By Marisue Alsobrook  

 

 

 

Let’s catch up to some Time Savers!  How Do We  

Save Time When The Clock Is Ticking?

 

Introduction:  Did you ever build a paper chain?  Family members are like that paper chain, linked together by genetics or choice, habits, things shared and time spent together.  While the chain can be lengthy and strong, it can also be fragile and broken easily.   Building strong and lasting links takes effort, planning and time.  Daily responsibility in life robs all of us of that precious time. 

 

The most important time we can spend is that of building those  important living connections and links with those we care about.  Instead, we spend a large part of our time doing things that are robbing us of peace that comes from healthy relationships and living.

 

 

Want to Link to those Time Savers?  Don’t we all.  How can we save time?  24 hours in a day hardly seems enough.  Where do we start to eliminate when everything we do is important?  Are we using the time we do have wisely?  Probably not.  Sometimes I wonder if when life is over and we get a chance to look backwards, we will be concerned that we wasted so much time on worry, or a bad habit, or on idleness. 

 

Now, I don’t think that “doing nothing” is necessarily “idleness.”  The link to relaxation is extremely important for de-stressing and helping us feel worthy.  Work can easily become one of life’s living links that takes the majority of our time and most of our energy.  We need our jobs.  But, not exclusively.  How do we cut back on the time we spend on our job or thinking about work?  Let’s re-evaluate our day.  Think about what’s important to you.  What do you really want? 

 

Some of us could use more down time to unwind and get rid of stress.  That kind of down time is healthy.  Taking time to look at sunsets, to problem solve, to garden, to visit friends and family can all be ways to cope and allow us to live a productive lifestyle. 

 

Still, too often we wake up “over-booked.” We rush around during the day as if we’ve got to make every second count.  We end up with tasks un-done, blood pressure high and family members frustrated.  Then, we wonder how we lost ourselves in the process of all this “doing.”

 

I think our young people can follow our example and end up with way too much on their plate, which can lead to low self esteem and even low performance in school or other activities. 

 

On the other hand, it’s important that we not give our teen too much idle time.  Let’s not deprive them of the benefits learned from being tired from honest labor, helping others, or even doing chores without pay.   When they work for what they want, they learn valuable life skills.  Paying at least some of their own expenses, even if their parents can afford to provide for all their wants and needs, allows teens to see what is ahead of them as adults.  Our job is to “prepare them”, not “spare them.”

 

Of course, small doses of reality are normally sufficient, allowing them to keep their young person status.  No one is asking them to make all the mortgage payments, right?

 

It’s a matter of balance.  We will benefit from taking frequent breaks from our daily routine and checking out our work/family/free time ratios.  Do you need “time out?”

 

The Secret 10 “Time Out” Questions:

 

1. Am I happy with how I or my family is spending most of our time?
2. Where do we need to make changes? 
3. Are our children getting enough time from us? 
4. Are they spending too much time with friends?  (OR are we?)
5. Are we too involved with other activities?  (OR are we too involved in the kid’s activities?)
6. As a married couple, are you having enough time to talk, be romantic, or even just sit and “be together?” 
7. Does your life have a little spontaneity?
8. Do you have time to spend helping others? (This is a huge stress reliever and character builder.  NO FAMILY should be without this task on their to do list!)
9. Should my children be earning some of their spending money?
10. As a family, as well as individuals, are we generous?

Bonus Time Out Question: 

1.      Am I truly listening when others (spouse, children, friends, pastor) speak? (No mindless mutterings allowed.)

 

When you spot check your family’s development and routine often, you can change your schedule and avoid disagreements, problems and hurt feelings.

 

We’re all under so much pressure and it can begin to feel normal for us!  Recently, I was at a restaurant, and I found myself frowning as I listened to those around me.  There was too much noise for my comfort level, and this one table was particularly bothering me.  Their laughter was so irritating!  I finally complained to my husband, “Isn’t that irritating you?  Nothing can be that funny.”  He smiled at me and said, “I wasn’t paying any attention.  You must be aggravated about something else.”  I realized I had gone out to dinner to relax, but instead, I had carried all the stress of the day with me.  My days of too much to do, and nights of too little sleep were taking their toll on my attitude and inner peace. 

 

It is WORK to get rid of stress.  You have to make a conscious effort to “step out of it.”  Thankfully, the benefits of minimizing stress are many, and it gets easier with practice.

  

But, where do we begin? We rush through the day and forget to slow down long enough to see and hear the world around us.  Take a moment and look at our kids.  They live in the moment so easily.  We need to capture some of that, learn to put aside the worries about things we can’t change.  As adults, our responsibilities are many.   We need to get a lot done, yet somehow what do get done, never seems to be enough. 

 

Stop!  Take another look and see if you are stuffing too much into 24 hours.  Search for balance:  we need some work, service for others, down time, family time.  Save SOMETHING for tomorrow.  It’s not wrong to enjoy talkin’ and chillin’- doing nothing - with those you love. 

 

Here are Seven Time Savers:

 

1. Do household cleaning less frequently – If you do some 1 minute chores daily, can you get by with cleaning house every 10 days rather than every week?
2. Eliminate as many weekly meetings as possible, try cutting them down to monthly, and try changing monthly meetings to quarterly, with phone conference calls in between.  Think:  Can less be more?
3. Race yourself - Look at the clock & commit to have the task done by a specific time. Respecting time limits cuts stress in a major way. 
4. Change long tasks to 15 minutes.  What can you do with 15 minutes?  Can you work smarter?  Can you shave 15 minutes off of long tasks? Saving 15 minutes of time daily could give you 96 hours more a year!  Wow.
5. Overlap.  Don’t let this strategy cause more stress. Think:  File while you’re on the phone in the office, dust while you talk at home.  Work smarter, not harder.  Look around, where can you trim time?
6. Pair up activities.  (Listen to music while you work; read while you’re facial mask dries; fold clothes while talking with your kids (make eye contact sometimes though, to keep you tuned in); take one child with you while you run errands (if you can leave age appropriate kids home alone…this can give you valuable one-on-one time with each child; let one child wash the dishes while you help the other with homework, then switch to the other child drying while you visit with the one who washed.
7. Organize, Plan and Plot.  Thinking ahead will give you more time than you realize.

 

A friend told me she started using the early morning time for herself.  Even though she wasn’t getting enough sleep, she decided to get up at 5:00am during the week.  She’d take a shower, fix her hot tea, and read a book for 30 – 45 minutes and then start breakfast.  By the time the sun and her children were “up,” she was wide awake, rested and ready for the day.  She noticed the first improvement was her family’s mood.   Then, because her day went more smoothly, she was less stressed at night and slept better!  Who knew!!  Stealing time from the morning gave her time at night and lessened her burdens of stress.

 

Be creative and defensive!  How can you improve your day?  Where can you save time?  Begin now.  It’s about time.

Related Posts:

1. Family Meetings: Here’s the Secret 10 Steps That Link To Success
2. Family Meetings Start Here!
3. The Secret to Successful Family Meetings: Steps For Success!
4. We Need A Quantity of Quality Time
5. Time For Kids: How To Find It
6. Balancing Omega 6 and Omega 3 In Your Diet
7. Simplify Your Life!