Managing Your Moments

 "She also rises while it is yet night ... her lamp does not go out by night ...

and [she] does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31:15, 18, 27

  Home  |  About Janet & Kathy  |  Family Notebook  |  Delightful Resources   |  E-mail Us  

Time Management  |  Marriage  |  Cooking  |  Organizing & Cleaning  |  Finances  |  Hospitality  

Begin With the End in Mind

      Last week when checking out at the grocery store, I commented to the cashier how much I always dread putting the groceries away (especially when my kids aren't home to help me!).  On this particular day, my schedule was tight, with just enough minutes left to rush home and put the cold items into the refrigerator and freezer (the others would just have to sit on the counter until later) so I could zoom over to the post office to mail a few packages and then get back to the school to pick up a child after ball practice.  Since we had errands to run after practice, I couldn't just leave the groceries in the car. 

      As the cashier scanned my groceries, I noticed the woman behind me.  She was systematically removing the items from her basket and organizing them on the conveyor belt into groups:  canned goods, refrigerated items, boxes, bagged items, and toiletries.  I remembered seeing cashiers reach across the closest items on the belt to grab another item similar to what they had just scanned.  It finally dawned on me that by following the example of the customer behind me, the whole process would have been easier on the cashier, plus my groceries would have been bagged according to type of product, making unloading them at home so much quicker for me as well.

      Of course, when I got everything home, I had to hunt through each grocery sack to find all the cold items that needed to be refrigerated.  If only I had been as smart as the lady behind me and started with the end in mind!

      This principle is the second habit in Sean Covey’s book Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. (He "youth-anized" his father's code for the younger generation.)   To begin with the end in mind, Covey says to "decide where you want to go and draw up a map to get there." Although he's talking in terms of determining a life plan and taking steps toward accomplishing your long-term goals, the same pattern applies to daily routine tasks.

       Can you think of some ways you can begin with the end in mind and reduce some of the desperation you feel in your busy life?  E-mail us with your ideas!

5 Things You Can Do in 15 Minutes

      How many household jobs do we dread and avoid tackling, then discover later that they actually didn't take that long to finish? Do yourself a favor and start timing how quickly you can complete certain tasks. Keep a list of these job times handy and periodically try to increase your speed. When you have a spare few minutes, look at the list, choose a chore, and use your time wisely. Here are some frequently postponed tasks that can be done in about fifteen minutes.

      1.   Clean out the refrigerator. Take everything off the top shelf, wiping the bottom of each item. Cull out expired items and uneaten leftovers.  Dip a rag or sponge in hot soapy water, squeeze to remove excess, then wipe the shelf and surrounding walls clean. Work your way down the refrigerator as time permits. Save the door compartments for another time.

      2.   Mop the kitchen floor.  As much as we dread this, it truly only takes about 15 minutes to have a clean-smelling shiny floor!

      3.   Empty all the trashcans in the house. If you use plastic shopping bags as liners, emptying the garbage is easy and you won't need to wash the trash cans as often.

      4.   Fold and put away laundry. Folding a load straight out of the dryer while the clothes are still warm eliminates wrinkles. Staying in the laundry room also keeps you from watching TV while you work, which slows you down. Focus on your task and quickly distribute each stack to the proper room.

      5.   Plan the week's menus. Check the calendar for family activities. Pair up easy meals with busy nights and assign more complex, nutritionally balanced meals for slow evenings or weekends. Remember to plan a left-over night.

Do You Suffer from Mommy Peer Pressure?

     We often refer to the wise woman of Proverbs 31, but did you know that the Bible also talks about the foolish woman?  Proverbs 14:1 contrasts the two:  "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."  One of the most common ways we tear our homes apart is by over scheduling our time and our children's time.  In Bringing Up Boys, Dr. James Dobson warns that living in a state of perpetual chaos is hard on adults, but it creates havoc for children.

     After signing up her son for his first soccer team, Kathy began experiencing Mommy Peer Pressure, which she was totally unprepared for. You know what she's talking about--sitting at the soccer game, listening to all the other moms talk about what their child is involved in. 

"I felt this pressure all the way home because my 6-year-old child wasn't going to get a full scholarship to the college of his choice if we didn't sign him up for all these things!"  Multiple sports, music lessons, cub scouts, sports camps, and choir practice--on top of going to school.  And that's just for one child in the family!  

     This summer, resist the temptation to let ball and gymnastics and sports camps and youth trips and part-time jobs consume your family time.  How many more years will your kids be at home?  Instead, use these short summer months to teach your child a new life skill (like sewing or cooking or changing the oil) and participate in character-building activities.  Find meaningful things to do together:  teach them how to study Scripture, snuggle, volunteer at a local nursing home, maintain a disabled neighbor's yard, memorize one chapter of the Bible, jump on the trampoline, set up lemonade stands, unplug the TVs and computers, go camping.  Spend your time on purpose:  make some great family memories, and use the lazy days of summer to sneak in some lessons that will benefit your child for life.

      These tools can help us gain control of our precious time.  Remember that God's Word admonishes us in Ephesians 5:15 & 16 to "walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil!"