Tips for staying on top of things

[niccig]

The next 2 months are going to be very hectic for me.

DS's schedule of preschool, swim classes, play dates
Study of one class - mid-term and final only but lots to learn
Volunteer work of databases and write paper for conference
Housework

Does anyone have any advice on how to stay on top of things? Any time saving tips at all? I'm really bad at wasting time and all of a sudden it's 2 hours later and DS has woken from his nap and then I have to stay up really late to get things done. I've got DS's school time on Mon, Wed mornings, his naps and bedtime.

THanks. Nicci

[vludmilla]

Well, I probably won't be a huge help with ideas but I've been working on finishing a doctoral program and a dissertation while working so I can relate to being busy ;)

I try to do as much as possible in the early evening...that is in preparation for the next day. I lay out DD clothes for the morning. Prep all food for lunch for the next day...for both of us. I put out her bag and restock it with diapers, whatever as needed.

I've considered shopping for groceries online and having them delivered. Haven't tried it yet but some friends rave about it and say it saves time.

I write myself a to-do list either the night before or in the morning and reward myself in small ways for sticking to it (assuming it is reasonable).
I use index cards to write myself notes for the day and carry it with me to stay on track.

I allow myself to take shortcuts where possible (good quality frozen pizza and a salad can be a fine dinner!)

Oh, yeah, and I try to stay off these boards!

[StantonHyde]

Three words: Schedule in Time. Do NOT use a "rolling" to do list. Write out your to do list for as long as you can (eg you know you will need to study for your final). Tthen figure out how much time it will take you to do each thing. Then go through each day and schedule a slot for study, prep for next day etc. Always put in a 2 hour "misc block" that allows you to have time for the misc crap that comes up in any day. Schedule in lunch, sleep, breaks etc. I know it sounds anal--but it works. Plus, once you know it is scheduled, then it is taken care of and you don't have to worry! (also put in one hour a day for this board :-))

You can buy many services--house cleaning for one. Our local "My Girlfriends Kitchen" store (like dream dinner etc) has frozen meals that they will make for you and you can pick up a month or a week's worth. It really does come out cheaper when you figure your alternative is yet another fast food meal! I have several friends who order groceries on line for a minimal cost--plus no impulse buying, they say it saves money and they get great produce and meats because the deliveries come from the central ware house.

Plan, plan,, plan--my favorite mantra is from a pediatric brain surgeon discussing how he reduces stress. He figures out all the known stuff to prep before hand and makes sure it is done. That way he has time for all the unknown stuff that always pops up. "Take care of the known, so you have time for the unknown"

And then there is always the case of lower standards--cleanliness, food etc. Another favorite quote is from a psychologist who told me there is really good research that your kids will turn out just fine if you are there 70% of the time and when you are there, you are present at a 70% level. You can do that for a semester!!

[bisous]

I just finished up my MA and always had a load of at least 3 classes, plus I was really involved in a children's organization that had weekly meetings and lots of projects. This won't work for everyone, but it worked GREAT for me. I would schedule one task for each evening. So one evening a week I would clean up the whole house. One evening I would do all the grocery shopping and miscellaneous. One evening I would do my paperwork, bills, etc. One evening I would work on stuff for the children's organization. And one huge long evening I would do ALL of my homework.

This worked for me because I knew that at some point during the week I would be addressing all things important and so I could mentally write off any stress until that day. I would say to myself, "I've got that huge paper coming up but I'm just going to focus on that on Wednesday so I won't think about it now." And I would actually stick to my plan as well. DS was really well taken care of because during the day I would mainly focus on him. We went to park days and all that good stuff during the day. Once he went to sleep, I went to work!

I don't know if this system will work for you, but it was a lifesaver for me! :)

[kijip]

make a meal plan and stick to it. Saves so much time wondering what to cook or running out for groceries to make things at the last minute as you decide to cook something you still need an ingredient or two to finish. This also cuts down grocery shopping time.

[niccig]

Thanks everyone. You have some great ideas. I really need to have my act together, otherwise everyone will suffer, and that's not fair to DS or DH, or me mental health!

I thought about Dream Dinners, but never crossed my mind to have the groceries delivered. I'm home everyday for naps, so perfect delivery time, and that leaves an afternoon with DS to do something else. I think a meal plan would be an excellent idea. I'll set time one night this week to grab a bunch of recipe ideas, so I can start planning ahead.

I think having things scheduled for times through out the day and breaking tasks into discrete parts, could work, but I'll have to be strong. This is a major flaw for me. I've never been great with time management and I can procrastinate forever on things. They get done, but at the last minute and I need to break that habit. I will admit these boards are my favourite procrastination technique. So, you all have my permission to kick my butt off line if you see me logged in!

[s_gosney]

I've been working hard on this lately too. My semester started yesterday and life was hard enough last semester with just dd that I'm scared out of my mind for how we'll cope when #2 comes along in May.

Here's what I've been doing. (some of these have already been mentioned):

1. Meal plan--I figure if we rotate through the same meals every 4 weeks, we won't get sick of them and I can just have one standard grocery list per month. I've also been doing some prep for meals on Sunday night (chopping veggies, etc) and trying to assemble crock pot meals the night before if a day is going to be really busy.

2. I also agree with making the night before count. I've switched to packing my and dd's bags and lunches at night with a little note for things that need to be added (apple slices, etc) and that's helping. Laying out clothes and such is also big. I'm loosely following some of flylady's ideas and a nightly routine is something that I think will help big time. So, if every night I make sure to pack lunches, set out clothes, and pull out any frozen meat/meal for the next night's dinner, I think life will go much better. We'll see though. :)

3. Along with pp's tip to schedule in chunks of time, I've been treating my time much like financial gurus recommend people treat their budgets. So, the first step has been to keep a detailed log of where my time's going. I'll tally it up at the end of the week and hopefully shock myself with how much time I've wasted online and then be motivated to straighten up. :)

Also, I know that one more message board probably isn't what you need, but I've found the working and student mamas forum at MDC to be great with lots of suggestions. They have a studying accountability thread that could be good too.

Good luck!

Sherri

[ribbit1019]

I've recently started washing and drying each family member's clothing in a mesh bag.

My mom saw it on some organization show (I have a washing and then not folding putting away problem that drives her nuts.) I just wash/dry and put back into each person's respective room and then put away when I have time. Yes, that is two mesh bags per person, but darn if it doesn't work like a charm. They actually get clean and bonus!!: matched socks stay together.

Good luck!