Tag Archives: time management

Pre-Writing

I’ve started throwing away what I write. Really. I’ve started writing and writing and writing and then deleting what I’ve written or just opening another blank document and starting again. I might write about the same thing or I might write about something completely new. I might write about nothing or I might be inspired by a particular quote. There are various methods of writing but I’ve settled on this one. I’ve never been one for highly structured outlines prior to writing my papers. My brain simply doesn’t think like that. I don’t think in “beginning, middle, end” linearity or … Continue reading →

Quick and Easy Cleanup at the End of the Day

Home schooling kids is rewarding, but it can also be messy. Having children around the house all day long rather than away at school for six or more hours means that we need to clean up several times a day rather than just once. Parents are notorious for trying to be superheroes and tend to do everything themselves. Whether it’s vacuuming, doing dishes, laundry, or cleaning the cat box, it’s often easier to just do it ourselves rather than listening to the kids moan and groan. Not to mention, we often have to prod them a thousand times before they’ll … Continue reading →

How to Say No

As I mentioned earlier, I’m feeling bad about having said no to a few commitments this week. I love my friends, and enjoy helping them, and don’t like to feel like I’m letting them down. But sometimes, you just have to say no. Sometimes you’re over-committed, sometimes it’s just something you don’t want to do, sometimes you just can’t fit it into your schedule. Still, all those reasons don’t necessarily make it any easier to say no — especially when it’s a friend doing the asking. Here are some tips to help make it a little easier to say no. … Continue reading →

Saying No Can Be Good for Your Health (and Sanity)

I hate saying no. It makes me feel bad. It makes me feel guilty. It makes me feel like I’m letting someone down. To the recipient of the no, it’s probably not that big a deal. They find someone else to ask, and maybe that someone else says yes. Or they find out that they didn’t really need help after all, and get it done without help. My schedule is getting a little crazy this week. I’ve had plans for this Friday for a few weeks now, but suddenly I’ve been asked for my time on Thursday and Saturday, too. … Continue reading →

When There is Not Enough Time to Be Frugal 2

In the previous post, When There is Not Enough Time to Be Frugal I started discussing my thoughts about the dilemma concerning saving money when you don’t have the time to put frugal practices into place. My personal opinion is that some frugality is better than none and choosing how to incorporate it into your lifestyle is key. Now I will continue with my remaining two thoughts. The second thought is that it is usually better (for a family, not necessarily the economy) to save money rather than earn it. Money that is being saved isn’t usually taxed as income. … Continue reading →

Where are You Spending Most of Your Time?

Staying organized and reasonably efficient in a home business means having a good idea of what you are doing with your time, energy and resources. Just because you have a plan or an “idea” of what you imagine you are doing as you work at your business does not mean that is actually what you are doing. It takes some honesty and self-examination, but periodically it is a good idea to review where it is that you are actually spending most of your time? When I first started my writing business, I figured up a budget based on all the … Continue reading →

You’re Dating Again, Now What? Part Two

I wrote earlier about how getting back into the swing of dating can take more than just making up one’s mind that the time has come. Once we single parents decide that we are ready to put ourselves out there, it opens up a whole new can of worms. In addition to getting support and taking things at a slow and non-desperate pace as I wrote in Part One, it is also important to figure out the place that dating will play in our already busy lives. We have all heard horror stories of parents who neglect or ignore their … Continue reading →

Scheduling Your Work Week

This may seem like the most obvious thing in the world but I do not know how many times I have talked to small and home business owners who confess that they take things day-by-day. They get up in the morning and get down to work, letting their day unfold as it may and putting out fires, tending to details, and dealing with things as they pop-up. They confess that they just don’t have time to schedule and plan and, after all, isn’t that one of the realities they left behind when they left the traditional work world?! Okay, maybe … Continue reading →

Summer Tip–Stick to a Schedule (within Reason)

For a busy single parent, summer time can be chaotic. With the kids out of school and vacations and events, there is often much more to do than we can reasonably manage. Although summer time may be known for its freewheeling reputation, for a single parent, having a schedule and sticking to a plan for the days of the summer can be the best approach. Of course, we need flexibility—and we need down time and unscheduled leisure too, but as a single parent, we also need enough structure to make sure that the kids are cared for and entertained, work … Continue reading →

Working in Bursts and Batches

I often write about time management and how to carve out efficient time for working at our home businesses. In fact, I often talk about how to protect your work time and create long stretches in order to stay focused and get things done. It dawns on me, however, that many us really do our best work in spurts—we only have time or energy for a little burst here or there and we work in batches instead of being able to spread things out over hours and days. This needs to be an okay way of working at a home … Continue reading →