Being Organized

There are only so many hours in the day and there is a lot to do.  Dave and I both like to keep busy and get stuff done, but I also enjoy our leisure time and getting enough sleep.  Here are some of the ways I make the most out of my day:

Get up early to exercise.  I realized when I set my alarm only 45 minutes earlier than normal, I could get up and run (or walk this summer) before work and it didn't make me late.  I am a morning person and although the initial sound of the alarm is daunting, I am pretty quick to wake up.

Read books at lunchtime.  I like to eat lunch with my co-workers, but when no one is around, I will read.  I can't really do work while I'm eating and I always need a little break anyway.  I also like to have a book with me when I'm running errands because there is always a time when you find yourself waiting and a book will come in handy.

Listen to podcasts in the car.  I like the radio and all the new pop hits, but a podcast is more quality listening.  I have about 1 hour in the car each day, half an hour each way to work, and I can get through This American Life and the Jay and Dan Podcast each week, and still catch up on all the new Justin Beiber and Drake songs.

Read blogs before getting out of bed.  On the mornings that I don't get up early to exercise, I will spend about 10 minutes to wake up and I run through the 5 or 6 blogs that I read everyday.

Wash dishes while making supper.  This is the best because when we are done eating, there are only the dishes that we ate from the need to go into the dishwasher and most of the rest are already done.

Take turns putting E to bed.  Dave and I both have things we like to accomplish in the evenings (including making E's lunch and general tidying up), so if one of us is always putting E to bed, then the other wouldn't get anything done.  When Dave puts E to bed, I will work on my blogs, and when I put E to bed, Dave works on the basement renovation.

Keep a running list of things that need to be done.  I have this list on my phone and when I have a free moment, I will check to see if there is something I can get done before the next 'scheduled' event comes up.

Set a timer.  I am pretty slow when it comes to cleaning, and I can get sidetracked easily.  When I don't have a lot of time to clean something, I will set a timer so I can complete the task without dawdling.

There are still lots of things that I could work on, tips accepted, but maybe some of things ideas will help you out too.

So much time to relax!