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Great tips on homesteading, frugal living, and self reliance. |
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Organize Your Time For Successful HomesteadingTime is the most precious resource we have. Management of this crucial resource is vitally important, for unless you learn to organize your day, you will never truly succeed. That's because those priceless twenty-four hours we have each day are irreplaceable. We can always earn more money. If we want gold or silver or diamonds, we can buy them, even if only in small quantities.But a moment, once lost, is gone forever. We can never regain it. We can't "earn" ourselves more time. Just like with money the answer is not increasing the hours in your day, but becoming better managers of the time we have. 
Budget Your Money, Budget Your DayI am always amazed at people who are so careful with their money and yet so wasteful with their time. Both are critical to success, yet so few people realize this.You can accomplish more in your day, but you must be willing to set aside some time for planning. Long-Range Goals, Short-Range GoalsJust like when you plan your spending, you should also sit down and assess what you want to do with your life. Where do you want to be in five years? Do you want to finish that degree? Fix up the house?Do you want to get those raised beds dug? What are your dreams, your aspirations? What are those "Round Tuits" in your life, the things you're planning to do when you get the time? Realize that you're never going to just "get the time." Instead make a list of what you've been wanting to do. For example, your list might look a bit like this:
The rest of the items are things that can be accomplished in a few short hours. These are things that should be added to your list of daily tasks. You do have a list, don't you? The All-Important To Do List
If you work in an office, you probably have one of these - or at least you should if you hope to get anything done. But it's far more critical to have a to-do list at home.It's in the comfort of our homes that we become the most notorious wasters of our time. If we're not careful, the hours could slip away without our realizing it. Just as your budget is a plan for spending your money, your list is a plan for spending your time. The Best Way to Start Your DayThe best time to work on your list is in the morning, when you first get up. I like to keep a pad of paper and pen on my bed stand. When I first get up, I often jot down a few things I want to accomplish that day.That helps me remember what I want to accomplish. I Have To Write Things Down? Really?It's amazing how easy it is to forget what you were planning to accomplish. Distractions are a given. The television will beckon.A pad of paper with a list on it is a great reminder you have things you want to accomplish. Plus, you get the satisfaction of putting a line through each thing you've accomplished. Every time you put a line through a task you've just accomplished, you'll find it's a boost to your self-esteem and a great motivator. How to Go About ItYou only have twenty-four hours in each day. Eight of those generally go for sleep. That leaves you with sixteen hours to accomplish everything else.Meals and preparation will take up about five of those hours, leaving us with eleven hours. If you have children, they will probably take up about nine more. I have three children and am grateful for all three of them. But I have to admit, the three-year-old and one-year-old are pretty demanding of my attention when they're awake. Generally whatever projects I have to do, I accomplish during their nap period, generally three hours in the afternoon. I'm also homeschooling the oldest, who is nine. This takes about an hour. That leaves two hours of quiet to accomplish tasks like writing this website. This is what my "nap-time list" usually looks like:
Let's say in between fixing meals, taking the kids to soccer practice, walking the dog and picking up the place, you decide you have about three hours in the morning.It's Monday, and you figure you can rearrange the cabinets in about an hour, especially if you're listening to one of your golden oldies albums on your MP3 player. So you put that on your to-do list for Monday. Also, writing Aunt Gertrude shouldn't take longer than an hour, so you put that on your list for Monday. That leaves you with one hour. There's no one at home to teach you pottery or sign language, but you can work on your novel. True, you can't finish the entire thing, but you could make a goal of writing a page. Write a page each weekday, and you'll have twenty pages finished by the end of the month. Keep writing five pages a week, and you'll have 240 pages finished by the end of the year. And it's as easy as that! On Tuesday you can budget an hour or two to looking for classes on sign language and pottery, and before you know it, your goals will be accomplished. Realize You're HumanYou won't always finish everything on your list. Things come up. The children will get sick or the car will break down.Start over again the next morning. Periodically assess where you are on your goals and what you need to do to get back on track. And keep working on those lists! Other LinksWhy raising chickens are a valuable way of practicing low-cost, non-wasteful living.How to get more done in less time. How frugal living is a crucial part of successful homesteading. The importance of living on a budget. Why you should avoid fast food and cook at home instead. Tips on cutting down on utility costs in the summer. Ten ways to cut costs at the grocery store. Get rid of the clutter in your life for a safer, saner and more efficient homestead. |
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