Ever feel overwhelmed with the amount of tasks that lie in front of you? Do you get that feeling your drowning in resposibility? I hear you loud and clear. This has been me more than I would like to think about. I have some tips for time management on your homestead, and how to decrease that overwheming and burried feeling of not being able to get it all done. First, no one person can do everything. Delegation is necessary on a homestead. Below are a couple of my tips to help manage your time and keep yourself from feeling bogged down.
1. Make a to do list in order to manage time
Make a list of the things that need to be accomplished. There can be one list or different list. For instance, you could have a daily list, weekly or monthly list. Once you have made your list, you can rearrange your tasks in order of priority. Decide what the most important or crucial tasks are that need to be completed. You can also decide what can be skipped if there isn’t enough time. I find having a planner has helped me keep track of what needs to be done. I can also have everything in one place so I can write notes, make adjustments and cross things off.
2. Delegate tasks to others
Like the saying goes, “Many hands make for light work.” That also applies to homesteads. If everyone is chipping in, you can get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. My kids have a chore list that they rotate every week. They know how to do every task. This is super helpful especially in emergencies or when I am sick or have to be somewhere other than home. I can rest knowing that everything will be taken care of correctly when I’m not there. Its also helps them develop lifelong skills for when they are older.
3. Wake up early to get more accomplished
This is probably where I have the most trouble. I, nor my kids, are morning people. We find ourselves sleeping in and not getting to the chores until later in the morning. This throws our entire day off. Before we know it, its lunch time, and then its the middle of the afternoon, and we still have things to get done, such as home schooling. Had we gotten up earlier, we would have had more time to get things done and manage our to do list and time much better. Its helpful to get into a routine schedule to make things a habit. Life will flow so much better with a consistent schdule. Of course there will be things that will come up and disrupt our schedules. Thats life. There does have to be some flexibility to be able to vary our routines and schedules from time to time.
4. Be realistic with your expectations
No one can do it all! I often have unrealistic expectations for how I want things to be done. There will be days when things seem to fall apart because the unexpected has happened. Sometimes animals get sick, things break and need repaired, or you’re short handed for one reason or another. There will be times when you will have to be flexible and things will not get done or go as expected and that’s ok. There will also be days when everything falls into place and everything seems to just work out perfectly. The key is to enjoy the journey and reep the rewards of your hard work.
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