Energy Boosters!

Dear Lissy,

You sparkle with joie de vivre as you skip, spin, sing and dance your way through the days. But even you, my little sunshine, often lack energy for school or chores.  I'm listing the energy boosters I've found for myself over the years in hopes they will help you when you're first adjusting to working full time or you're a new momma who's a little overwhelmed.

First, what do I mean by energy?

  Energy: a combination of motivation, focus and mood 

Turns out that time management is pretty over-rated.  What we really need is more energy.  More motivation.  More focus.  That feeling (yes, I'm using the "f" word!) that you want to do something rather than have to or should.  

When I have focus, motivation, and a good mood, I can move mountains (or at least organize the attic).

Even with a great plan and schedule, I procrastinate if my focus and motivation are low and I'm in a funk.

Secondly, everyone has different energizers.  Sometimes just realizing "that doesn't work for me" is enough to help you find what does work.  Compiling this list has been a pinch of reality for me, too.  I realize as I typed this how many times I unwittingly sabotage my energy with poor choices.

• Sleep:  I need 6 hours at night and a 1-1/2 hour afternoon or early evening nap for optimum energy.  I can get by on a 7-1/2 hour night if I have to, but my afternoon energy levels are wicked low.
• No carbs after breakfast.  This includes fruit, grains, starchy veg, and even sugar in a cuppa tea or coffee.
• 45 minutes to 1 hour of moderate exercise.
• Stay well hydrated.
• Schedule around very high or low temperatures.  My motivation takes a nosedive if the weather is hot and humid or the place I'm working is chilly.
• Establish routines.
• Set a timer.
• Just start/start small.
• Mentally assessing how this activity will serve, nurture, or grow a relationship.  
• Get dressed for the activity.  
• A planned break (especially if it includes a cuppa!)
• Opposites energize.  Work alone?  Relax with someone, even if it's just a phone call.  Work with another person or group?  Relax alone.  Parenting a baby or toddler?  Schedule time with adults regularly.  Working in a high stress "adult" job? Plan something fun to unwind.  I also try to alternate tasks that are heavily physically and mentally.
• Audio books or a class during repetitive physical tasks like folding laundry or going for a walk.
• Epic music during mindful tasks like making dinner.
• Solitude and absolute quiet for mentally demanding tasks.  
• Simple, clean, organized spaces.  Clutter is one of my biggest de-motivators.  You're a collector, so this might be the opposite for you.
• Table for reading or working.
• Assignment or work for another person/group.
• Visible reminders (whiteboard, notes on fridge, etc.)
• Being authentic.  An action that reinforces what I think I should be growing towards will energize me and others I live with. 
• Exercise:  I stay healthy not because of a 45 minute walk, but because that 45 minutes of exercise gives me motivation, focus, and a good mood that empowers healthy choices for the rest of the day.  It also motivates the three of you to get in a workout.
• Devotions:  Spending time with the Lord changes my heart and mind, energizing me to obey Him and relate to others on a biblical level.  I've also seen regular time in the Word and prayer become a priority in each of your lives because of the importance I place on that time.
• Keeping House:  I try to keep a tidy, well-run home and serve regular, nutritious meals because those tasks directly affect the motivation, focus, and mood of everyone in our home.
• Beautifully designed, well-made tools.
• Skill mastery.  
• A deadline and/or achievable short term goals.
• A well crafted plan.
• Accountability.
• Knowing my natural energy rhythms and working with, not against them.

and last, but certainly not least, 

• Enabling grace.  There are always going to be days when I'm feeling drained, tired, or both.  It never ceases to amaze me how Christ will give me all the energy (focus, motivation, and mood) I require when I just bring my poor, sorry self to Him and beg for help. 

Wishing I could go for a walk with you today!  (What year is it now?  2030 or so?)

Mama

P.S.  There are many energy boosters that involve another person. A word of encouragement from someone you respect, a mentor that faithfully meets with you, or a roommate/spouse that works out with you are all wonderful motivators.  I've only included the ones here that you potentially control.

Time Management 911

Dear Lissy,

Life feeling like three gallons of crazy in a two gallon bucket?  Or maybe it's an overwhelmed friend dissolving in tears on your couch instead?  Dry those eyes, square your shoulders, and start in on Momma's Emergency Plan!

week one:  Without a list you're listless.
Write down the 5 most important things you need to get done today.  Do not just "think" them.  Do not make more than 5.  You may want to brush up on the most important household tasks before making your list.

• Going to any appointment or meeting counts as one item. 
• Only write things you can actually do.  Don't write "Dishes", but "Wash and put away dishes, scrub sink and counters."
• Up to 3 loads of laundry = 1 list item.  If you want to do more than that today, it will have to be done after you've completed the list

Do it.  Put on some zippy tunes, and get to work.  Don't go to the park with friends, take a computer break, read a book, or pull out a craft project until those 5 things are done.

