You Probably Don't Have a Time Management problem Part 2

     Ok, so we realize we have an energy management problem, but how do you maximize our energy?!?! Because really that's what we all want to do, right? Just like wish time management, it can be helpful to sit down, analyze, and make a plan. We'll just be looking at things a little differently.
 
  The first thing I think we need to do is figure out which task are energy draining, and which are recharging.  And I don't just mean food and sleep charge, everything else drains. There is a lot more to it than that! So grab a notepad, pen, and a delicious beverage, and let's get started.

     Yes, food is our source of energy, but not all food is going to make us feel good.  How often is also really important.  When I don't eat properly, I crash big time, and it tends to be a crash that lasts much longer than the few minutes I thought I was saving by skipping a meal or a snack.
 
     Consider how much sleep YOU need.  Do you need 8 hours a night?  10? Or are you better off with 6? If you don't get enough sleep, your body doesn't have the chance to do a lot of important repairs. If your sleep is frequently interrupted, it's going to take more time in bed to get the sleep you need.

     What about hobbies?  Knitting and other crafts help me unwind and relax.  Writing recharges me, too, as does working my Lilla Rose business.  Rest is good.  By taking the time for yourself by doing the things you love, you can prevent burnout.  Don't forget - you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.  If you don't "keep Sunday" already, start*.  I have a post on that here, but this one from Like Mother, Like Daughter is MUCH better, plus it has the voice of years of experience behind it.  (By the way, I will probably be sharing a LOT from LMLD.  I can't think of a better blog for a new bride - or any wife, really.)

     Are you an introvert or an extrovert?  Introverts are going to recharge best alone, or maybe with a small group.  Extroverts recharge best with people!  So an introvert who works with people all day are going to need some quiet time in the evening, and an extrovert will probably want to spent time with friends or family, especially if their job isn't very social.

     Next lets look at the daily grind.  We all have tasks that we have to do.  Some we enjoy, some we hate, and some are just there.  Figure out what falls into each category.  Usually it's best to get the hardest tasks out of the way first, then you don't have to spend the day dreading them.  Also, it doesn't hurt to take a look at why each task is in a category.  If you hate to put laundry away because you hate drawers (yup, that's me) then pick up some hangers for your clothes instead.  Move things around.  Find new ways to do things.  I'm not a big fan of washing dishes, but I'm always surprised how quickly they get done when I'm listening to a good audiobook.  I love my Norwex clothes for cleaning windows and dusting - I don't get a headache from fumes, and it kinda feels like magic how well they clean.  Find out how your family feels about their chores, too.  Someone else in your household might not mind that task you dread.  Go ahead and delegate it out. (And for all things housekeeping, I refer you again to LMLD.)

    Finally you want to look at your normal energy cycle and your schedule.  When you want to schedule things may depend on whether you are a morning person or a night owl.  You might find it easier to do mental work after physical, or the other way around. Ladies, like Paula said you may even want to take a closer look at your whole month to see when the best time to do some things.  And if you know that the end of the month tends to be stressful because of deadlines at work, then you might not want to invite company over that weekend.  Unless of course you are an extrovert.

    Even if you aren't one to stick to a schedule, I think this can help create some habits that will enable you to get more done in a day. I think there is a lot of sense in doing your hardest, most distasteful job first thing, so you aren't dreading it all day. You can also try switching things up - hardest tasks followed by easiest to give yourself a chance to "recharge." Breaking mental work with physical work is also helpful. "A change is as good as a rest."

Please comment with your thoughts on all of this!  I'd love to hear your ideas.  Can you think of any ways you could do better in your energy management?  Any tips? In my next post I will be sharing some ideas for those who feel like they fall into that "Low Energy" category.


* A note on the importance of daily prayer.  It isn't always going to be energizing or restful - especially if you have small children to pray with.  But it is always going to be important.  We can't always feel the effects of prayer on our soul, but they are always there.  Often times it is when we find prayer the most difficult that we are gaining the most graces from it.  

Why you probably don't have a time management problem...

   First off, I'd like to thank Paula from over at Coastal Conservatory for bringing this to my attention.  Head over to her video on Facebook to hear her very wise words on the subject.

   I have to agree with her. I really think most of us do not have a time management problem.  Now I'm not saying that most of us are organized, or that we get everything done on our to-do lists, or that we don't all wish for a few more hours in the day.  But ask yourself - what would you do with those hours?  Would you wash more dishes?  Work more hours?  Or would you really just want a little more rest?  Given the choice I think most would say more rest, right?  No, my friends, we do not have a time management problem.

    I'll tell you what we do have, though (as Paula pointed out.) We have an energy management problem.  Isn't it just so true?  I can get a lot done in 20 minutes when I have the motivation.  I only have an hour to get my house clean for company? No problem!  But without that motivation...ugh.  I know its not the right way to look at it, but it is so true.

