My grandma had a small plaque hanging by her kitchen sink that pictured a lady with a broom in her hand and the phrase, “the hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”

Since I was only a child, I asked my grandma what that meant. Of course, it didn’t make any since to me. Logically, I thought if you are hurrying you should be getting ahead, not behind.

She, however, explained that sometimes when we hurry through a task in such a way that produces a sloppy result, we must then redo it in order to do it right.

Simply put, if you don’t have time to do a job right the first time, when will you find time to do it over?

This statement has been ingrained in my mind since that time, and I try to apply it to my life as a wife, mom and homemaker. Nevertheless, at times, it is very easy to fall victim to this counter productive behavior.

Basically, you must learn to be your own productivity manager. Here is how:

Have a plan for the day

If you know that you are going to be on a busy schedule tomorrow, sit down tonight and make a list of everything you need and want to get done tomorrow. Prioritize. Put things that absolutely must be done at the top of the list.

Two things are accomplished by making your priority list.

1. Your list helps you stay focused. Instead of running around trying to remember what you need to be doing, you are actually busy doing what needs to be done.
2. Since you have prioritized your tasks, you’ll not only help ensure completion of your necessary tasks, but also ensure that you have time to do a good job of the most important ones.

Delegate chores or tasks

Husbands can be wonderful help. However, keep in mind that you do usually have to come right out and ask though. Forget hinting around, waiting for them to ask if you need help. Most men don’t do hints very well.

Even children, especially older kids, can help with some projects as well. My five year old does a great job helping put away laundry when I ask him to.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

By the end of the day you will hopefully have the necessary items checked off your list. You now must let the rest go for the day. Add them to tomorrow’s list if they will be a new priority, or commit yourself to working on them another day when you can devote your attention to completing the tasks well.

The goal of a productivity manager is to determine what tasks need to be done now, to decide how best to accomplish the tasks, and to know what can wait.

By incorporating these guidelines into your routine, you will be a step closer to becoming the best productivity manager possible for your home and family.

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Posted on April 17th, 2009 in Home and Organization | 10 Comments

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I’m off today, but you are welcome to browse my site. On Thursday’s, I’m giving myself a little break and spending extra time with my family.

It’s finally getting warm and time to tackle those springtime projects. Here are some links to help get you going in the right direction.

• Homemaker Barbi suggests 13 Ways to Let Spring Into Your Home Today! The best part about these ideas is they’re budget friendly. You can’t beat that!
• To cheer up and brighten up your patio or back deck, try this easy idea from Forever…Wherever for your potted plants. It’s super frugal too.
• Everybody needs a little reward for all the hard work getting those spring projects done.  So, sweeten up your spring with a delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle found over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Yummy!!

Thanks for stopping by! I’m off to play!!

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Welcome back to my two part series on achieving that sexy body you thought you couldn’t have. Now, that you know what type of workout you might be interested in trying, let’s get a few basics down before you get started.

First of all, there are four very important things to remember whether you’re in your first week of working out or whether you are in your third year of regular exercise.

You’ll want to commit the following to memory before attempting a workout regimen.

• Finding time - There will be days that you may not find time at all to workout. Yeah, that’s not what you were expecting, right? Well, as a mom and wife, this is just reality. However, make sure that you don’t use this as an excuse. If you have 10 minutes you can workout, and there are not many days that you can’t find at least 10 minutes. Ten minutes is better than nothing at all.
• Make it a habit - Like many other things in life, exercise has to become a habit if you are going to succeed at it long term. I find that, although I like to workout anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour five days a week, some days I can only manage 10 or 15 minutes. Instead of reasoning that I don’t have enough time to do my norm, I do what I can to stay in the habit. Then I get back to normal the next day.
• Take a break - I don’t workout on weekends for two reasons, one is that it gives my body a physical break to recover from a week of exercise. The other reason is simply that it gives me something to look forward to, a break just because I want a break. There will also occasionally be times when you are very sore and your muscles are extremely fatigued, especially if you try a new workout that you’re not use to and you overdo it. When this happens don’t try to force yourself, take a day off and start back the next day. Just don’t make the breaks your habit.
• Each day is new - Don’t give up just because you let yourself get lazy for a few days. Remember that yesterday is in the past, there is nothing you can do about it today. But today is a new day and you can start over today. It is really easy to let vacations, holidays, sick kids, or our own sicknesses draw us away from our workout routines, and many times this is necessary and it’s okay. The problem is getting back to it after those few days have past. I find that just reminding myself when I get out of bed that today is a new day helps me keep going.

Once you get yourself motivated, how do you stay that way?

So, there you are all excited about your new exercise program and you feel like you are ready to take on the aerobic world–for about two days. Then it happens. The excitement fades and your workout that was suppose to be fun is, well, kicking your butt.

Now you need more motivation, here’s how I get mine:

• Get exercise attire - I mean get real exercise clothes, not just a t-shirt and a pair of old shorts. When I put on my workout clothes, I feel that part of a professional exerciser (well almost). Since, I usually workout in the morning, I try to put these on right after I get up. If I’ve taken the time to put them on, I know I’ll feel extra guilty if I don’t follow through.
• Be accountable to someone - Get an exercise partner, even if you can’t exercise together, you can support one another. At the very least ask a friend to check up on you. If you know someone is going to be asking you if you worked out today, you will probably do it.
• Keep variety in your routine - Don’t try to do the exact same workout every day. Getting on the treadmill or stationary bike for 30 minutes every day is going to eventually drive you nuts. I like to switch my workouts out often so that I don’t get bored doing the same thing all the time. Boredom will strip you of your motivation probably faster than anything else. So, if you start to get bored make a change.
• Don’t over do it - When you first begin working out, start out easy. Even if you have to do a simple ten minute workout for two weeks, never go to the point of exhaustion, dizziness, or pain. Gradually increase your intensity over time.

Although, this has been a lot of information to share with you, I feel that these are the most important elements of my exercise routine. These are the things that have helped keep me exercising for the past few years, including nine months of pregnancy.

That being said, I hope that I have in some way inspired you and motivated you to get up, get moving, and get sexy.

If you maintain a regular workout routine, what ways have you found to keep yourself motivated?

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Posted on April 15th, 2009 in Health and Fitness | 7 Comments

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