Repeat.   Do this every day.  You're off to a great start!

week two:  Write a  morning and evening routine.

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half.  Write down everything you do (or should do) first thing in the morning on one side and last thing at night before bed on the other side.  

• Do not add items you want to do someday like family devotions or exercise yet.
• Put "Write tomorrow's 5 To-Do" on the evening routine list, and "5 To-Do List" after breakfast on the morning routine.
• "Run Load of Laundry" should be on the morning routine.
• Put a bedtime and alarm time on each routine.

Post your routine where you can see it easily.  The front of the fridge is great.  So is your nightstand.  Don't put it out of sight in a notebook, though.

Do it every day, first and last.  Do your morning routine before you do anything else (even checking e-mail!), and don't go to bed without doing your evening routine.  

week three:  Establish a mealtime routine.

Here's your new mealtime routine.  Do or delegate, just get it done.

• Prep the meal.
• Serve the meal.
• Put away leftovers
• Clean all the dishes & pans now.
• Clean the kitchen and dining room, including a quick sweep/damp mop under the table and edges of the counter.
• Prep as much as possible for the next meal.

Keep doing your evening and morning routines (and writing that list!)

week four:  Write a Weekly Plan

Designate each day of the week for specific household tasks.  Here's our family's plan.

• Monday:  Regroup & Plan
• Tuesday:  Errands
• Wednesday:  Desk
• Thursday:  
• Friday:  Cleaning
• Saturday:  Car & Yard 
• Sunday:  Lord's Day

*Notice I left one day completely blank so I can either take the day off, or take another day off and slide that day's work onto Thursday.

Weekly plans are a powerful productivity tool with many applications, but for now: 

1. Set a timer and spend one hour per day on the category you've chosen.
2. Schedule to-do items for the day they most closely fit.  Take the suit to the dry cleaners on Tuesday, don't make a special trip on Friday.  If a friend wants to get together, suggest Thursday (but be flexible!)
3. Create some visible way to save reminders for things that need to be done on a particular day.   I prefer a whiteboard divided into seven squares on the back of the kitchen door, but an SMS or e-mail reminder sent to the day works fine, too.   Out of sight, out of mind:  be very wary of creating notebooks or folders that require you to open and use them.

Keep up with your morning, evening, and mealtime routine.  The list should be a habit by now, too.

This plan is rather bossy, and it's meant to be.  If you're feeling overwhelmed, you need a clear voice to cut through the fog and just say "do this".  I've included gobs of  background and philosophy for each of these steps in other letters.  

 Love and a big hug,
 Momma

linked up at newlifeonahomestead.com, raisinghomemakers.com, womenlivingwell.org, and Works for Me Wednesday

One Quick Tip: The 3 Day Week

Dear Lissy,
Feeling overwhelmed?  The 3 day week is much easier to manage than a full seven day plan.

• Write a 3-day "to have done" master list.  Make a list of things that absolutely, positively have to be done three days from today.  These will feed your daily to-do list.
• Write menus and market for only 3 days at a time instead of a whole week.  This change has been a huge mental "win" for me.  I can write a three day menu in the blink of an eye, the shopping is a snap, and everything fits easily in the fridge, freezer, and pantry.  As a bonus, I've gotten better at planning the menus to the weather and what I already have on hand.  Because of a well-stocked freezer and pantry, I can easily go an extra day or two if I don't have time to grocery shop.
• Take a baby step towards a new habit.  Another mental trick.  Even getting up an hour a day earlier for three days seems very doable. If you have anything you've been wanting to add (or subtract) from your life, three days is a great period of time to try out that commitment. 
• Catch up on an old commitment.   It happens to us all:  the laundry grows out of control, the History paper falls behind schedule, or a sewing project gets stuck on the back burner.  Plan a three day "blitz" to get yourself back on track.
• Keep your plans in clear sight.  I keep a whiteboard on the back of the kitchen door that I divide into three columns.  I put up our general schedule, any special errands or chores, appointments, and our menu. Since everyone in the family sees it multiple times a day, we end up with very few oopsies.

Busy seasons of life come and go.  A three day week may be just the boost you need mentally when you're flat out physically.

 Star Kisses!
 Momma

Linked up at Works for Me Wednesday

Staying Out of (Time) Debt

Dear Lissy,
Last week we cleaned out your little girl room and we've been working on switching you over to a young lady's room.  I was so pleased at 4:30 check yesterday afternoon to find fresh flowers, classical music, the lamp turned on, and both your brothers hanging out in your room.  You're already learning how to create a welcoming space and extend hospitality.  I also had more fun than one momma can handle sneaking up and replacing your comforter and curtains with new ones after dinner.  Your shrieks of happiness were worth every minute of trouble.  But part of last week's work was paying back a debt we'd spent a year accumulating.  A time debt, if you will.

