour or so cleaning and chopping fruits and veggies so we’ve got a refrigerator full of ready-to-use fresh ingredients all week. This makes us eat healthier, too, because if you don’t use it, it goes to waste and that’s just annoying and, well, wasteful. There are lots of websites than can help you with menu-planning if that’s an area where you need help. Heck, don’t we all?

--This is kind of a memory and time-saving trick…it is SUCH a time-waster to get where you’re going, only to realize you’ve forgotten something and have to go home and start all over again. So, the night before when I’m getting everything ready, I put my car keys WITH whatever it is that I can’t forget. Whether it’s a meal in the fridge to deliver to a friend or my laptop…I know I won’t walk out without my keys, so I have to remember what it is I can’t forget!

--Efficiency is one of the best time-savers. As Moms, we spend a ton of time in the car running from errand to errand, dropping off, picking up, etc. I work from home, which means that I have to really watch the hours between kid drop off and pick up…so I plan errands for while I’m out dropping kids off or when I go back out to pick them up. Another thing that works well is grouping errands—if I need to go to the post office and pay the utility bill, I’ll do both in the same trip since they’re around the corner from each other. If I need to go to the card store, I’ll try to go when I need to go to the grocery store, anyway since they’re in the same parking lot. Yesterday I wanted to pamper myself with a pedicure but I had limited time and some things to pick up from Wal-Mart…so I got my pedicure there. It wasn’t as glamorous maybe as I’d envisioned, but the end result was the same and I only had to go one place. That was worth a lot to me!

--In general, taking a second to do something when it needs to be done makes a huge difference. Around here, if we put one thing on the dining room table, before I can turn around it’s multiplied at least seven times. So, if I notice something out of place, I just pick it up and toss it back into place as I go on about my business. That’s not always possible…but it’s nice when it works. Did I mention I have a toddler who leaves a path of destruction wherever he goes? He kind of kills the whole everything in its place thing…so I just make sure things are pretty much picked up before we go to bed each night. That way, I don’t have that to add to my list before my day even starts tomorrow.

--A few years ago, a speaker at our MOPS group recommended keeping a notebook. I thought it was silly, but I tried it…and now that’s what I give to ALL of my pregnant friends who are about to be mommies for the first time. I don’t have a set system for mine—it’s a place where I keep a running list of what we need at the grocery store, Wal-Mart, what I need to do that day/week…things to buy, gifts to mail…etc. etc. And theoretically, if I was a better Mom I’d jot down the memorable things my kids say and do. But that’s why I blog…

--This one’s touchy, I know…but I totally got sucked into a social networking site (that shall remain nameless) several months ago. Seriously—I’d sit down at the computer to work and think, oh, I’ll just check in real quick. And before I know it, it’s an hour later…so I save time by limiting my time on said social networking site. And I try not to get lost in the blogosphere more than once a day or so…it helps to have a set time, which for me is before the kids wake up while I’m having a cup of coffee, or after the kids go down at night. All things in moderation, right??

I know these things might seem totally random, but that’s just how it is around here. If you’re still reading, thanks for reading this and for supporting the ladies at Today’s Housewife! And thanks, also, to the wonderful ladies at Today’s Housewife or letting me play, too. Now, it’s your turn…what do YOU do to save time? Go on, leave a comment—we all want to know what works for your family!

Kristi says, "I enjoy the best of both worlds, as I'm able to live like a housewife but work as a consultant as well. I've been married to James since 1998, and we have lots of fun with our kiddos, Kayci Clara and Noble Orion. We live in a small town and work really hard to keep the first things first in our lives--faith, family and friends. If you want to know more about my family, visit our blog at The Adventures of the Family Pharaon. If you want to know all of MY secrets, you can visit me at Adventures of MommyGirl. I'm also on Facebook...but I try really, really hard not to spend a lot of time on there! :)"

It works for me!