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How to Prioritize Everything

Lizann Lightfoot
by Lizann Lightfoot
August 18, 2018
priorities
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For  many  military  spouses,  this  can  be  an  incredibly  busy  season.  Whether  you  are  returning  to  school  yourself,  driving  kids  to  sports  practices,  starting  a  new  job,  preparing  for  a  deployment,  or  settling  in  after  a  PCS  move,  it  may  feel  like  your  life  is  moving  at  light  speed.  It’s  easy  to  get  overwhelmed  as  a  military  spouse,  parent,  employee,  and/or  student.  If  your  to-do  list  keeps  growing  longer  without  an  end  in  sight,  then  you  may  need  to  take  a  step  back  and  focus  on  your  priorities.

Tips to  prioritize  and  make  time  for  everything

Use  a  planner  to  map  out  priorities:  If  jotting  things  down  on  Post-it  Notes  or  keeping  a  list  on  your  phone  isn’t  enough  to  keep  your  life  organized,  then  you  may  want  to  step  up  to  a  planner.  You  don’t  have  to  be  crafty  and  spend  money  on  stickers  or  fancy  layouts.  Just  get  a  calendar  notebook  that  is  big  enough  for  you  to  write  out  daily tasks  and  deadlines.  Every  week,  take  a  few  minutes  to  think  about  your  most  important  tasks  and  write  them  down  on  your  schedule.  Each  morning,  choose  one  annoying  task  that  is  your  top  priority  for  the  day,  and  do  that  task  first.  Whether  it  is  cleaning  out  a  messy  part  of  the  house  or  scheduling  that  doctor’s  appointment  you’ve  been  putting  off,  writing  down  your  most  important  tasks  will  help  them  get  done  today  instead  of  someday.

If  you  aren’t  a  fan  of  paper  planners,  try  using  a  virtual  assistant  like  Google  calendar.  You  can  still  map  out  and  schedule  chores,  and  your  phone  will  give  you  reminders  too.  Plus,  you  can  sync  certain  activities  with  your  spouse,  so  they  know  the  kids’  sports  schedule  and  when  the  dog  has  to  go  to  the  vet.

Time yourself

Time  yourself  doing  chores:  We  all  have  a  household  chore  we  hate  to  do.  Mine is  the  dishes.  With  a  family  of  six,  our  sink  fills  up  after  every  single  meal.  It’s  difficult  to  face  an  intimidating  chore  at  the  end  of  the  day  when  I’m  already  tired.  So,  I  learned  this  trick  to  motivate  myself.  One  day,  I  timed  how  long  it  took  to  do  the  dishes.  I  was  amazed  to  learn  that  it  was  only  10  minutes.  I  was  dragging  my  feet  and  procrastinating  over  a  silly  10-minute  task!  Now,  when  I’m  faced  with  an  intimidating  kitchen,  I  tell  myself,  “I’m  just  going  to  clean  this  for  10  minutes.”  Often, that’s  enough  time  to  get  it  done.  Try the  timer  trick  with  a  task  you  hate.  You  may  be  surprised  how  little  time  it  takes  to  do  some  of  your  most  dreaded  chores!

Get creative

Find  ways  to  multi-task:  Sometimes  there  really  aren’t  enough  hours  in  the  day,  so  we  have  to  make  the  most  of  the  time  we  have.  What  are  some  tasks  that  you  can  combine?  Try  folding  laundry  while  watching  your  favorite  show.  Listen  to  your  podcast  while  doing  the  dishes.  Catch  up  on  phone  calls  while  walking  the  dog.  Clean  out  your  email  inbox  while  cycling  at  the  gym.  Don’t  put  off  those  chores;  instead,  find  creative  ways  to  rearrange  your  schedule  so  you’ll  have  time  for  everything.

Cut  prep  time

Save  time  on  meal  prep:  Work  smarter,  not  harder.  Getting  groceries  and  making  dinner  every  day  can  be  time-consuming  routines.  Look  for  ways  to  save  time  by  ordering  groceries  online  and  having  them  delivered.  You  can  also  try  curbside  pick-up  at  a  larger  store.  At  home,  try  cooking  in  batches  so  you  don’t  spend  as  much  time  in  the  kitchen.  You  can  do  meal  prep  at  the  beginning  of  the  week  or  prepare  double  quantities  of  freezer-friendly  meals.  That  way,  you’ll  have  something  prepped  and  ready  to  go  on  those  busy  evenings.

Involve  the  kids

Get  the  kids  to  pull  their  weight:  When  I  transitioned  from  stay-at-home  mom  to  working  mom,  something  had  to  give.  I  quickly  realized  that  I  shouldn’t  waste  my  time  doing  chores  that  my  kids  were  able  to  do  on  their  own.

Depending  on  the  ages  of  your  children,  try  making  a  chore  chart  or  setting  daily  expectations  so  the  kids  can  handle  these  simple  tasks  for  you:

  • Unloading the  dishwasher
  • Starting a  load  of  laundry,  or  moving  laundry  into  the  dryer
  • Setting the  table
  • Sweeping after  a  meal
  • Wiping and  drying  the  table
  • Cleaning up  their  toys
  • Feeding pets
  • Making beds
  • Wiping off  the  bathroom  sink
  • Dusting with  a  disposable  duster

If  the  kids  help  keep  up  with  these  tasks,  then  you  will  have  more  time  to  focus  on  larger  adult  priorities,  like  paying  bills  and  scheduling  an  oil  change.

Take a  deep  breath.  Life  doesn’t  have  to  feel  busy  and  overwhelming  every  day.  If  you  use  these  strategies  to  maximize  your  time  at  home,  then  you’ll  see  whether  or  not  you  can  accept  a  new  responsibility.  And  sometimes,  if  the  planner  is  always  full,  it’s  ok  to  say  NO.

Don’t accept  more  than  you  can  handle.  Instead, make  the  most  of  the  time  you  have by organizing priorities in a way that works for you.

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Lizann Lightfoot

Lizann Lightfoot

Lizann Lightfoot is a military spouse, mom of four kids, and the voice behind the Seasoned Spouse blog at www.SeasonedSpouse.com. She authored the book 'Welcome to Rota' to help military families living overseas. Her favorite places to travel are in Europe, but she's happy being anywhere that her family is together!

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