Time
Time. It just flies by. And yet in the moment it can last forever…
In our household we have been seeing almost every hour on the clock for a month and a half thanks to a never ending thread of baby sickness – it means the precious quiet time we do have is now even more special. So anything we can do to save time doing the mundane is appreciated so that we can enjoy each other (or sleep).
This past little while has made me think about time in a new light – I’ve always felt that more can be done in 30 minutes than most people think is possible. Just start something and you’ll find the time to complete just about anything. Sit there thinking about it and you’ll never get it done. Its a part of the premiss of this blog – we always have the time to make each day special – even if its only 5 extra minutes in a day. I’ve had that theory tested recently. Being up most of the night means that any precious moments during the day have to be used as efficiently as possible. I order things in my head according to imminent importance; making food and playing with our kids are both at the top of the list, laundry is close by as naked kids aren’t as cool as one would think, making time for walking with friends and family, sleep and clean up are clumped in the middle and, sadly for this blog, anything technology or TV related falls to the bottom of the list.
Its made me all the more inspired by the men and women who have small kids and still run a small business and put meals on the table and go to activities and appear to have a life. We employ a lot of time saving techniques in our household, not all of which are Martha approved, but they are in place so that we can spend more time together enjoying life rather than sitting around worrying about silly details. We no longer hang clothes to dry or separate by colour (gasp!) at this point in life if it doesn’t go in the drier it doesn’t get purchased. I make dinner with one baby watching from the baby bjorn and another in the chair on the counter. I have even actually resorted to calling the place I get tea from when I’m 5 minutes away – placing an order and running in with exact change to pick it up. I just ordered and paid for my crib and mattress on the phone and got them to put it in the loading bay so I could zip out of the van in the rain – pop it in my trunk and keep going – sleeping babies in the back never out of sight. On a day to day basis we make lunches at night and have clothes laid out, and toaster, plates, juice and kettle all ready before we go to bed in order to make the mornings easier and more efficient so that we can max out on precious sleep minutes and seconds.
There is also a significant “Hyde” side to this time efficiency thing … I have a new disdain for customer service people who waste my time by chatting with each other when they should be doing their job or stocking a shelf for an extra two minutes instead of coming to the cash when there is a line up. My disdain is not always pretty. I also have been known to act like a semi-truck with our van on the highway (not with kids inside) when people try to cheat in the lane during lane closures as if their time is more precious than the rest of the world’s. I sadly have no patience for explaining the steps of what I’m doing to adults (my two-year old gets a free pass) from working or cooking, to stroller or garden repair, to cleaning up spit up – you’ll just have to trust that I have it covered. This side of me is something I try to tame on a regular basis. Each time I find a new fabulous time saving technique I help that mission because I have an extra minute to do the things I love but never have time for. For me those include writing a blog, going for a run, drinking tea while its still hot, having a shower, making something special for someone…
Today I made two dinners before 9am, read 4 news articles online, read 3 pages of my new branding book and just popped in my second load of laundry. Today I got to write a blog. Today is a good day.
What are your time saver tips so that you can have the time to make your day more special?
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Kerri, this is big in my life, especially having 2 kids and a small business. You hit on some huge things (I always love laying out the kids clothes and mine the night before and ya, I don’t sep. my darks and lights:)). Most other things in my life are meal related like doing double batches of everything (dinners, muffins etc). A huge time suck in my life is feeding these boys of mine so always having food ready to go is a must. They love mini muffins and I usually cut up a bunch of veggies in the morning to have them ready for throughout the day (my kids are weird and actually choose veggies as a snack.). The slow cooker? My friend. The kids are usually better behaved in the morning so if I get it ready earlier in the day, I’m fine once the evening hits and I’m tired and they are crazy:)
And finally, teaching your kids (when they are old enough) to do a lot for themselves is a HUGE time saver. My 5 year old gets up in the morning and makes breakfast for our 3 year old. It’s usually just cereal but that’s perfect and gives me time to shower etc in the morning.
Love reading what you have to say, as usual!
Thanks Louise – what a fabulous comment and your suggestions are terrific I totally agree on the double batches of everything and also on the making things earlier to prepare for the inevitable crazy evening time. Nice to know there are others on the crazy train from 5-8ish … I’d love to hear how to get my kids to choose veggies as a snack … and also if I can possibly teach my 2 year old your cereal trick – brilliant! Thanks for sharing!