Thursday Thoughts, Sunday Style

Okay, I know "Thursday Thoughts, Sunday Style" is a silly title, but I'm adamant about diligently posting my Thursday Thoughts...on Thursday...so much so that I have been losing sleep the last three nights (not really, but I knew I couldn't let myself get away with skipping the post altogether).

This week's thoughts are about Getting Stuff Done.

Since returning to Gulfport from Texas after Hurricane Isaac, I've been hellbent on Getting Stuff Done.  There were too many projects (not even big projects, mostly just little things) that I had been putting off for too long.  I think what jump started my frenzy was the giant mess we were forced to live in for several days as we slowly unpacked from our Texas trip and got the house back in order after preparing for the hurricane (all of our outdoor stuff was moved into the garage, and much of the garage stuff was moved into the house...it really was crazy and messy).

In addition to all that, I needed to make some changes in order to manage my time more effectively.  It seems like I spend all my time on everyday chores, and that there is no time left over to tackle the to-do list that does not include the everyday things.  Scratch that.  There is time left at 9:00 p.m. to tackle my to-do list, but I do not function well at the end of the day (I am not, nor have I ever been, a night owl).  I knew the key to managing my time more effectively was going to bed earlier and waking up earlier (thank goodness I'm a morning person!).

I read this series titled "Make the Most of Your Mornings" at Money Saving Mom's website and got some great tips.  I also read this little book by Laura Vanderkam called "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast."  I loved it, and am also planning on reading her book "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think."

I'm pretty realistic, so I'm not making huge, sweeping changes to our daily lives that will require me to change everything I'm currently doing.  Mostly I'm just changing what I do in the hours that the kids are sleeping so that I can feel more in control of my time and my to-do list.  I don't have time (it's Sunday morning -- Lorelei is awake in her crib!) to go into super specific details right now, but I'll leave you with the notes I jotted down that I think will help me reach my goals.  (I made these notes in my phone, and am taking them, unedited from there.  Let me know if you are curious about any of the items I listed and I can explain!)

--At night: lay out all our clothes, pack diaper bag, pack food bag, prepare 3 drinks, decide breakfast (?), tidy house

--FIRST THING IN THE MORNING: Ash get dressed, girls get dressed immediately (either upstairs or downstairs, depending on who is sleeping)

--Possible morning activities: blog, read, sort mail, pay bills, tackle long-standing projects

--SIT DOWN AT BREAKFAST WITH MY CHILDREN!!!