Time Management Appreciation September 9, 2014

Future Farmers of America holds leadership conferences for their members a few times a year. When I was a member, I used to go to as many as I could get my advisor to take me to. The conferences usually had a workshop on goals setting and time management. FFA tried to prepare their member for the next step in life and sometimes for life itself.

I used to think that I learned the skills I needed for time management during the conferences and that I was prepared. I was wrong, either I didn’t learn everything or I was not prepared, or both.

Time management as work has come pretty naturally for me because I take advantage of tools in Outlook such as tasks with reminders and calendar reminders to make sure that I don’t miss something outside of the normal routine. Sadly, I have not employed this same technic at home…untill now.

When I was getting sick from my medicine I came to realize that I was spending most of my spare time cleaning (or sleeping). It was no wonder I felt like I had no time for yard work, crafts, gym or playing with the dogs. immediately I took action!

The first thing that I did was written out a list of the chores I do and how many times a week they need to be done. Then I spaced out the chores throughout the week so they were not all on one day. While I was writing this out on paper, I decided that I am going to start to wake up earlier in the mornings. The earlier rise time should allow me to prepare for work, do some chores, and hopefully start remembering to eat breakfast too.

After a couple of weeks of this I am more confident and proud of how I acclimated to the routine. But I am not done yet! I added more to the routine such as regular gym workouts and a date night with my husband.

Everything is going better than I anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, there are still days that I overslept or miss the gym because I am only human but overall I am on track. A bonus to this routine is that I left time for college classes, homework and crafting.

I have a higher appreciation for time management now. It plays a larger role in life than I gave it credit for. Now I am off to add everything to my phone calendar so that I have it with me where ever I go.

Another Step Toward Our Healthier Life July 5, 2013

It seems like everyone is trying to eat healthier and get into shape. There are commercials all over the TV about diets and gyms on just about every block.

We started to live healthier lives by eating healthier. I started growing a garden of fresh vegetables for us and stopped purchasing anything with high fructose corn syrup or added sugar. It started to make a difference in the way that I felt and I also started to lose inches.

The next step for us was getting gym memberships so that we could get back into shape. I have been going once to twice a week and attending a Zumba class. The Tuesday class is encouraging and inspirational to me. The teacher used to be about 200 pounds over weight so he started to attend the Zumba class. He lost all the weight and enjoyed Zumba so much he started to teach the class. The teacher tells everyone that there is no wrong moves just unintentional solos! =) It is exhausting and invigorating at the same time.

Now we are kicking it into high gear! Ash and I are going to the gym every morning before work. We are doing a low impact workout in the pool but boy do you feel the effects of the workout when you get out of the water.

My newest challenge for myself is getting my time managed and organized effectively. I started by washing the gym clothes and restocking the bag each night when I get home so that they are ready for the following day but I still need to be sure to set aside some time for walking the dogs because they need exercise too! =) So we will have to find some time to walk them each day.

What is the best way to plan everything so that I make the most of my time? I don’t know but it is another one of life’s adventures and I hope that I can get a plan in place soon. Any tips for me?