Put First Things First

Wow, and to think I planned to do this every couple of days! Guess it's a bit more than I thought.

I'm 42 years old and still faced daily with time management issues. I was raised with a mother that was born with that special gene. You know, the one that when you look at something it runs into it's place. The one that makes all organization look easy and even automatic. Her home is always clean, her laundry always under control. Dishes always done and all seemingly effortless. I still wonder how I was born without the actual gene, but with the desire for all things to be "just so".

Simple systems make managing anything easier. Time management systems are available on every bookstore shelf. I've tested several. I've purchased several.

Systems are worthless unless you use them. Mom washed underwear on Mondays, sheets on Tuesdays, etc. That system kept the laundry under control. I've tried that system and when I do it, it works. When I don't, it doesn't. Weird...

Well, I put some time into creating a time management system that meant something. I've seen several that meant something to me. I needed something that meant something to young women, to me, to my kids, to anyone. It had to be easy to use. I looked at many. Some worked for me, but not for others that I asked.

I took the best parts of each of them and put them together. The system is included in the book that's coming out this summer.

The point is to determine what is most important to you. Set meaningful goals for that outcome and schedule them first.

What tends to happen in our daily lives is we push aside the most important parts and schedule trivial tasks first. Eventually the most valued people in our lives begin to feel pushed away and reasonably so. The most important relationships become fragile and often broken.

Time with our children, spouses, parents, friends all of the biggies, get set aside to work a few more hours to pay for the big car or big house or extra cell phone lines.

What it all comes down to is bad habits. We are in the habit of believing that the house/car/etc are what's important. We don't value experiences anymore, we value stuff. We don't play games at the table after dinner, we watch cable. Can you imagine life without your TV?

Erik and I have been talking about turning off the cable. Ouch. I can come up with some really great excuses. All of them good ones, but none of them are good enough. None of them are more important than the precious time with our kids and each other. Sure the kids will be mad. But that will fade. If we force ourselves to address what's really important to us, we'll achieve what we are set out to achieve. Put First Things First.

If a strong relationship with my 10 yr old is important to me (and it is) then he must feel that he can talk to me now. If he has to wait until the commercial, then what happens when he needs to talk to me about drugs or sex or any of a number of things I haven't even thought of yet?

We are going to turn off our TVs and turn on our family. It's a start. A good start.

God Bless.

Heather Olson