Spending Time, Finding Time

Continuing with this week’s theme, lead articles from previous editions of The Dreaming Cafe’s weekly newsletter.

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On February 24, 2009 the L.A Times reported that the average family spends 151 hours a month watching television and another 27 hours a month online. This is equal to 7.4 days per month or SIX hours PER DAY!

That little tidbit of news astounded me!!

Combine this with trying to juggle work, grocery shopping, housework, writing our first novel, PTA, soccer practice, directing the community play, dance lessons, cheerleading, homework, science projects, starting and managing our own business, and the list goes on and on. Throw in an average daily commute of about a sixty minutes per day, based the latest US Census Bureau survey, and we wonder why we are tired, exhausted, and have ‘no time’?

Now, you may not spend six hours watching television per day, but do you know how much time you do spend? How about grocery shopping, running errands? Checking and answering emails at home and at work? Have you ever stopped to figure out how much time these activities absorb in a normal week?

We all have the same 24-hours per day. Most of us have jobs, businesses, families, responsibilities and our days are full. We spend all of our time absorbed in living and meeting these responsibilities.

So, what can we do?

We can’t save time. We can’t put it in a ‘time bank’ and use it later.

What about finding time? Is it possible to restructure our days and spend our time more wisely so that we find more time to devote to more fulfilling activities or find time to pursue our goals and dreams?

Over the last year I realized there were a lot of things I wanted to do, but didn’t seem to be able to find the time for them. And, when I did find time, I was too tired to do anything or I was so unaccustomed to having free time I didn’t know what to do with it.

I decided to make finding time a priority. Below are some of the things I did that worked.

Sandy’s “Fav Five” for Finding Time:

1. Turn off the TV. I only watch about 4-hours of television per week, less than an hour per day. These hours are spent watching pre-recorded programs and DVD’s and PBS (cooking shows, NOVA, etc.) I do not watch the morning or evening news. Twice per day I check the Internet headlines to keep up with what is going on in the world. I limit this to 5-10 minutes. Reducing my TV viewing time to less than one hour per day didn’t happen over night. It was a gradual process. And, honestly I don’t miss it.

2. Plan meals and shop with a list. This not only helps me find time for other activities, it also saves money. Most of the time (not always) I try to plan what we will eat for the whole week. I make a grocery list based on our planned meals and shop accordingly. We do the ‘big’ shopping every Sunday morning and we stop at the farmer’s market once or twice during the week for fresh fruits and vegetables.

3. Eat at home and cook extra. By cooking our meals at home and cooking extra, we do not have to drive to a restaurant, wait to be served or sit in the drivethru. By cooking extra and making soups and casseroles on the weekend, we are almost always guaranteed meals for lunch and dinner the rest of the week. And, the prep time for a home cooked meal each night is only about twenty minutes. An extra benefit…it’s healthier for me and my family.

4. Combine errands. This is an easy one with a little planning. I combine errands into one trip, such as getting gas, picking up the dry cleaning, stopping at the farmer’s market and going to the post office to pick up our mail. It saves gas and money, too.

5. Letting go. It doesn’t have to be perfect. This goes for just about everything. Housework: It doesn’t have to be perfect. A little dust never hurt anyone, A few pillows out of place is okay. A few smudges on the fridge? So what? Let it go. Car or truck: unless you REALLY love washing, vacuuming and polishing your car or truck, let it go. An occasional run through the local car wash is all you need. Dinner: Have a pizza delivered and use paper plates and napkins. No one said you had to cook every night. Yard work: Unless you truly enjoy having a perfect yard, it’s okay to have a few leaves piled in the corner. It’s okay to mow the lawn once every two weeks instead of every Saturday. No one’s walking around with a ruler checking how tall your front lawn is.

These are my “Fav Five” tips for finding time. I now spend my time pursuing activities I enjoy: writing, reading, learning, hanging out with my nieces and nephews, family and friends, and most of all, spending time with you and The Dreaming Cafe.

How are you spending time? What are your tips and tricks to finding time? Email me and share your favorites.