What can you do?

Life in today's world is super busy for almost everyone. Between work, chores, family commitments, and everything else going on, many people don't even have time for themselves let alone helping others.

For that reason I'm going to share some tips to free up some time to do just that- practice self-care and help others too.

First, figure out your values and establish your priorities. Only you know what that is. Do not let others do that for you! They will if you don't make it clear what they are for you. If, for example, family dinner is important to you, set a regular schedule for it and let the family members know what your expectations are. If there is a time of day you meditate, read, have devotions, exercise, or work on a hobby or something else, be clear that you do not want to be interrupted unless it's truly necessary.

Children and spouses should help around the house. Have a family meeting to decide what each person should do according to their abilities,schedules, and likes. Don't make them do a chore they despise. By letting them help with this process you will teach them about respect and responsibility. Understand that some chores need to be done even if no one wants to do them. Those chores should be decided as fairly as possible. Let those doing them know how much you appreciate it. By letting them help you with some tasks, you will also have more time available to help them with some of their projects when they could really use it.

Set up routines for your daily hygiene as well as schedule a set time for you to do the once in a while things like trimming your nails or taking a long bubble bath. Put your clothes out the night before and have everything ready you need for school or work or any other activity the next day. Routines may seem boring, but they can serve you well if you let them. They will actually free up more time to be spontaneous when you want to be!

Become a list maker. Don't only create them, but use them! I have a dry erase board in my office for my work to -dos and appointments, one in the kitchen that we add what we need from the grocery store and other places to, a specific pad for my shopping lists which I just can easily list the items from the board, a vision board to remind me of my goals,an appointment book, and more. They are tools which when used properly make a huge difference. Let me know if you have any specific ones that work well for you. I'd love to hear about them. :)

There is now a way to take notes in the shower! (See Aquanotes.com) Keep a notebook or electronic device with you at all times so as you think of things you can have a specific place for them. That clears some of the clutter out of your brain so you can focus on what you are doing at the moment. It also means when you have an aha moment or remember something important you don't forget it.

Learn to say no to anything that doesn't fit with your new priorities. Volunteer for only one thing at a time if that is all your schedule allows. That way you can do it well. Let your family and those you see on a regular basis know what you are focusing on at the moment. Allow them to support you in this. Do delegate tasks to others in your household or business. They usually are more capable than you think! Make sure to thank them for helping and recognizing their good work.

Combine several errands in run trip. Take something with you do anytime you have to wait somewhere. Learn which businesses give you the fastest and best service so you can shop there.
Consider shopping online & having things shipped or delivered to you. Alice.com, Schwans.com, Alibris.com, and Amazon.com are just a few possibilities. All of them have offered me free shipping, quick delivery, and quality items.

Look around your home or office and see where clutter is the worst problem for you. Once you know that, take time to think about what you could do to fix the situation. It may be buying storage containers, labeling things, re-purposing something you already have for a new use, getting rid of things you no longer need or want, or something else. Even if you only work on the area a few minutes a day it will make a difference very quickly.

One of the things I've not been good at is keeping an up-to-date contact list for my family,relatives,friends,business associates,etc. I'm trying to remedy this as it wastes a lot of time and energy trying to find out addresses to mail out cards and presents to, or a phone number or email address. Keeping my inbox to a reasonable amount of emails is something else I'm working on.

There are professional organizers available for hire, lots of different organizational aids available to buy, and many good books and magazine articles that can help in all of this. Short on funds?
The public library and using what you already have will work just fine.

This is a subject I've become very interested in as I see and hear from so many people who feel overwhelmed,stressed out, and feel they have no time for anything fun let alone time to help others. I was like that too. Since I've made it a priority to get more organized and set priorities for my personal life and business things have improved immensely. Yes, I still have a long way to go in some areas, but the improvement so far has motivated me to continue this for myself as well as sharing with others things that have worked for me or others.

It would be awesome if some of my readers would add your own tips in the comments below. What I have shared is just a small sampling of ideas to help anyone who would want to get started. I'll be continuing to do this for myself as well. Sharing will help all of us.

My husband and I are planning to buy a freezer soon in order to save $ on groceries by stocking up when the price is better. It will also save us from going to the grocery store so often. That will save us much time and gas. I can buy basic staples here in town, but the main part of my groceries and household goods I buy are 45 minutes to almost an hour and 1/2 one way.

You most likely have your own situation of time drainers. Find out what energizes you, and when you are feeling peppier than usual, begin tackling that challenge. You'll be so glad you did!

Lastly, if you have a period of time where you need to focus on a major project & truly don't have time to volunteer, there are still things you can do to help others. Donate money to a charity,
share a smile, open a door for someone, say a few kind words, or give someone a quick hug. There is always time to do something, but we must make it a priority.

Note: I'm not an affiliate for any of the products or websites mentioned. I was just using examples of what I like or use myself.