1. Paper planner, digital calendar or other option?
Oh, this is tough. I think I am all over at this point. After a DIE HARD I WILL NOT EVER USE DIGITAL.....I have slowly converted. But I will say my life is not what it used to be. People think I am busy now but now that I graduated our last child and my life has entered a different phase plus I have more help at our church plant I can say I do not have as many things to record as I once did with three children and major coordinator over several ministries.
.png)
The purple color are scheduled things!
SO... now, everything goes on my phone calendar the instant I schedule something and set alerts to remind me a week ahead and a day ahead. I use my notes before bed to create a daily to do list and night I check off what I accomplished and then start a fresh one with reminders about the next day. I still make a few mental notes on paper that I need to make sure I absolutely do not forget.
.png)
This is an example of my TO DO list on my phone notes app.
2. Meal planning, meal prep or wing it?
After 25 plus years of religiously meal planning and prepping for the past two years I have been way more relax due to my season of life and less to cook for. I have themes and just keep an arsenal of recipes and family favorites and a well-stocked basic pantry and freezer. I don't really wing it but I also don't plan everything.
We do have soup and bread in the winter on Mondays, simple Family Dinner when all the kids come home on Thursday and a traditional Sunday meal. I always cook on Tuesday, and I do not cook on Wednesday nor Friday.
Yummy Orzo Soup! A family favorite on Soup Mondays!
3. Do you choose your outfit the night before?
Not really. On Saturdays I plan my outfit for church for Sunday. As a Pastor's Wife and someone who helps leads and sings for church as well as cook our Sunday meal before 9 a.m. for 8 people I HAVE TO BE PREPARED THE NIGHT BEFORE! I do not have time for that on Sunday morning. I do plan ahead at times if I have conferences, events, or appointments early in the morning. Other than that...NOPE! I also do not work outside the home! Oh, if I am leaving super early for a morning hike or a 5k I do lay out my outfits, shoes, bags, and change of clothes.
This is me in a hotel at a conference. I was traveling with 20 plus women and sharing a room. I have to be very planned and organized to accommodate others and space.
4. Tips for managing laundry and ironing
I start a load of laundry every single day first thing in the morning and make sure that I dry, fold and put away by the end of the day. I do this 5-6 days a week. I do not wash on Sundays if I can help it. I rotate sheet days for my family weekly. I wash our bath rugs and things like that every other Thursday. The biggest thing is I do not over complicate it; I never let it pile up even if I am sick, and I make sure to have all of it done before the weekend.
Ironing- We iron as we need it. I take our clothes immediately out of the dryer and hang them or fold them, so we rarely need it. My husband irons his own clothes as needed if I can't get to them.
Source off Pinterest
5. Grocery shop online or in store
Mostly in store because I like to get out in the community once a week. Believe it or not (because you all see my posts on hiking and traveling) I am a homebody. I have to be pretty purposeful to get out. Plus, I like shopping for my own stuff.
But when I am sick or having an "off" day, I will do it online. I am currently feeling under the weather, so I shopped online today!
80% in store and 20% online as needed.
6. Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without chaos?
I am probably going to repeat the same things others do. I just plan and prepare as much as I can. I do make post it notes and put them on my door with reminders if I need to. I always have things I need to take to church or return. I will often put a post it up saying turn on the crockpot before you leave, grab this or that and etc. I do gather all things I need into one spot in a visible area beforehand.
7. Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks
Easiest Dinners-
I think anything pasta and all kinds of sauces are easy!
Dump and Go Chicken Crockpot recipes and tacos.
8. Best tips to keep your house organized during the week
*I just make sure to have a morning, afternoon and evening rhythms.
*Basic things like tidy up at each of times I mentioned above (morning, afternoon and evening) throughout the day.
*Deal with paper and mail as soon as it comes in the home. NO PILES!
*Wash dishes every day do not go to bed with them in the sink.
*Wash a load of clothes every day.
*Pick up and clean up as you go.
*Don't ignore simple little things that can be done in seconds or minutes. Just do it.
9. Share your easiest breakfast
Fried Egg, toast and a piece of fruit. It is easy, healthy, and cheap. It takes me less than 5 minutes to make.