Finish the Job, Finish the Job, Get It DONE!

Dear Lissy,
We worked hard today!  The boys and I trimmed all of the grass and pulled weeds on the narrow strip outside the fence, and then we reworked the area where they pulled out the sidewalk last year.  Moving rocks is good exercise!  We spent a little time in the garden weeding and harvesting, too.  You and I banked over 60 cinnamon rolls for the freezer, and pushed through Saturday housework.  I'll touch up our Sunday clothes and pack totes for the trip north before I turn in this evening.  As we worked and cleaned, I thought about this simple principle I learned when I was first trying to keep house.

What are YOUR magic numbers?

Dear Lissy,
You have had a fascination with all things Chinese since you were an itty-bitty.  We've had Chinese themed birthday parties twice, the most memorable when your birthday fell on Chinese New Year's. You almost always choose the Chinese restaurant for dates with Daddy.  We've checked books out of the library so you could learn Mandarin, and your dress up trunk as a little girl held all manner of Chinese clothes and embroidered silk "flats".  Your dreams right now involve nursing school in China, too.
Fortune cookies, although not technically from China, are a particular favorite.  You read your "fortune" in a mysterious voice and wiggle your eyebrows in pleasure.  The slim strip is then flipped over and you slowly read your lucky numbers.  You are well aware that neither side holds any real significance, but you still thrill every time you crack open the crisp lemon-scented cookie.
My "magic numbers" are far more mundane.

Five "To Do" list hacks

My dear Felicity,
Sometimes it is the little things that help us the most.  Following are a few simple hacks for the humble "to do" list that take it from mundane to magnificent.

1.  Only put tasks on your to-do list that can actually be done.  
This seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?  But glance down your to-do list and you might see the nebulous "Car Inspection".  Do you seriously intend to personally perform a 54 point inspection, emissions testing, and slap a new sticker on the windshield?  Of course not.  In reality, you have to get the city & state registration stickers  and touch base with your hubby before you can schedule an inspection and bring your car in to the mechanic.  The to-do list should have the next do-able task:  "Register Camry @ town office", and "e-mail Dagbert re: possible car inspection dates"  Those are single tasks that can actually be done and checked off.

When you're scanning your list, a project (several small related tasks with a single outcome) short circuits your brain...there's not actually something written there that can be done, and you end up passing it over time and again until it's at a critical level where you have to deal with it.  Take a look at your lists, and learn to only write tasks on your to-do list that can actually be done.  If you have a multi-step project, figure out the next do-able step, and write that on your to-do list, not the title of the whole project.
~ concept from Getting Things Done by David Allen

2.  Assign each item on your to-do list a time slot.
It's easy to overestimate your own awesomeness.  I can't tell you how many times I have had fifteen 30 minute tasks planned for a 4 hour afternoon!  Prayerfully assign a rough time slot for each task you have on your to-do list. Once you get in the habit of scheduling your to-do lists, you have a much more realistic picture of what can actually be accomplished.
~ concept from the Girltalk website, Carolyn Mahaney

3.  Keep a "running" to-do list.
These are simply tasks that need to be done during this week, but not necessarily today.  When an item pops into your head:  "Ooo!  I need to pick up lion noses at the party store for my Sunday School lesson this week", it goes on the running to-do list.  Each time you make up your to-do list for the day, check the running to-do list to see if there are any tasks that could or should be added to your list.
~concept from many sources, including Denise Schofield's Confessions of an Organized Homemaker

4.  Don't put routine items or things that can be done in less than 2 minutes on a list.  Just do them.
Do dishes.  Run laundry.  Make bed.  Honey, if these things are popping up on your to-do list, you took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.  Routine daily household and personal grooming tasks should not have to be written down to be accomplished.  Get off the phone.  Put down that book.  Do your job!  Unless you have toddlers, in which case you get a free pass until they're 5.  You may want to pencil in a shower before you forget....
Very often I can take just a few moments and accomplish a task before it goes on the list.  In the example in #1, I'd text or e-mail Dagbert about the car inspection rather than write it on my list because it only takes seconds.

5.  The Timed To-Do
A quirky but effective idea is to have lists of tasks that only take 5 or 10 minutes. When you find yourself with a few odd minutes, head for these lists rather than wasting the time.  Ideas abound on the internet and include everything from rounding up pet toys to chopping celery.

Remember Sweetie, "only God gets his to-do list done".  A list is simply a tool to keep you focused and bless your family. It's pretty easy to overwhelm ourselves with everything we think we "should" be doing.  I hope these few hacks will help you learn to tweak your to-do list so that it serves and motivates you rather than discouraging you.

Love and a big hug,
Momma

P.S.  Your daddy used to say "If you don't have a list, you'll be listless"  He made it a habit to make a list for the day, and encouraged me to do the same when my energy and motivation were low.