A Matter of Time

I was recently commended on my use of time. With a child, a business, a house to run, livestock, a husband, and tons of projects to complete for market and our SCA hobby, it must seem like I have too much on my plate. I suppose some weeks I do, especially if there is a change in routine like a doctors appointment or event. But most of the times I have it covered just in case of such a change. So I feel a little embarrassed when people talk about how much I do! And to think I feel guilty that I take a few minutes here and there to take care of myself...

Tomato seedlings waiting for a nice day to be re-potted

 How do I do it? First, I highly recommend you look into the FlyLady method of keeping house. If you can apply her techniques to your household chores, you can also apply it to other aspects of your life. It probably seems a little fussy and anal, but I do keep an hourly schedule to follow for my week. I have laid out my chores and planned out my day bit by bit. Even time to knit! If I can follow it, even loosely, I find that things get done. If I keep my house clean, even just wiping down the counters on a regular basis, that it stays clean and if I have an "Oh my goodness! Family is coming! Company is on it's way RIGHT NOW!!" crisis, I can just spend a little of time straightening up and nobody will know that I didn't spend hours disinfecting every surface in my house.

My first wool lacework shawl

And the most important thing to do is remember to schedule time for yourself. Give yourself some time to relax, watch a show, drink your coffee or tea, read the news. I do that in the morning. I have to wake Jake up early, and since I have some time before the sun comes up and the horses start nickering for their morning grain, and Evan wakes. I can catch up on my social networking and news. Of course, with my job, I have to leave my network open through the day so I can respond to clients and handle things that need to be done. But it all seems to get done somehow. Even if a wrench gets thrown into the gears. You can always make something quick for dinner or work on that important project tomorrow. I will admit that many times I have cursed the clock for ticking by. But I try to remember that we are not perfect. That the world will not come crashing down because I did not get a chance to scrub down the shower today, but I did make a nice meal and spend time with my guys. And that is what is most important, isn't it?