Hello everyone. I’m Guest Host Penelope Perfect and I write at www.you’vegottobekiddingme.com You can find me at the corner of Your Life Lane and No Longer an Option Street…now if you believe that, wow, wow, wow!
For us at WAH folks, time management is king…we’ve always said we don’t want “the man” breathing down our necks, intimidating us, scaring us, but who keeps us on task, on time, and on target? We do!
What helps me is a schedule – duh, you say? Why it works for me is accountability – I’ve got to put on paper what I have actually done (and plan to do). I have a “to do” list either in my head or on paper and then I write down what I’m planning to do. Since I’m very recently unemployed, this schedule can vary. For instance:
8:00 – 9:00 wake up, morning medicine, walk dogs, breakfast. I usually make chocolate milk using sweetener and cocoa (I’m way too cheap for chocolate milk mix).
9:00 – 12:00 computer time. This includes blog and work at home research. I do allow myself 5 minutes per hour on social media (i.e. Face book). Laundry, clean house (alternating, so that I can deal with my ADHD personality), lunch…a girls gotta eat, right? This includes well meaning phone calls from friends and relatives about my job search, am I bored, etc.
12:00 – 1:00 get cleaned up – shoes to makeup.
1:00 to 4:00 – OK, I’ll admit it: sometimes I nap the afternoon away (I have no little ones at home). I might plan/print a grocery list and coupons, clean out a closet, etc.
4:00 until bedtime – Hubby has a regular job and we have a membership at an awesome wellness center – affiliated with our local hospital, much more than a workout facility. I might drive into town to work out (great for the unexpected anxiety and depression which comes from job loss), get my nails done (I’ll keep my fake nails until I can’t afford gas or groceries), get dinner (yes, we are still eating out too much, now cheaper places or with coupons). I plan to stay out of the malls unless I can really justify a great deal. We might visit friends or family, watch way too much television, more computer time, play with my dogs, etc. When the nighttime air is cool, might take a ride in our antique convertible with our dogs.
Another thing that really has helped keep me on task is inviting a friend over to work with me. She is working on a doctoral degree, so she can work on schoolwork while I work on various projects. CHATTING IS ONLY ALLOWED IN OUR FIRST FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!!!!! No exceptions!
I spent many years working to physical exhaustion and falling asleep on the couch at night. I’m no doctor, but I believe this is a terrible thing to do. First of all, I would wake up, eat something and then go to bed. This caused for an interrupted sleep cycle and not enough rest. Now, I use my CPAP machine (another post) and go to bed so that I can get a minimum of 7 hours nighttime sleep.
Please leave a comment. Do you keep a schedule? Why or why not?
Nice job, Penelope!! Yes I do have a schedule but its in the form of a "To Do" list. I like to be able to see that I did accomplish something on those "dark" days.
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