How to Get it All Done {My Sanity-Saving Tip}

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Ten words is all it takes to help you get it done.

When those ten words are repeated out loud ten times, I’m telling you, it makes all the difference in the world. I’ve conquered seemingly impossible to-do lists with the help of those words.

But before I get into that…

Right now, make a mental list of all your titles. I thought about giving you mine, but I didn’t want to sound like I was engaging you in a busy badge throw down.

Even if you have a short list like: “Mom” or even, “Human Being”, there is plenty enough on your plate.

I keep mental lists of all I want to get done in a day. Are those lists I’ve created for the super-human me who thinks that life is a TiVo box and can be paused for me to get massive amounts of things done in a small amount of time? *Deep breath* Yes. Yes they are.

Sometimes I drop the child off at my mother’s so I can attempt to pause life and catch up on things like the blog and cleaning. The other day as I drove away from the house, I started making that list. I kept thinking of things that were time sensitive and HAD to happen in the three hours I had to myself.

Then I stopped and realized – it was only three hours.

Instead of letting the weight of all I had to do (seriously, the list was long and non-negotiable), I started repeating something I read about.

Last year I read the book, “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Dr. Norman Vincent Peal. This book, I kid you not, is a game-changer.

It has changed my life in so many ways. I will read it again this year.

In it, he talks about the power of starting your day by repeating things out loud. One of those things is Philippians 4:13…

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”

Repeat that to yourself 10 times. It helps that there are ten words in the verse, so I go through and emphasize each word till I get to the last one, that way I know I’ve said it ten times.

You may think that sounds silly. But, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

First, “And hearing” is mentioned twice,  so you know it’s important. Second,  how can you hear something unless someone says it out loud? You are the someone in the room. Say it out loud.

What was the result for me? At the end of my busy long to-do list day – I got everything done and then some. AND THEN SOME (if you didn’t catch it the first time).

Hey, you can’t make it a spiffy day if you’re frazzled and overwhelmed. So I’m here to help with that.

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How to Show up on Time (Looking Good)

Toes are tapping and people are shaking their heads, giving each other the look like, “She’s late again.” That’s the scene in my head anytime I’m running late.

I desperately try to avoid it, although sometimes there are unforeseen husband and dog factors that pop up slowing things down (like the dog puke I stepped in this past Sunday morning).

Combine that with the fact that I’m very anal detail oriented when it comes to my look, and if I’m not happy with something it’s going to put me in a foul mood a kink in how I present myself. So after many years of showing up extremely late yet feeling beautiful, or on time and frustrated, I developed a system to change that…

how to show up on time looking good

1. Plan as much as possible.

If I haven’t preselected what I’m wearing out the door (down to my accessories), it slows down the whole process. So I have learned to devote some thought to what I’m wearing everyday (I take it a step further and try it on the night before just to make sure everything will work in real life the way it does in my head). Because the days I wake up for work deciding to “wing it” are, without fail, the most frustrating. You may not function the same way I do, but if you find that outfit selection is what slows you down, do your best to plan ahead.

2. Be very aware of the time.

People who are often late, usually don’t have a realistic concept of how long things take. Change that by timing yourself. I know that it generally takes me 10 minutes to put on my make up, and that if I hurry I can wash my in an hour from start to finish. Once I realized how long it took to do those things, I was able to better plan when to start getting ready (to which I often add an extra 15 minutes for eyeliner/hair/clothing emergencies).

3. Keep a clock nearby while you’re getting ready.

It’s truly amazing how fast five minutes can go when you’re tweaking things about your hair (why can’t they go that fast when waiting on the oven timer?) Because of this I always keep my phone within reach so that I don’t let the minutes slip away (it’s often coated in hair spray because of it).

The goal is to be punctual AND beautiful!

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