Getting it All Done (or Not)

How do I get (all of the) things done?

In my world that includes a full time job, two dogs, a cat, four chickens, a two-story 1880 Victorian home, a large garden, cooking almost all of our meals from scratch, preserving all of the things from our large garden and other things throughout the year, working a side hustle with Monat, writing and promoting this blog, fulfilling a monthly paid writing gig, making some natural beauty and home products for our personal use, reading, crocheting, paying bills, cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc. …. 

The answer?

I don’t. I can’t. And I don’t even have kids!

This is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about over the last few months, and while I still don’t have all the answers, I wanted to share a few tips!

You Can’t Get all the Things Done. 

First of all, you can’t get all of the things done, at least not all at the same time or all in one day. You need to look at managing time like how you manage money – take care of the most important things first.  Do you go out and buy new shoes before you buy groceries?  Well, maybe if they are really cute shoes … but logically no – you would buy the groceries first. So, the same thing goes for your time – should you sit down and read a book for 2 hours instead of getting dinner ready? Probably not.

Be Organized.

For several years, I relied heavily on my phone to keep myself organized. I used Google Calendar and the Notes app for various to-do lists.  The problem with replacing our brains with computers is that the computer can only remember what you put into it, and at the end of a day it is a machine that can fail. Through probably my own fault and not that of the phone, I was forgetting things, missing appointments, having auto-pay bills that were supposed to save me time giving me overdrafts, etc. I had to do something different.

A Paper Planner

At the beginning of 2018, I bought myself a PAPER planner, by Tools4Wisdom. In the first part of January, I filled that sucker up with EVERYTHING.  Appointments already set, monthly reminders for giving the dogs their heartworm medications, dates of when my auto-pay bills are withdrawn, notes about when to schedule other appointments, punch lists of things I wanted to get done each month, birthdays of friends and family members, and more.

If it was important to me, I put it in that planner.  And you know what? It made me less forgetful and more organized, and I’ve already bought my 2019 planner. (For 2019, I chose this Freedom Planner for 2019, it is a bit smaller in size and has a few other small differences. I think it will work great for me!)

Other Methods for Organization

I do still use my Google Calendar as a backup reminder system for appointments, and I also still use my Notes app on my phone for certain things.  In addition, I use the AnyList app for my grocery and other lists for shopping.  It’s so handy to add things to it as needed and it automatically sorts items into categories for easy shopping.

Also at the beginning of 2018, I bought a small notebook. I was forever forgetting my logins to things, getting locked out of online accounts, resetting passwords and then forgetting those, etc. It was FRUSTRATING.  I sat down and thought about every single website that I have a login to, and I wrote it down.  Granted, this isn’t the most secure book to have sitting around and I hope I never lose it … but it has saved me SO much trouble.  

Prioritize Tasks.

As I mentioned in the beginning, you can’t get all the things done in one day.  Every single one of us is just one person. Are there some days you kick butt at that list and feel fabulous at the end of the day about how much you got done? Sure. But then do you think about what else you could have done, or what you want to get done tomorrow? I do! For example, today as I write this it is Sunday. Yesterday, I cleaned my whole house top to bottom (remember I mentioned 1880 Victorian? This thing is huge. I love it, but not when I’m cleaning it.)

I also made a large shopping list for the upcoming holiday baking day and food preservation for gift-giving day. Every year my husband and I make a bunch of cookies and make trays for our neighbors, and I also make mustard and jam to give to some co-workers and family members. Last year, I wrote about it here. After my shopping list was complete, I bought some of the items online and then went to the grocery store for the rest. I also filled my spice jars, did laundry, and cleaned the pantry. 

But, the things I didn’t get done today? Trust me, that list is much longer. The things I didn’t get done though, were less important yesterday than the things I did.  That pile of laundry that needs to be folded? Guess what – it’s still going to be there today! My dogs didn’t get a bath? Guess what – they hate baths, so they aren’t upset. You get the idea.

Say No.

Everyone is busy. Our plates get full. You want to get everything done and make everyone happy. You know what? Don’t. It’s ok to say no! You know what you already have going on in your life, and what things you already have to get done. If someone asks you to do something, and it doesn’t fit – it is perfectly acceptable to politely decline.  Back to that “we are each only one person” thing …

Take a Break.

You can’t be doing something productive all the time. This is where I struggle. I started a beautiful crocheted blanket project in January 2017. It is now nearly January 2019 and that poor thing is only 1/3 done.  In my list of “things,” many times the crocheting ends up at the bottom. Not because I don’t enjoy it, but because it is one of the least important things in terms of priority. It ranks down there with putting a jigsaw puzzle together (my husband and I do one per year, and once we start it we don’t get ANYTHING else done until it’s finished. Last year we did this one!)  I will get it done someday. I would get it done sooner if I took more breaks.

Take a Day Off Work.

This is different than taking a break. I’m talking about a day off work where you do whatever you want. Some people call it a mental health day, and that is exactly what it is. Whether you use the day to go shopping and have lunch out somewhere by yourself, sit on your couch and watch mindless TV and snuggle your dogs, or work through some of the things on your list that you never get to (this list for me today includes a double batch of Dandelion Lotion Bars from the Nerdy Farm Wife. Check out her book here!) The point is, no matter what it is you do, this day is different than a Saturday or Sunday. It’s a bonus day, and it’s just for you. Enjoy it!

Ask for Help.

Depending on what things you have to get done, it’s ok to ask for help! This is also a weakness of mine. I am better than I used to be, but I am one of the “do it yourself if you want it done right” folks. That mindset is a curse, friends. But, there are plenty of tasks that I am happy to share with my husband when he’s available to help. 

Be Flexible.

By this I mean be willing to change your original plan for something else.  Do you have lasagna planned for dinner, but your day has been crazy and now it’s 5:30 p.m. and you don’t even have it put together yet, not to mention it has to bake for an hour? Change your plan!  Make spaghetti. Or lasagna soup. Or (gasp) make lasagna tomorrow!

If you have any other tips you’d like to share about how you get things done in your life, feel free to share in the comments!

With that, in the spirit of getting things done and crossed off my list, I can now take “publish a new blog post” off my list for this weekend, and move on to the next most important thing: breakfast!