     Now, I think there are three different kinds of "energy mismanagement."  And each has it's own set of solutions.  The first is just plain having too much to do.  Now I don't just mean the feeling of having too much to do, I mean actually overbooking yourself.  If you are so busy that you have to time everything perfectly so as to not be late for your next activity, and no time to sleep it might be time to cut something out.  Do you (or your darling offspring) really need to take that painting class this month?  Or can it wait until tap is over?  Is there someone else who can manage the church bake sale?  After all, you are all ready in charge of the spring social AND you are teaching 3rd grade religious ed.  No dear, it really isn't as easy baking 12 dozen cookies as it is baking 2.  Slow down!  Delegate!  Learn to say no!  Once that is done, make sure you don't fall into category two or three.

      The second kind of energy mismanagement isn't really mismanagement at all.  It is an energy shortage.  Maybe you are getting over the flu, or a surgery.  Maybe you just had a baby - or are working on it!  Maybe you've suffered a loss, or are going through some other stressful situation.  Or maybe you have a chronic illness that your body is constantly battling.  It's no wonder we don't have energy for everything outside - our bodies are too busy healing what's inside.  Whatever the reason, your "battery" doesn't charge like most peoples.  This is where I am right now, so I think that's why Paula's words hit me so hard. It was that spark that made me realize that maybe there is something I can do to make my household run more smoothly, and to actually accomplish things during the day, despite my low energy.  While my general tips (in my next post) will apply, I know it is going to take a lot more "working smarter not harder" to get to were I want to be.  That will be a post of it's own.

     "That's fine and good," you say, "but I know I'm not overbooked, and I'm not sick - I just can't get everything done!" This is probably where most people fall.  You know you should be able to get it all done, but how?  You look back on your day and wonder what you really did - and why it made you so exhausted.  Stay tuned for Part 2, where I hope you will find some good suggestions!

    I'd love to hear what you think of this idea!  Which category do you fall into?

I love this journal...

My Lilla Rose Journey

     My Lilla Rose journey started long before I ever heard of Lilla Rose.  It started when I was 8 and chose Kirsten when I bought my very own American girl doll 'because I could do the most things with her hair."   It started when I was 12 and started selling baked goods to my dad's coworkers.  But mostly it started that summer, when Pinterest began to inspire me to try to do more with my hair.

     I love my hair, honestly, but like sisters, we don't always get along.  My hair isn't straight or curly, it's more messy wavy.  It's thick and heavy, but fine and slippery.  Finding hair accessories that would hold my hair was pretty close to impossible, and I think that's why, even though I loved styling my dolls' hair, I never did much with my own.  My styles were basically ponytail or half up, with an occasional braid thrown in.  Oh, and hairspray makes me sneeze.  But that summer I was trying a little harder, and discovered the gibson tuck - finally an up-do that would hold my hair that I could do myself!  I remember going to a jewelry party and looking for hair clips or even a brooch that I could use in this new style.  I ended up with a pair of earrings, more to be polite to the hostess than because I loved them.  But I'm glad I went to that party, because it was one of the things that really made me look seriously at Lilla Rose.

My very first attempt with my very first flexi!

     It was a blog post that introduced me to the company - a review and giveaway on one of my favorite blogs.  To enter I had to comment with the flexi I would choose if I won.  How to choose!  They were all gorgeous!  I was still skeptical that they would work in my hair, but it was a giveaway, after all.  I think if you ask my sisters they will tell you I was kind of obsessing over them.  I REALLY wanted one, and all the reviews I found said they would work, even with difficult hair!  But I couldn't buy one at the moment.  I was living off of savings, so hair clips weren't exactly in the budget.  I didn't win the giveaway, but I didn't give up.  The stylist would post on her Facebook page when she was doing a giveaway with a blogger, and I would go enter it.  And finally, on I think my fourth try, I WON!!!  I was very excited.  I think by that time I had already made up my mind - if the clip worked the way they said it did, I was going to sign up as a consultant.

     At first I didn't plan on being very active.  I figured I'd sign up for the amazing stylist discount, and sell to a few friends.  It was October, so I could take advantage of Christmas shoppers.  But there are so many reasons it turned into much more than that.  I think the first was the stylist manual.  Not only did it have a lot of wonderful business advice, much of which I had learned in my Small Business classes, but the tone was unlike anything I had seen in a direct sales manual.  The focus was on my success - whatever I wanted that to be.  And the Facebook groups and trainings were the same way.  Everyone wanted to help me reach my goals, whether my goal was to make back my original investment, or to create a full time income.  Of course the fact that my grand opening party and my first few months with the company far exceeded my expectations definitely helped, too.

Of course I wore Lilla Rose at my wedding!

     I love this company.  I love the products and the people.  I love training people to help them reach their goals.  I really love making money in my pjs.  Over the last 3+ years, I have done parties and shows and Facebook parties.  Some have flopped, but most have done pretty well.  I love having a business that I can work as little or as much as I want.  But mostly, I love having hair clips that not only hold my hair, but are comfortable AND beautiful.  

