Busy season of life

The month of May flew by so fast! It was a very busy month! My niece that lives with me graduated from High school. We have had 2 proms, 2 awards ceremonies, graduation parties, and graduation! It is a busy season of life! It’s also Baseball season! Guess what that means? With 2 grands playing we have spent about 2 nights a week at the ball field! You think that once you get your kids grown that the busy days are over. So not true!

I have found that the busier I am the more I need to be organized. This is not always easy to do. I find that it takes self discipline in order for me to do these three things, but in the long run it makes my week go so much smoother. Regardless of what season of life you are in or what all you have going on it is important to not lose your sanity! lol! Here are the top 3 things that I find helpful:

1. Planning Meals
   • Knowing what I am going to Prepare for dinner ahead of time makes my whole day run smoother. I like to take a few minutes to look at my upcoming week and plan accordingly. I rarely ever plan more than 1 week out. If I know what is on the menu for that day I don’t have to try and figure it out when I am tired and in a hurry. I keep the planning simple by just focusing on the evening meals. If we are going to eat out, then I write that on my plan. If time is limited then I try to plan with that in mind.
   • Creating a grocery list while planning the meals is crucial. That way you can make sure you have the necessary ingredients on hand. With all the delivery services or grocery pickup services, it makes planning even simpler. I have even ordered groceries, etc after going to bed and realizing that I needed certain items by the next morning. This has been such a timesaver for me! Regardless of whether you order your groceries or go to the store to purchase them yourself, it is important to plan time to do it. Otherwise, you have just wasted your time.
2. Brain Dump
   • When life is chaotic my brain gets to running 90 mph and I struggle to focus on prioritizing or figuring out what needs to be done. All you need is a piece of paper or the notes on your phone. I am a paper girl myself, LOL! Then just start writing everything down. Getting it out of your brain on to the paper allows you to see what all has to be done. I can look and see if any of my tasks can be passed off to someone else. Can any tasks be combined? How much time does it truly take to wipe down that front door that I have been thinking I would do for the past week or two? Do I have to hand wash my car or will driving through the car wash be sufficient? You get the idea.
3. Rest
   • I use to stay up til wee hours of the morning, get 2-3 hours of sleep and then hit the day running. Well, those days are over! ha ha~! I guess I just don’t have the stamina that I use to have. I find I am more productive if I get at least 6 hours of sleep. I am better off just going to bed, getting some rest and then get up early to work on it.

Of course, life doesn’t always go as planned. We can plan all we want, but in the end, what truly matters is allowing God to be first in our life! This morning my bible reading was in Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Read the whole 3rd chapter in Ecclesiastes, it is a beautiful chapter with so much to think about!