I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm highly effective or even remotely effective all the time. In fact, yesterday I didn't shower and get dressed until 3:30pm and my workout was less than conventional. That's just a disclaimer... read this having that in mind. Not every day is perfect. The big point is, that's my goal. I want to become highly effective. And, maybe you stopped by because you do too.
Over the last year I have learned how to make small changes in my day to start becoming highly effective (again- not there yet). I thought I would share a little trick that I learned from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that changed my life. I picked the book up over the summer and started reading it in order to channel some positive thinking and productivity into my life after becoming a mother of two.
If anyone wants to know what it feels like to be caught up on life, this book is for them. I highly suggest everyone read it and apply it. The steps Covey shares help channel proactivity instead of reactivity, leading us to that caught up feeling and reality! I want that for every single person I know!
The biggest thing I have learned over the last year is to manage my time more wisely. I'm a teacher who rarely ever brings work home. I prioritize my "big rocks" every morning. These are the big things I HAVE to do that day to prevent myself from falling behind. When first starting out, it may take some time to catch up so big rocks aren't due "like yesterday" as my mother would say. Covey suggests doing this routine every day. I have found it works better to do it weekly and just switch out a few items on it.
Since my state is on lockdown, I have found it to still be important. In fact, John and I sat down on Sunday night since we are going to be stuck in this house for a while and came up with a game plan on how to maintain productivity, and mental, physical, and spiritual health. Although I don't have a significant amount going on, I do not want to let myself go. He is working from home and needs to be on the ball. I need to keep the girls out of his hair and the office during the day. And, we both need sleep.
I also want to point out, if we look at the most successful people in history, they all mastered some of the same basic daily habits- quiet time, exercise, etc. and when they were in trying seasons, they still got up, dressed up, and took care of themselves.
1. First I list out all the roles I hold.
Wife
Mom
Teacher
Employee (yes, this is separate- teachers serve the students, employee part is everything I need to do as a teacher administratively)
Self
Church member
Homeowner
2. Then, I think about what it would take for me to be highly effective in each role.
This is more of a personal reflection and evaluation of things that need to be done by the end of the day (or week for me). Like I said, I can usually get away with doing this weekly- but I'm going to share one of the first ones I did- which is a daily schedule.
3. List out the things I need to accomplish under each role.
For example, one day may look like this: Wife: -Encourage John by leaving a note in his lunch bag
-Pray for him
-Dinner
-Make sure laundry is done
Mom: -Read to them
-Color or play- make sure we laugh together
-Take them outside
-Relaxing bedtime
-Pump enough milk
Teacher: -Copies
-Grade tests
-Start math presentations
-Make homework
-Have fun with my students
-Update objectives
Employee:
-sign documents
-post cards
-meeting
Self
-Slot and Spot
-Reading
-Prayer time
-Exercise
-Drink more water
-Eat enough
Church member:
-Prepare for mom's group
Homeowner: -Clean one bathroom
-Laundry
4. Work this into a schedule. Yes, I schedule every single minute of my day when I am working and will be doing that very loosely when we are off. Right now it will look a little different and I won't have minutes scheduled out and I am sleeping in some too. I have nap time to be productive during and can multitask the chores in as we are playing. We are working on chores with Emerson, too, so she needs to be apart of that.
This is a schedule from a few months ago:
5:30- wake up and feed Cora
5:45- start laundry, slot and spot and prayer time, write a note for his lunch box (wife and self section)
6:15- exercise (self section)
6:45- get ready for work, eat breakfast
7:15- girls wake up- breakfast, reading, play time, switch laundry over(mom and wife/homeowner sections)
8:00- leave for work
8:20- set up for the day and update objectives, fill up water, copy homework (teacher and self sections)
8:50- students arrive and I begin teaching
10:20- planning period- finish copies, water/snack, work on math presentations while pumping (mom, self, and teacher sections)
11:05- teaching time
12:35- lunch and fill up water- DO NOT WORK- connect with coworkers if possible while pumping (self and mom section)
1:05- teaching time
1:40- grade those tests while the kids are at recess and pumping (teacher and mom section)
2:10- pick up kids from recess and teaching time
3:40- quiet pack up/dismissal- meet with kids if needed, clean up the classroom, review anything, finish daily goal and big rocks (teacher section)
4:10- commute home
4:36- home/wash hands- take over and care for the kids- play time and start dinner if it's my turn (mom and wife sections)
After dinner the rest of the evening is spent finishing up laundry/clean the bathroom, playing with the kids, coloring, reading books, going outside, watching a movie, etc.
6:30- bath time
7:00- bed time routine
7:45- side by side time*- show/read a book for small group- the tv is just background noise because I'm super sensitive to sounds (self, church, and wife sections)
8:30- asleep
Each category was completed. I went to bed with everyone's needs met. I am going to say that this usually works. The only times it doesn't work is when there's something that comes up after work or a meeting gets thrown into my schedule last minute. Being a teacher and not bringing home work is extremely hard but when time is allocated appropriately and classroom routines are set, it is possible. My school is becoming a Leader In Me school (Covey's seven habits for children- a school program) which allows for the students to recognize how much work it takes to run a classroom and they are able to discover their strengths and interests in order to take on some of that weight.**
Since we are on lockdown now, those other times in the day are spent with any home projects I have, treating myself to a nap, cleaning up, planning activities for the girls and/organizing. I'm more relaxed with it, but am still mindful to exercise, do my quiet time, be creative, and take care of my home and family.
XO,
Shelby
*Side by side time is time that John and I spend with each other but each doing what we enjoy- we are spending time together, but on our own hobbies.
**I did work in a Leader In Me school previously and have always incorporated some of the elements into my classroom management. I'm a firm believer that students take more pride when they are invested. Please know that it takes time, and does not happen overnight... I'll write a post soon on how to set up your classroom routines and procedures, and how to simplify your life, so you too can not bring work home. I found that when I created a separation between work and home, I became a better mom, wife, and teacher, simply because I was not stressed about "all the things" at one time. If you're wondering how I pump during all these things... I give all credit to the Freemie pump. No one even knows I'm doing it- until now.
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