I need careful time management. Seriously. Today, I wake up and I am faced with several things I would like to do. First, the facts.
I have a full-time helper at home and my kids go to school for half a day.
That is plenty of time right? Right? Wrong! Half a day is a very short time indeed. Take today for example. These are some of the things that I have at the back of my mind which I would like to do.
- I want to clean the windows, change the sheets and wipe the cupboard doors. But you have a helper? Yes, but someone still needs to supervise her.
- I want to do my exercises which I have been badly neglecting. That one certainly needs some working on!
- I need to have a look at the kids’ books to prepare to help with their revision for their coming tests. Hey! Tuition teachers and school teachers need preparation. I am guiding and teaching my children at home so definitely I need some preparation too. You can’t teach without preparation.
- I can’t wait to get started on the two books I bought over the weekend. “Teach Yourself Visually Worpress” (Gotta conquer this wordpress fear I have) and “Get to #1 on Google”. There is no point writing pages and pages of good content if it is not found. I think my blogs have better potential as a Money Making Machine. *Ahem* I just have to figure it out. 😛
- I have to finish up my crossstitch project. Really, I must work on this one before my eyesight gets worse.
- I just found a new contest to enter. Must work on that slogan. (Don’t view this one as trivial or a waste of time. Nosiree. I have won many contests before, some of them valuable items with a little work.)
- I have to work on my piano songs. Been neglecting playing for so long. Speaking of which, I have to help the kids prepare for their piano concert.
- I must help the man pack for his working trip.
- While we’re at lists, I almost forgot that I haven’t gotten the courage to call up my gynae for an examination yet. I think I’ll probably procrastinate on that a little more first.
- The new fridge we bought has yet to be delivered….
- Then of course, there are my blogs and my Squidoo lenses to maintain….
- Oh and I almost forgot. Today is Monday. My kids always look forward to Mondays and Fridays because I have scheduled gym time for them. Actually, we just go to the porch to kick a football around or my girl may run around with her kite and try to “fly” it on our tiny porch dragging it all over the floor and plants but even then, we have to make time for it and it requires effort to make it happen. Effort as in “Hurry up and finish your homework!”
- I should probably forget about trying out any new recipes for the family or making more homemade kaya jam.
Help! I need Time Management
Some people have said to me. “You know, if I have to stay at home like you every day, I will go mad!” I suppose they mean mad from boredom. I am going mad from having too much to do and not knowing where to start! I have no time to be bored. If you add to this, the times when the kids fall ill or have more activities, then I have even more to do.
So how do I manage my time? I guess, I will just have to draw up a time table for myself the way I draw one up for the children. So, here it is, my timetable for the day….
- Finish up this blog post.
- Supervise helper to clean windows and wipe cupboard doors. Leave the bedsheets to tomorrow.
- Exercise. Get moving!
- Do my contest slogan thingy.
- Supervise Lunch
- Read my new books/Do a few cross stitch lines
- Help the kids with homework
- Supervise teatime
- Help the kids with piano
- Organise gym time for the kids
- Supervise meals Dinner
- Plan what to pack for the spouse
- Change batteries for the alarm (I forgot to put this on my todo list)
- Help! I better get moving NOW!
We have done our errands like banking etc and I have a helper to help me with the meals and washing the childrens’ uniforms and shoes and ironing and cleaning the toilets. If I have to add these to my list above, I will go mad. Yes, I will certainly go mad staying at home, not from boredom but from having too much to do. I am “lucky”. Lucky that I have a helper to help me with some of the more mundane but necessary tasks so that I have more time to spend with the children. However “lucky” comes at a price. It isn’t cheap to have a maid and there is a loss of privacy. My maid has been with us for 3 years. She plans to work for one more year before returning home. I guess I better enjoy this time now. Otherwise, housework will become my “exercise” and I have to say goodbye to my books, piano, cross stitch, contests, blogs and squidoo lenses. 🙁 Where would I find the time?
You’re blessed to have a maid. I don’t have a live in maid but I have someone come in once a week to clean the house. I’m barely able to balance my time now managing the house, kids, my hubby and my blog. Having a live in maid helps greatly but like you said, I don’t think I can get used to losing our privacy and having a stranger live with us. But they are a BIG help.
INDEED…half a day is actually very little time. And you are the kind of mum who spends alot of time with the kids….thus that is business in itself. And you have alot of things lined up to do too. Reckon working ppl like me say things like that coz we don’t have plans like you do. And give us a few days without work, we don’t have a routine to fall back on. So….
ENJOY your day and get up and exercise. 🙂 And maybe make Tuesdays a new recipie day.
No, I believe you. I know that SAHM are busy people too. You have a household to manage. That is like a career itself already. I salute you for still managing to do so many things in a day! Good luck in completing your day to day tasks!
Most of my day to day task consist of writing. 😛