It's About Time!

When I was growing up, there was a sitcom on television called "It's About Time." The storyline was about two astronauts who broke the time barrier and ended up in caveman times. All of a sudden, time had a new meaning for them.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by time issues, too. I jump from one project to another, while telling anyone who will listen that "I've got too much to do," and "I just don't have enough time."

Truth is, I do have enough time; I'm just not managing it well. When that happens, I try to step back and look at the big picture. I need to do some mental shifting. What's really important right now? What is the project I need to focus on right now? It's so easy to do the urgent, rather than the important, and the only way to get out of that box is take a step back and see the big picture. Then it's a lot easier for me to make priorities and manage my time.

Don't Fight Every Battle

Getting all worked up about things you can't control is another way to waste time. I can easily slide into this, and I have to always remind myself that not every battle is my battle. Here's a good example. I learned something yesterday about the high school my twins graduated from last year. In a nutshell, the principal does everything he can to quash school spirit, and this last one is something I cared about greatly during their senior year. I got mad; I wanted to send him an email; I wanted to write a letter to the editor.

Then, I took a deep breath and let it go. It's just not my fight anymore. I can use that energy for more positive things that directly affect my family. I won't take the 30 minutes or so I would use writing a letter to the local newspaper. For my life right now, that 30 minutes is better spent on something else.

See what I mean? Think about what you do all day. Chances are there are many moments that can be better spent on something more productive.

I Need More Time

Time management seems to be an issue for everybody. Our college freshmen twins are learning quickly the value of using time wisely. Mom's not there anymore to say, "Study for your test," or "don't forget you need your tennis racquet this afternoon." Now, they're in charge.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a few extra hours in the day? Even one extra hour would help --or would it? I fear that if we had 34, not 24, hours in a day, we'd still feel there's just not enough time.

In my humble opinion, the number one, absolute best way to have more time is to declutter. We need to stop buying stuff and start getting rid of stuff. Here's an example: You need to iron a shirt, but you can't find the iron because it's buried in the closet. And then if you do find the iron, you've got to pull the ironing board from behind all those purses and shoes and find a place to set it up in a cluttered room. And then you trip over all that clutter on the floor when you pull the ironing board through the room.

I've been decluttering for years now, but I've truly become serious about it lately. Our house is for sale, and we're giving serious thought to living on our houseboat. Talk about getting rid of extra stuff . . . try living on a boat!