A few weeks ago, I talked about my time management struggles.
There's no doubt that my time management woes were partly caused by the bipolar disorder with which I would soon be diagnosed.
However.
I can't blame it all on being bipolar.
I am the queen of procrastination. I've done a stellar job of putting off organizing my time. No schedule, no routine, no organization to our days beyond eating when we're hungry.
I asked some girlfriends who work from home with little kids how they do it. I thought about organizing my time. I printed out Tell Your Time and Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too, both of the e-books that I mentioned in my last time management post.
I thought about it a lot.
But I never got beyond the thinking stage until last week, when my therapist said something along the lines of "You've been talking about this schedule for a long time. How about you get it done over the weekend and bring it in on Monday to show us. I'm going to ask you for it on Monday."
{sigh}
So I really had to do it.
Over the weekend, I found a lot of things to do that were more pressing than the schedule. I ended up getting out Tell Your Time around 11pm on Sunday.
But I did get it out.
Amy Lynn Andrews just released an updated version of Tell Your Time.
I went through all of the exercises in the book on Sunday night.
I couldn't sleep. That was unrelated to making a schedule, but I figured as long as I was up, I might as well be productive.
The new version of Amy's e-book is cleaner, tighter, and more widely applicable than her first one. It's a big improvement over a book that was pretty darn awesome to begin with.
Anyway, I worked and worked on my priorities, my roles, and my goals. I kept working on them until they were just right, just wanted I wanted from my life and my world.
That felt like the easy part, to tell you the truth.
After all of that, I had to actually write it down.
I looked at the blank schedule provided by Tell Your Time. I checked my email. I looked back at the schedule. I searched for a pencil, afraid that doing it in pen would lead to certain disaster. I checked Twitter, got a drink, checked my email again, played my turn on Scrabble, anything to keep myself from thinking about the empty schedule.
In the book, Amy says to schedule sleep first, so I did that.
Then I wrote in my church services.
And then I looked at it again, paralyzed by fear. Cue email, Twitter, Facebook, and every other distraction I could find. It wasn't until the next day when I wasn't really paying attention to it at all that I had a brain storm and realized how the whole thing should go together.
Here's the schedule I ended up with:
If Tell Your Time only came with a little timer and a bell to prompt me to change activities, I'd be all set.
I think.
Amy says
Good for you, Tara!!!! Love, love, love your schedule!!!
I need to make a schedule like this now that I'm working from home. I've worked outside the home since I was in high school, so this is a huge transition for me/us. I can't wait to read the book and create my own schedule!
Jo-Lynne {Musings of a Housewife} says
That is awesome. I so totally need to do that.
Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies says
I love this in theory! I do wonder if I would be able to stick with something like this for longer than a week or two. Our family enjoys impromptu trips to the beach or library and I wonder if such spontaneousness would throw everything off.
I will be thinking more about scheduling, after reading this. I struggle with time management as well. I think I'd need something with more wiggle room.
Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says
I totally agree. We do a good bit of impromptu stuff, too, and I'm still going to allow those things. They may cause my schedule to shift a little that day or they may replace something else. Truth be told, my afternoon work times, cooking, and exercise times are not mandatory. If I decide to take the girls to the park (or whatever) to replace those, it will be totally okay.
My biggest issue is losing time to the tv and social media when I'm at home, so the schedule gives me the structure and routine I need while I'm here.
Amy Lynn Andrews says
Tara, way to go! I'm thoroughly impressed. I hope it proves to be a really helpful guide and brings a sense of purpose and productivity to life. Most of all, I hope it causes you to be FREE! (I so agree with Dave Ramsey when he says lots of people *think* a budget will make them feel constricted, but it actually does the opposite. He's talking about money, of course, but budgeting time is the same.)
I love it. Awesome.
Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says
Thanks. 🙂 That's pretty huge coming from you.
Bree | The Mom with Moxie says
Love your schedule. I really need to develop one, of my own. I have the first version of Tell Your Time. But, you've convinced me to purchase the newer version. 🙂
Mary @ Redo 101 says
I love this schedule because it allows all the "cushion" time, something I always need. But I'm like you, if a little bell followed me around ... also interruptions are my undoing, someone comes to the door or calls on the phone while I'm homeschooling, I need to train myself to ignore that and keep at task. Is it okay to copy your schedule onto a Word doc and use? Thanks for sharing your ideas on time management, something we all struggle with.
Hugs,
Mary
Susie Q Homemaker says
I've been saying for a few weeks now that I need to make a schedule! I like the idea of the cushion time - a little go with the flow time! 🙂
Heather @ Not a DIY Life says
Oh, I love it! (I especially love the colors) 🙂
Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says
To me, a schedule without colors and blocks is the visual equivalent of Charlie Brown's teacher. KWIM? 🙂 I need the colors and the blocks to understand and use it.
leigh the sewing diva says
love it! just downloaded the book to my kindle (glad to see it was available in UK as so many things aren't) so here goes! I suffer with fibromyalgia/ME/CFS so really need to get into regular routines to make sure i leave time to look after myself properly.
Alice-The Financial Nanny says
WOW this is so freaking awesome! I have been trying to figure out a plan of action for my day as well! I am going to read the books and set up a schedule by Sunday to start on Monday! Thank you for sharing this.