Please visit my website at www.lillarose.biz/hairroses

What is an Amateur?

    What is an amateur? Is it someone new at an activity?  Someone inept and inexperienced? Can an amateur be an expert at their activity?

    I have always been a huge fan of the Nancy Drew books.  When I was younger, it was for the adventure and the mystery.  Now that I'm older, I still enjoy them as a good way to just relax, plus I find it fascinating how they were created, and how they have changed over the years.  Nancy Drew is the classic amateur detective.  But after solving 56 mysteries in the original series alone, one can hardly call her inept or inexperienced.  No, her "amateur" standing comes from the fact that she doesn't solve mysteries because she is paid to do it, or because she has been professionally trained  - she does it because she loves to do it.

  G. K. Chesterton once wrote: "The word amateur has come by the thousand oddities of language to convey an idea of tepidity; whereas the word itself has the meaning of passion. Now is this peculiarity confined to the mere form of the word; the actual characteristic of these nameless dilettanti is a genuine fire and reality. A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame or money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well.  Such a man must love the toils of the work more than any other man can love the rewards of it."  The word amateur is from the french, meaning "one who loves." An amateur may indeed be quite good her craft, but she needn't be.  She need only love it.

   I am an amateur.  I do many many things,  simply because I love to do them, or occasionally because I love the one I do them for.  I say I am the rambling amateur both because I have a tendency to be long winded when I write, and also because I have so many different hobbies that I rarely stay with just one for long.  And I'm always eager to learn something new, whether it is in one of my current interests or in the pursuit of a new one.  If I am an expert in anything, it is in being an amateur.

   It has been a long time since I have posted on this blog, and many things have changed in the last four years.  But now I return, as I so often return to my hobbies.  I come back with new knowledge and new ideas, and I am eager to learn more.  I have more focus now, on what this blog is.  It is the blog of a Rambling Amateur, to share what I learn and discover, and how I discovered it.  

Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael

Just a quick note before bed.  Today was the Feast of St. Michael and the angels.  Here are a few of my previous posts on the subject :)

God Bless,
Rae

http://theramblingamateur.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-michael-and-marine.html

http://theramblingamateur.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-michael-protector.html

http://somecatholicinklings.blogspot.com/2013/09/st-michael-in-time-of-peace-gilbert-k.html

When Your Kiss is Met with a Cold Shoulder- A must read from Moxie Wife

Yes, I follow Moxie Wife.  I love Moxie Wife.  No, I'm not married.  I started following her back when she was Betty Beguiles because of her great style advice and all.  And I am after all studying for my MRS. degree, so it doesn't hurt to be getting these great little marriage tips now, right?

Hallie really writes some amazing blog posts.  And now and then, like today, there is just so much wisdom in them I just thank God that she blogs, so I can hear it.  Todays post is about marriage, I know, but really it is about all relationships.  Not just romantic relationships, either.  Family relationships.  Friendships.  Even coworkers could take some notes.

How often do we loose our tempers and our joy and proceed to drag everybody else down with us?  Too often.  And how often to we find ourselves in the presence of a grump and let them take us with them?  Far too often.  It's the easy way.  It's the instinctive way.  But maybe it isn't the only way.  

Today I encourage EVERYONE to read this.  Spouses I think do have a special duty to take it to heart, but we can all learn something.
When Your Kiss is Met with a Cold Shoulder

God Bless!

P.S.
I haven't been around here much, but I've been pretty busy over at my new blog, Catholic Inklings.  Check it out!

Brain Dead?

I would like to encourage you all to read the Summer 2010 newsletter of Life Decisions International.  I feel it explains thoroughly the Catholic Church’s teaching on organ donation, and the very serious problems with organ harvesting as it is practiced in the medical field today. This is an area of the culture of death that I do not see addressed very often, and I think there is a lot of confusion on the issue.  I myself was not aware of the problems with organ donation until relatively recently.  
       What is most concerning is the fact that it is impossible for certain organs, including the heart, to be harvested if the patient is already dead.  This means that it is the doctor killing these people, not their injuries.  The term “brain dead” was created to make these harvests possible, but brain death, no matter what the doctors may say, is not truly death. You can’t be dead if your heart is still beating, and your heart can’t be donated once it stops beating.  I should note that this is often why the EMTs will continue CPR, even when there is little chance of recovery for someone - to keep the heart "beating" until the organs can be harvested.      We hear a lot about Abortion and Euthanasia when we talk about Pro-Life issues.  It’s easy to see why they are wrong.  It’s harder to realize and explain why we can’t support organ donation for organs such as the heart.  It’s hard to even to explain to ourselves when looking at those waiting for a donation WHY it is unethical for them to ever receive that donation.  But we must look at this situation, and the truth of what really goes on.  And we must continue to pray and work for the respect for life from conception through natural death.  I could keep going here, but I know the newsletter is a much better authority than I am.