Saying ‘no’.
I am not one of those people to say ‘Yes’ to everything. The problem I encounter is saying no to myself. Sometimes I can get so caught up with doing the things that I think need to be done and then I forget about the things I want to get done.
For example some days I can spend the whole day doing housework without resting or taking time out to recharge. This is my saying ‘no’ problem.
I am going to try to work on keeping a good pace when it comes to housework and looking after the family. If I fall apart then the rest of the family suffers.
Being organised helps with this problem. When I say being organised I mean preparing meals ahead of time and freezing them to make sure that there are emergency meals on hand for when I am unwell, or want to take some time out to rest or recharge.
Also doing things over the course of the week in smaller doses, rather then having to achieve it all at once helps too.
I am aware of the power of 15 minutes. I like to get up and work for 15 minutes and then rest for 15 minutes. I find that I get so much more done when I am not trying to achieve everything at once.
Samantha, fantastic insights – good for recognising that the person you most have trouble saying no to is YOU!
I also love how you know that if you’re not okay and taken care of, your family will also suffer.
Go easy on yourself and say no more 🙂
I;m so with you on the doing it through the course of the week and not all at once. Like last night I washed all the bed linen, hanged in and will be taken off tonight. This morning I washed the basins and toilets in the bathrooms and the floors as well. Tonight I will be cleaning the baths, showers and dust. This helps me a lot because I like to rest on a Saturday and Sunday.
I like this thing of yours: The Power of 15 minutes. Great idea.
Absolutely – what’s that about a stitch in time saves 9? 🙂 Love that you work to have your weekends free!!!!!!
It’s great that you identify the trouble area, it’s the first and most important step to be able to change them! I agree 100%on the 15 minutes: it’s very powerful!!
Great post! I do need to make some easy meals ahead of time when I find I’m stressed at the last minute. I think for the rest of the day, I’m going to do the 15 minutes of work and 15 minutes rest. Good idea!
Cooking ahead is one of my “secrets” to being able to get such a lot done
When I have a task I really don’t enjoy, I think of something I want to do. Then I set goals —30-45 minutes of unliked task = 15-30 minutes of fun stuff. If I make the reward too long, then I don’t want to go back to the task. If I make the work time too short, then it seems to consume the day.
I love the idea of making easy meals ahead of time though….sadly though our microwave bit the dust and they are quite expensive here in the Dominican Republic where we live….
Thanks for the post…good stuff!
Anna, I do exactly the same. In fact, in a few minutes after I reply to my comments I’m going to work on party favours and then reward myself with some reading later 🙂