Problem: Usually I spend at least an hour of my morning on the computer – reading and answering e-mails, reading my favorite blogs on Google Reader, and, of course, blogging. This is in between chores and whatever I have on the agenda for the day. By afternoon, I am tuckered out, and really need to rest, but If I take a nap, I can’t get too sleep at night. Simply just sitting on the couch would be a sufficient rest, but feels like a waste of time (unless I have a good book to read!). By the end of the day, I am exhausted and haven’t often got as much done as I wished I could.
Solution: Knowing I didn’t want to spend another week walking around in a state of exhaustion, I knew I needed a new routine. I started my day this morning with the simple prayer “Lord, give me wisdom and strenth!” and, whad’ya know – He did! I suddenly realized that I was wasting some of my most energetic moments in the morning sitting at the computer, when those ‘tasks’ would be better timed in the afternoon, giving me a reason to sit down for a while. I know, I know, it sounds stupidly simple, but it made a huge difference in my day!
I only got online quickly this morning to tell you about Jordan’s arrival, then I hopped back up and set-to making my boys breakfast and cleaning up my kitchen. Soon as that was done, I set out on some errands, one of which was to pick up my friend Alyssa as we were going to sew together. By 10 we were back at my house and cutting out our fabric in my tidied kitchen (the studio being mostly guest room at this point, and only big enough for one seamstress on a normal day!). I will tell you about our project tomorrow! At 11:30 we stopped to make lunch, fed pizza to the boys, then headed up to give Alyssa a tour of the Blue Moose. We sewed again till Alyssa had to leave at 2, and only THEN did I sit down to the computer! I made significant progress in my goal to clean out my inbox before vacation at the same time as getting off my feet for a while. After an hour, I sewed again until it was time to make dinner – Salisbury Steaks, sauted green beans, mashed potatoes and spiced applesauce (ohh, yummmm….) Thanks to my rest in the afternoon, I had the energy to get my kitchen completely clean after dinner, instead of leaving it for the next morning as I often do when I am to tired.
I will definitely sleep well tonight!
Do you ever feel like the computer (or something else in your life) controls you, rather than you controlling it? What do you do to keep from being sucked into wasting time online? I would love to hear from any one else who has thoughts on this, as it is an area I am constantly working to get better at.
Well that’s all from me tonight – now it is definitely time for bed!
That’s really cool! How did Jesse enjoy coloring himself?