Essentials

Lately, I've realized my life needed some prioritizing. Things can get out of hand for me really quickly, because my chaos threshold is pretty low. Also, I think I must get overwhelmed easily because if I feel like there's too much to do, I get into this tailspin and nothing gets done.

So! I needed to figure out how to revolutionize my life so that I would be in charge, not it! There are a few things that always need to happen in order for me to feel like I can accomplish things. These things are:

*Enough time in the morning
*Enough sleep at night
*A house that is at least picked up most of the time
*Time with the Lord

Really, I can have 101 things to do, and if I only get these four things accomplished, I never hit the panic button! This was amazing to realize! Here's some changes I had to make to help these four things happen:

*I get ready for the next day before bed. Sometimes i lay out my clothes, sometimes I make a lunch, sometimes all I do is make sure my alarm is set to allow enough time instead of maximum sleeping minutes. This cuts down on my to-do list before I have to hop in the car in the morning. Also, I try to stick with a set schedule in the morning and refuse to be sidetracked. My main distraction is either the computer or a magazine or book. I try to always take a shower first, then make breakfast, then do my bible time while eating breakfast. Then I finish getting ready for the day, and if I have time to spare, I'll read or look at the computer!

*When I realized that my attitude directly corresponded with the amount of sleep I got at night, I had renewed motivation for getting 8 hrs at night. Now I try to avoid the computer as my last activity before bed. I am trying to do more knitting right now, so I tell myself I'll knit a few rows in bed before turning out the light instead of doing the computer a few minutes before turning out the light. Even if I don't necessarily start sleeping a ton earlier than in my "computer days", I at least feel more productive about the half hour i just spent before bed. I've been pretty good about getting 7-8 hrs every night this whole week!

*This again has just been an answer to prayer. If i start telling myself, "I need to clean my refrigerator, wash the car, organize the closet, practice my piano, cook a meal, and pick up the house", I hit tailspin mode. Instead, I pick up the house first and then decide what needs to be done next. It's amazing how much more organized I feel when my house feels picked up and neat. It's also a great way to start getting excited about cleaning the rest of the house.

*My organized morning schedule helps me have consistant time with the Lord. I also don't worry about whether I feel like it or not. Some days I get more out of my time in the Bible than others, but I realize it's like brushing my teeth: if I only brush when I feel dirty, my dental hygeine isn't going to be that wondeful! If I just brush my teeth every day whether or not I feel like it, I give the flouride at least a chance to work!

So that's what's been going through my head! See, it's not even 11! So I'm going to get off the computer now and get some more stuff accomplished before knitting in bed! :)

Thankful for new clothes,

Karen