Monday, July 4, 2011

Of Purses, Plots, and Prioritizing - Part III


Along with the blessing of a new job comes a shift in priorities. To fit this rock into my time jar, I've had to empty it and sort them all out. My devotional time, family, church, writing, sleep, and the job constitute the biggest demands on my daily allotment of 24 hours.

How do I fit all the smaller stones, pebbles, and sand into my already packed jar? What stays and what gets set aside?

Here's the breakdown of my smaller items and my decisions:

1) My house. I find that the clean-as-I-go method helps keep things under control. My shower gets wiped down every day. A quick dusting as I go through a room works wonders. Then, there are the rough days when I get behind. When that occurs, it's time for serious cleaning.

2) Surveys. I've virtually cut them out of my life except for one company that I particularly enjoy.

3) Swagbucks. My time is now divided in short segments for this activity. On certain days, I allow myself a bit more time, especially when I'm preparing for a food shopping trip.

4) Couponing. Okay, let's not get crazy. A girl has to get her bargains. Still, I've streamlined the process and cut down on the number of coupon blogs I visit. I focus on the ones that provide the best information for my local area.

5) Blogging. Ouch! Cutting back on blogging means major pain. Visiting all my friends and followers brings joy and inspiration to my day. You may have noticed I don't catch every post you publish each week. Unless I eliminate sleep, it's impossible. I haven't forgotten you and will do my best to stop by your place and comment as much as I can.

As far as my own posting, I'm so grateful for the scheduling feature. I've been able to stay current because I write my bits ahead of time. The Friday Round-Up is shorter with only one link. You're busy too, so maybe one link is enough. For now, I'll stick with my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday routine and see how it works out.

Thanks for your patience as I work through my personal time crunch. I appreciate all my writing/reading friends. Do you have any time management suggestions or experiences you'd like to share?




16 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan .. if the job helps for now - that's what's important to give your mind a little more peace.

Glad you've cut back things a little and not completely .. blogging can take a lot .. but it lifts our spirits too ..

With thoughts for your new lifestyle - like the cleaning idea though - and always doing things as you ..makes so much sense ..

Happy 4th July - cheers Hilary

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Hilary -

Thanks for your understanding. The job is an absolute necessity. At this point, writing isn't considered a reliable source of income.

Yeah, the clean-as-I-go method works pretty well. For the most part, it keeps things from crashing down around me.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Diane said...

Hope your time restraints get better. Happy 4th! :O)

Dorothy said...

Culling the to-do list can be a very good thing. Like cleaning out the pantry. Ridding ourselves of the stuff we don't need, or shouldn't have in our lives.
I love doing blog work in one hit on the weekend and slotting in posts during the week with the press of a button. Pre-scheduling is a good thing too.
Blessings
Dotti :)

Jeanette Levellie said...

I'm glad the Lord is helping you manage this new schedule, Suze.

I had to cut back to two blog posts a week, and cut out housework altogether. That helps.

Ahhahahaaa! Only joking on the housework.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Diane -

I'm in a busy season right now. Hopefully, it will get better.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Dotti -

Unfortunately, I don't have blocks of time on the weekends to visit blogs. It takes me seveal hours to cover them all. So, I spread them out over the week.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jen -

I wish I could cut out housework altogether! One aspect of heaven I'll enjoy is no more cleaning. No corruption can exist there. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Anonymous said...

SOmetimes I just have to shut things down and tackle a problem, like finances, cleaning the house, doing lawn stuff, or taking care of that To Do List. Sometimes there's just no way around it and time management doesn;t really help.

Nikki (Sarah) said...

Hi Susan....you sound so organized. I try to clean up as I go too so that things don't build up too much but sometimes it's hard with the kids. What's swagbucks???
Glad you got the job....

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Stephen -

You're so right! As much as it hurts to cut down on surfing the many blogs I follow, it's necessary.

With the new job and conference preparation, I'm swamped!

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Sarah -

There are no kiddos in my life to make a mess. Once the house is clean, I have only myself to blame if it gets junky again.

Swagbucks is a Search Engine like Google, but you get points for using it. There's a link on my sidebar if you're interested. I can give you more details via email. susanjreinhardt AT gmail DOT com.

Anyone else interested is welcome to contact me. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Nikki (Sarah) said...

sending you an email right now re: swagbucks and thanks for answering this.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Sarah -

I received your email and replied just now. :)

If you have any further questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

Blessings,
Susan

Jean Fischer said...

It's a good thing to cut back and re-prioritize sometimes. It sounds like you're doing well with managing your new schedule.

Blessings.
Jean

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jean -

LOL! Just about the time I've got a handle on things, something else gets thrown into the mix.

I think once I've got my conference preparations done, the pressure will ease. It's good experience for when I'm facing deadlines.

Blessings,
Susan :)