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In order to manage anything you have to first know where it is. Where is your time being spent? Where is it getting away from you? What could you cut out to make more time? What things do you do that are not necessary? What things are okay things but are pushing out time for fabulous things?
Somethings you may have little control over. Such as if you are teaching little ones to read, then your homeschooling day is going to be a lot longer than a homeschooling mom like me whose children are all ten and up and not only can learn independently but prefer to.
Other areas you have complete control over. These things are usually the most convicting, at least for me. For instance when I sat down to write out a list to photograph and realized that I spend roughly 1 hour of my day on Facebook, I was convicted. That totals 7 hours a week of time I could use more productively for my family.
We have 24 hours in a day 7 days a week, that is 168 hours a week. We need 8 hours a night rest that leaves us 112 hours to manage.
I challenge you to carry around a small notebook ,a pen, and a timer (or use a notebooking app., and a timer app. on your cell) and time yourself for every task all week long then tally up your 112 hours.
Looking for more time saving tips? Follow the Goal Setting & Time Management Tips Board on Pinterest
Dig Into The Time Management Series Using The Links Below
Introduction: 31 Days Of Time Saving Tips For The Work-At-Home Mom
Day One: Perform a Time Audit (you are here)
Day Two: Night Owl Or Morning Bird?
Day Three: Where are Your Largest Windows?
Day Four: Making the Most of Small Windows
Day Five: Daily To Do Lists
Day Six: Maximizing The To Do List
Day Seven: Say No
Day Eight: Eliminate Poor Yes Choices
Day Nine: Put Your Time Offenders On a Budget
Day Ten: Combine Joy
Day Eleven: Making Effective Use of Waiting Time
Day Twelve: Making Use of Travel Time
Day Thirteen: Making The Most of Mom Taxi in Waiting Time
Day Fourteen: Take Time to Rest a Few Moments Each Day
Day Fifteen: Tag-Team
Day Sixteen: Involve the Kids
Day Seventeen: Mechanical Slaves
Day Eighteen: Outside Help
Day Nineteen: Timer Magic
Day Twenty: Take a Rest Day
Day Twenty One: Less Stuff, Less Mess, More Time
Day Twenty Two: Hold A Family Work Bee
Day Twenty Three: Keep Gatherings Simple
Day Twenty Four: Saving Time in The Kitchen
Day Twenty Five: The Self Cleaning Home
Day Twenty Six: Streamlining Your Homeschooling day
Day Twenty Seven: Create an I Did It List
Day Twenty Eight: Create a Simple Cleaning Routine
Day Twenty Nine: Create To Go Bags
Day Thirty: Making Minimum Standards
Day Thirty One: Treat Life Like a Marathon Not a Sprint
Become A Snail Pacer
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Shelly says
I am always amazed at how long certain things take me to do. What I think I can get done in a few minutes can end up taking a hour. I will be following along with you.
Jennifer says
Great idea! I know that I’m a time-waster, and I don’t have time to waste. Thanks for the tip!
adrienne says
I guess this is a good place to start. I’m scared to know…LOL!
Rebecca says
I gave up Facebook on October 1st. The difference has been amazing! I can’t even begin to guess how many hours per DAY I was spending on it, but I just cannot do that anymore. God and my family all deserve more of me than they were getting.
Dayna@ Lemonlimeadventures.com says
I love how you divide the time and see where you are spending your time. I need to re-evaluate. I just started homeschooling and blogging at the same time. 🙂 So much to learn.