Making the Most of Your Time

As I get older I am also getting wiser. I am learning (although slowly) that in order for me to be a successful business woman, mother and wife, I do not have to do it all myself. Doing it all myself does not make me a better person - it just drains me of my life energy!

I am learning to outsource even the most basic tasks so I can have more time and energy to be a great Mom, a better wife, and more efficient in my business.

One of the things I am most excited about outsourcing is the deep cleaning in our house. Let’s face it, I can barely keep up with the dishes and the laundry. I don’t enjoy the nitty gritty cleaning and don’t have the time to do it right. Thanks to my awesome brothers, I have a gift certificate for a cleaning service - it is just the right amount to get me started and get our family hooked!

Here are a bunch of great sites that will help you streamline, organize, and may even inspire you to do some outsourcing yourself:

Wendy at eMoms at Home published an awesome list of 25 Parent Productivity Tools - lots on there that I had never seen before and worth checking out.
Ariane Benefit has is a professional organizer. Her Neat and Simple site is packed with tools to help you conquer clutter, get organized an streamline your life.
Working Mom is the site of my favorite grocery list generator. There are lots of other goodies there too.
Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie is the mastermind behind my favorite way to start the week - Menu Plan Monday. You would not believe the time I save each week (and money) by taking 30 minutes each Sunday to plan our menu.
David Seah makes great task planning notepads and tools. His site has plenty of additional productivity tips, too.
Achieve IT just published an awesome list of The Top 50 Blogs That Will Unleash Your Motivation. Just be sure to schedule some time to go through this list.

What are your favorite time savers? What have you outsourced? I’d love to know!

Filed under Family, Organizing, Working from Home

11 Comments »

Pickel wrote @ July 24th, 2007 at 9:30 am

Great List. I am finding that I really have to condense the things I do in order to get everything done. I also think that I have to start making lists! Thanks for the links!

Laura wrote @ July 24th, 2007 at 11:16 am

Hi Char, people always tell me that they want to get organized and just don’t know where to start. My answer is menu planning! It’s so true, planning weekly menus frees up so much time that you can then use for other things and provides a sense of accomplishment and motivation to want to keep going in other areas. I’d be lost without it and I only wish I’d discovered it sooner.

I’m going to check out some of those other links. Thanks!

Laura

Rodney Youse wrote @ July 25th, 2007 at 3:16 am

Thank you for the post. Yes time managment is needed for sure. It will save not only your marrage but your self and you business. Thank you will for sure check out the links you listed.
Blessings
Rodney Y

pinks & blues girls wrote @ July 25th, 2007 at 11:18 am

I have outsourced my house cleaning, as well! It’s great. Of course, there are always things that I wish our house cleaner had spent more time on, or cleaned a little more, but when it comes down to it, I just think, “But I don’t have do it!” It’s great because I hate housecleaning, and I’m not good at keeping up with it!

I need to do a little more outsourcing with work stuff, but it is very hard to relinquish control, isn’t it!?

Jane, P&B Girls

Char wrote @ July 25th, 2007 at 11:24 pm

Jane - thanks for the positive reinforcement! I am really looking forward to outsourcing that part of my life.

An Island Life Hot Off The Presses - The Carnival of Family Life wrote @ July 30th, 2007 at 5:13 am

[…] Do you sometimes take on more than you should? Char of Casual Keystrokes had learned that “Doing it all myself does not make me a better person - it just drains me of my life energy”. Check out her suggestions on Making the Most of Your Time. […]

Holly Schwendiman wrote @ July 30th, 2007 at 6:13 pm

Thanks for sharing! I’ve seen a few of these lists but am always open to more. It’s hard to put down the superwoman cape that both empowers and drains us.

Hugs,
Holly
Here via the Carnival of Family Life.

Char wrote @ July 30th, 2007 at 6:43 pm

Holly - thanks for stopping over! The Superwoman cape is a hard one to wear some days.

Carnival of Family Life at An Island Life wrote @ July 31st, 2007 at 10:10 pm

[…] Char of Casual Keystrokes shares some resources to inspire efficiency in Making the Most of Your Time. […]

kailani wrote @ July 31st, 2007 at 11:47 pm

I could definitely use some help with organization! I wonder if these people would come to my house to help me? *wink*

Here from the Carnival of Family Life

Todd Harrison - LA Headshot Photography wrote @ August 2nd, 2007 at 3:29 am

Time management is very important. Some times it’s very hard to find a balance. I think some of these things will help me make use of my time better!

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