Today I am combining two challenges into one.  I got off track yesterday.  I have shingles, didn’t get much done in the morning, went to the Dr., went to Dollar Tree to pick up most of the stocking stuffers I needed to buy, came home and crashed.    So this challenge is rather difficult since I am not feeling well.  But you know, that’s life.  Sometimes in life we are off schedule and that’s ok.  When that happens we re-group and do better the next day (or maybe next week or month).

How many of you feel there is too much to do in a day?  Do you wish for an extra hour?  I know that at times I certainly do.  Women are torn in so many directions and sometimes we feel that we don’t have time to breathe.

Chrystal’s challenge for day three is to budget your time. She says…  I want you to create your ideal morning routine. If you don’t have any structure in your life right now, this one action will make a big difference in how you approach each day. Take some time right now to write down the five things you need and want to do each morning. Things like exercise, read and pray, clean up the kitchen, wake and feed the kids breakfast, and prepare lunches or even dinner.
Think about how much time you will realistically need. Whatever those five things are, commit to getting up and doing them first thing tomorrow and then consistently for three weeks. Put your plan somewhere you can see it so you can keep track of your time and what you need to do. You may need to adjust what time you wake up to accommodate your morning routine, so think about that tonight and if you need to, get to bed earlier.

Take back your morning and see firsthand the difference it will make in your day!

Routines, we all have them whether we realize it or not.  For some, it is scheduled down to 15 minute intervals.  I once had a homeschooling friend who made a schedule for her three children, her husband, and herself where she knew what they would be doing every 5 minutes.  She almost drove her family crazy and decided to go with scheduling in 15 minute intervals instead.  This worked for her, but would drive me crazy.

For others, like myself, routines are much more relaxed.  When I was homeschooling and working, I had a more stringent schedule because I had to be somewhere at a certain time.  At this season, I have more of a routine  and not a schedule.  So this is my morning routine:

• Get up, get a cup of tea, check my facebook account (my daughter lives in Africa and with the time difference I can sometimes chat with her a few minutes) and watch the news.  Yes I admit, I am a news junkie.
• Get dressed
• Eat breakfast
• Devotions
• Read other  books
• Write

This is my current schedule.  I’m not real happy with it and need to make some adjustments.  So I have decided to use a timer and to spend 15 min. on Facebook (with the exception of when I can chat with Jana) and to limit my morning news intake to 30 min.  This way I can spend more time reading and writing and less time on social media and TV.

How is your morning routine?  Do you seem to get easily sidetracked  or do you hit the floor running when you wake up? If you have great intentions but get sidetracked (like me), consider using a timer. Just remember to set realistic goals for yourself or you will get frustrated.

For Day 4, Crystal  challenges you to gain an extra 15 minutes.  Doesn’t that sound lovely!  What would you do with an extra 15 minutes?

Day 4  Challenge

Start using the 15-minute principle by making a prioritized list of the things you want to accomplish in the order you want to get them done. This is a very abridged version of goal setting, but for the purpose of this challenge, it’s a fantastic place to start. You need concrete, realistic goals if you want to continually move in the right direction. Without goals, all your good intentions amount to nothing. Set a timer for 15 minutes right now and begin chipping away at this list until the timer goes off. 

These are the things I would do with an extra 15 minutes:

• De-clutter the kitchen counter or other area of the house (maybe clean out a drawer)
• Write a thank you note or send someone a word of encouragement
• Do an exercise from an old grammar book to improve my writing skills
• Put together a couple of healthy snacks so that when I’m hungry, I’ll grab them and not something with too many carbs
• Exercise

So how are you doing?  It may take me more than a few days to get back on track but I will.  Here’s to a new day!