How to Get it ALL Done....

So much to do and literally only 12 (or so) hours to get things done in a day. How are we supposed to get everything done and still have time for family, friends, and ourselves?  With a full-time job, three kids, graduate school and building a business, I have come up with some ways to get (almost) everything done.  List are the areas that cannot be ignored in our daily life and a few ways I have been able to get stuff accomplished.

Cleaning the House:

 Most would agree that cleaning is a time consuming non-stop task.  The best tip I adopted was to make a list of house cleaning tasks that need to be done daily (dishes, laundry, vacuuming ect.) and the tasks that can be done on a weekly basis (bathroom, floors, dusting ect.).  Pick set days when the weekly tasks will be complete and for the daily tasks pick times of the day when you will get the list complete.  I always do laundry before I go to work and make sure the kitchen is clean before I go to bed.  If you have help (Child labor) make a chart for chores, even toddlers can help!  

Add the daily tasks to the calender or planner

Make the best use of your time and helpers.  I put in a load of laundry in as soon as I wake up. I have three hours before I leave the house for work which is plenty of time for two loads to be washed, dried, and put away (by my helper). 

Don't over do it.  A clean house is nice but do not stress out about a lived in house.  If you have the dirty tasks under control then don't worry about the toys or random clutter. 

Declutter and organize.  A house with less will never be that messy, it's science! Check out this awesome post on becoming a minimalist: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/

Essential Oil: I love to use Young Living Purification in my baking soda carpet freshener, 1 cup baking soda 3-5 drops of YL Purification, one jar with a shaker lid. Shake onto carpet  and let sit for a few minutes then vacuum up! 

Exercise:

fitting in time to exercise can be so hard, my biggest excuse is being tired. My workout needs to be scheduled daily otherwise I will never get to it.  Three tips that really help me accomplish exercising (almost) daily:

Do something you actually want to do.  I love to bike and lift weights so I incorporate that into my workouts.

Get up a little earlier.  I love to workout in the morning before the family is up, plus the workout is in the books before the day has even started.  

Don't spend more then 30 minutes.  I have read more then once that working-out for 20-30 min is adequate.
Check it out: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/your-exercise-routine-how-much-is-enough

Essential oil: I love to diffuse Young Living Peppermint and Lemon or Citrus Fresh when I workout.

Family Time: 

This sounds like I am making a chore out of hanging with the family, which I am not, but too many of us don't really spend time with our families. We assume that because we are around these individuals all the time that family time is all the time.  In our day to day obligations we can so quickly forget how awesome the people we get to spend time with really are.  Family time can be an impromptu movie night, family walk, or cooking dinner together. Family time is often thought of as a planned out event or all day affair. With all the other obligations in life, fit in quality when you are short on quantity.  I spent time with my daughter one morning reading before school, it was not planned but the kids were up earlier then usual and I had not had time to read.  She really enjoyed listening and asking questions.  Make use of the time you have and make it quality with those you have the privilege to share a home with. 

Essential Oil: Young Living has two wonderful blends I like to apply and diffuse when the whole family is hanging out: Joy and Stress Away....enough said.

Time with Friends:

Friends really are the best, they keep us grounded, entertained, and provide a feeling of belonging. When we were young our friends were our main focus; but as we have grown older so many other obligations get in the way of spending time with our friends.  I have friends who live close and others who live far.  Keeping in contact with friends is important and difficult.  Here are a few simple tips to keeping those friendships alive:

Talk on the phone or send an email:  Just calling even for 10 minutes is a good way to stay in touch.  The best time for me is when I am driving to school.  I sit in 40 minutes of traffic so it is a perfect time to catch up.  Sending a message to a friend lets them know you are thinking about them.

Double duty:  Meet up and complete an everyday task together. Exercise together, go for a bike ride or a run.  Schedule to get your hair done at the same time in the same salon.  Go to the Farmers market or take the kids to the park.  

Remember important dates: I am the worst at this but remembering a friends birthday and sending a card or flowers is a great way to keep the connection.  

Essential Oil: Thieves, I need to stay well and so does my family so I can spend my time with the ones I love.  Being sick is not an option when you are short on time.

Time for Self: 

This is so important and I know it's the hardest one. Like I have said I wake up early so I can work out and read. It's my quiet time everyday and it keeps me balanced.   I love reading and honestly have no time for it unless I make time for it.  Find the one thing that you really love; mediation, shopping, reading, or whatever you don't make time for that you enjoy.  Knowing how and what you want to spend time on will create a desire to make it happen.  Often we may feel like there is no time for ourselves, but don't know what we would do if we had extra time. The best way to carve out time for yourself is to plan it out.  If you want to get your nails done make the appointment, if you want to nap then send the kids and hubby out for a few hours, if you need some quiet time turn off the computer or TV and make it happen.  It can be the one area of out lives that we neglect, but if we make this happen we are better to all those around us. 

Essential Oil: I love lavender, it is calming and really helps me stay in the moment.

Get your own essential oils here: http://www.essentialoilenjoyment.com/ 

Fitting in time for Fitness

For me working out is the only time I have to myself but  have found that if I don’t wake at the crack of dawn then I abandon all possibilities of getting a workout in.  I have made a commitment to getting in shape without excuses, so I made a list of family friendly workouts to ensure this happens.

Exercising is not optional, and can be a really overwhelming task to add to the daily routine.  I have very little time and the best way to get exercise in for me is getting up an hour earlier (yawn) or workout as a family.  The best part about working out as a family is that you are spending family time and getting in the dreaded exercise. Here is a list of activities to do as a family to work out:

Dance Party!- Put on some music and go crazy, you will burn upwards of 600 calories for 30 minutes of dancing around!

Family walk- We walk as a family all the time and it is a great way to hear about my daughter’s day at school and get the boys to calm down before bed.

Bike Ride- This is a great way to explore your neighborhood or to venture out to a local bike trail.  Ride to a local park and have lunch.

HIIT-Get your whole family involved in a High Intensity Interval Training session. Set up five stations: one for Push-ups, Jumping jacks, Squats, Sit ups, and Running in place.  Set a timer and have each family member start at a station and switch every 30 seconds.  This is fun even for young kids and hilarious to watch as they attempt each exercise.

Go for a Hike-Get outside and go for a hike, this will not only accomplish family time and exercise but it will also add to time spent outdoors, which is always a goal of mine.  Make sure you pick a trail that will be fun and doable for the whole family, the last thing you want is to have kids melting down on a mountain trail.

Go swimming- My kids love to swim and I will admit we never go (adding to my list). For families with a pool this is a no brainier, but for those of us without pools, we can venture to the local public pool or YMCA.

The benefit of working out with your family is there is no guilt of dropping your kids at the gym daycare or leaving your significant other home to herd the kids.  Working out can be fun and help get the most out of our time spent.