A warm bagel with cheese is also a nice quick option
10. Share your Best overall tip not covered yet
My overall tip not covered.....
Would be DON'T waste time media scrolling or prioritizing spending too much time online or on frivolous things. I love being online just like everyone here BUT I do set very serious limits daily. If not, it is so easy to get lost in internet land and neglect things and let things get behind and then you quickly feel overwhelmed. Set a timer for online time and schedule it in your days so you can take care of the MUST DO THINGS FIRST and then take a nice break with treat and enjoy some time online then when the timer is up do the next things you NEED to do and then repeat, enjoy some time online and so on. This has been the best thing I have put into practice in my life.
I am linking up with Good Better Best Life for Monthly Musings. Check others out as well as our lovely host, Patty, here.
With Love,
Chrissy T
.jpg)
.jpg)
16 comments:
Enjoyed reading your comments and getting to know you better. Janice
Don't waste time on social media. Probably one of the best tips for so many things/situations. Everyone feels super busy - but they all seem to manage time for mindless scrolling, social media, etc. etc. I have also changed my priorities with things like cooking dinner/meal planning, laundry, etc. It is a perk in this empty nest season of life:) Happy Friday to you!
I love ❤️ sunnyside up eggs with toast.
I do my grocery shopping at the store because I like to pick the items myself. I then have the store deliver it to my apartment as I use public transit.
Thank you, Janice! Hugs!
Oh it for sure a perk!!!!! You too!
Nice to read all your answers!! :)
You are a very busy lady! Wow! It helps that you are super organized! I used to be a lot more organized than I am now. Since we retired and it's just the two of us at home, we are much more relaxed in our routine, but I must say we do still maintain a basic routine for times getting up, eating, clean up, bedtime, etc. I usually do laundry every other day or every two days, depending on what needs to be done...but towels, washclothes, underwear get washed every other day pretty much, and good clothes/dark things maybe every 3 days. Bedding once a week. Like you I put laundry on first thing in the morning and get it dried, folded and put away before noon. Grocery shopping I prefer to do my own, and we usually make a run to our local grocery store once a week for meats and vegies and whatever is on special that we need, and then to Walmart maybe once a week or week and a half for the bigger items. We try to run all our errands in the morning before lunch time and then we are home for lunch and take a nap after lunch. We need it! I remember when I was a pastor's wife and we had our three kids at home...and the routine for getting everyone out the door on time and have a Sunday dinner cooking, etc., oh yeah! I do remember those days. We are a bit more relaxed these days on Sunday, but oftentimes our adult kids do come home for Sunday dinner. Thankfully my daughter in law helps me a lot in the kitchen. Sorry I am rambling on. I enjoyed your post.
Your system for getting all the household laundry done so regularly is great! With just two of us, laundry isn't that big a deal, but I don't have a great system for getting the stuff other than clothes and towels laundered efficiently.
Absolutely right about not wasting time scrolling and on internet entertainment! I've been lazy about enforcing my time limits over the past couple months and it shows. And not ina good way. So I'm trying to get back on track there.
Great tips! Enjoyed reading and getting to know you better!
Oh, Linda, that is awesome they will deliver to your apartment, but you can still go and choose your own things.
Thank you HappyK
Oh, I loved reading your comment! We are much slower than it used to be but still busy"ish" and need order. :) I also try to get things done out in town before noon if I have to get out. Hugs!
Thank you, Kym.
I do not have much going on in my life so I don't really have much of a calendar at all. That being said, I still use calendars mostly to mark when a bill is due or a vacation and I do both paper and digital. As far as meals, I'm definitely a planner because I follow a regular diet plan. I also think you save money at the grocery store if you plan your meals in advance.
Very interesting! I enjoyed all your tips.
I'm a big meal planner. I use a little calendar book and write my meals in them, get groceries accordingly and I use it to look back and get menu ideas too. I've been doing this for years!
I use a mix of paper and digital. Digital means I can share a planner with my family and keep track of where they all are on different days. I still meal plan but I imagine when my girls leave home I won't as much.
I have limited myself to just scrolling on social media when all my jobs are done. I could easily spend too much time scrolling.
I'm a paper girl and I love lists. It's funny, now that my kids are grown I thought my book would be less full, but it's the opposite!
Post a Comment