Managing Distractions...Women's Conference part 2
As part of the topic of House of Order, House of God explained in my last post, one of the things we focused on was how to manage the many things that distract us. There are lots, aren't there? Books, television, computer, cleaning up messes, breaking up fights, lunch with friends, hobbies, sexy husbands (ha ha), and a myriad of specific things that could fall into any of those categories.
To start off, I would argue that things like cleaning up messes, breaking up fights, making lunch, taking care of the kids, etc. fall into the category I like to think of as part of my "job" as a keeper of the house. If I look at it that way, then I don't see them as a waste of my time or effort in keeping my house, I see it as something that I am responsible for taking care of (or at least one of the parental units is responsible). So, when I look at the other things, that is where I find my problems lie...
I don't have many hobbies. I am not crafty. I do have a pinterest account of all the beautiful things I would love to have in my home, but they are there mostly as a suggestion for anyone looking to purchase me a gift for my home, take your pick hint hint. I don't enjoy too many hobbies besides running (but we all should exercise, shouldn't we?) and writing (and I look at that also as a job since sometimes I get paid for it). I don't like to decorate, paint, create jewelry, scrapbook, paper craft, etc. But I know some of you do.
I insist that we ought to have something that is ours and ours alone. Something to break up the monotony of what we sometimes think of as drudgery when it comes to keeping house. Everyone needs something to escape to...every once in a while. But with that escape there needs to be a balance.
My most severe distraction is the computer. Since I'm on it a lot for work, it would be easy for me when I'm sitting here, to say I'm just gonna check my Facebook for a minute and then get back to work when in reality we all know I might not. For some it is a book or television. I have also found myself saying yes to a lunch date when I ought to stay home and straighten up. Truth is, sometimes I get overwhelmed with the amount of work I know it will take to get it clean so avoidance is a great distraction for me.
So, what do I do to manage my distractions? I use the reward system. After I have cleaned the bathroom, I get 10 minutes on Facebook or a chapter or two in a book. Kitchen dishes done and counters wiped off? 10 minutes on FB. I just read books to my babies for over 1/2 hour so I deserve to read a chapter or two in my own book. Maybe you like to watch t.v? Record your shows and then reward yourself for vacuuming a few rooms with 20 minutes to just sit and relax and watch. No DVR? Maybe clean up the bookshelves during commercials or fold clothes while you watch. I'm all about multitasking. I can get done in the 3 minutes of commercials than most people do in half an hour. They key to it is making sure your 10 minutes don't turn into an hour or one chapter into five. I have used the timer feature on my phone before and have disciplined myself to get up and walk away when it goes off.
Maybe you need to do something more drastic like turn the Facebook app off on your cell phone or simply put it on silent while you work. There are tons of ways to manage our distractions, the problem is making it a priority. Only you know what your worst distractions are and the best solution in managing them. So, tell me what is your biggest distraction is and how do you manage to work around it?
Next: Managing Finances...Women's Conference part 3
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| This is part of my job ? I say yes, guilt free. |
I don't have many hobbies. I am not crafty. I do have a pinterest account of all the beautiful things I would love to have in my home, but they are there mostly as a suggestion for anyone looking to purchase me a gift for my home, take your pick hint hint. I don't enjoy too many hobbies besides running (but we all should exercise, shouldn't we?) and writing (and I look at that also as a job since sometimes I get paid for it). I don't like to decorate, paint, create jewelry, scrapbook, paper craft, etc. But I know some of you do.
I insist that we ought to have something that is ours and ours alone. Something to break up the monotony of what we sometimes think of as drudgery when it comes to keeping house. Everyone needs something to escape to...every once in a while. But with that escape there needs to be a balance.
 |
| Office cleaning overwhelms me. Let's go to lunch. |
So, what do I do to manage my distractions? I use the reward system. After I have cleaned the bathroom, I get 10 minutes on Facebook or a chapter or two in a book. Kitchen dishes done and counters wiped off? 10 minutes on FB. I just read books to my babies for over 1/2 hour so I deserve to read a chapter or two in my own book. Maybe you like to watch t.v? Record your shows and then reward yourself for vacuuming a few rooms with 20 minutes to just sit and relax and watch. No DVR? Maybe clean up the bookshelves during commercials or fold clothes while you watch. I'm all about multitasking. I can get done in the 3 minutes of commercials than most people do in half an hour. They key to it is making sure your 10 minutes don't turn into an hour or one chapter into five. I have used the timer feature on my phone before and have disciplined myself to get up and walk away when it goes off.
Maybe you need to do something more drastic like turn the Facebook app off on your cell phone or simply put it on silent while you work. There are tons of ways to manage our distractions, the problem is making it a priority. Only you know what your worst distractions are and the best solution in managing them. So, tell me what is your biggest distraction is and how do you manage to work around it?
Next: Managing Finances...Women's Conference part 3
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