Marcia Francois's Blog, page 75

{31 days of enough time} Reality

{31 days of enough time} Menu planning, even for spontaneous people

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – menu planning saves me HOURS of time every week.

I started menu planning in 2006 when I “met” Laura and her Menu Planning Mondays, and I haven’t looked back since.

Menu planning is how I have enough time during the week for blogging, playing with the kids, going to Spanish, cooking healthy, nutritious meals, etc.

My new job means I have an additional 20-minute commute both ways… and I don’t like to eat late so menu planning has become a found...

{31 days of enough time} Using the right tool will transform your life

I have a theory that goes something like this…

people buy things because they think that those things will transform them into the person they want to be

we buy baskets and containers hoping that we’ll become organised
we buy bookshelves full of self-improvement books hoping we’ll become evolved and improved
we buy gym outfits and expensive sports shoes not to mention paying for expensive memberships hoping that will motivate us to get fit and healthy
we buy bigger, better and fancier cameras hopi...

{31 days of enough time} Use a timer

This is a common kitchen timer.

Some of you might remember my yellow egg timer. I think back very fondly on that old timer because it happily lived with me for many years until a certain set of curious twins came along

I’ve written a lot about timers in the past because they’re so effective at keeping you focussed and on track. They also really help with Parkinson’s Law.

The kitchen ones are better than the ones on your phone because they make that loud, annoying ticking sound which forces me t...

{31 days of enough time} Is it time to unplug?

If you’re involved on any of the social media platforms, you’ll regularly hear people mention that the noise is too much.

We’re all aware of Facebook envy, where you imagine that people’s lives are the sum total of their updates, because nobody posts about the flip side of the coin, real life.

Instagram has made it a little worse for some people, I’d imagine, with all those beautiful pictures of families, homes, travel, baking, and so on.

I remember when we went on a beach holiday, scrolling thr...

{31 days of enough time} My favourite book on boundaries

This is one of my favourite books on the planet. I think everyone should have a copy

My own copy is so old it’s about 2 – 3 editions ago.

I love this book so much that if I want to lend someone a copy, I rather buy them their own version because I know they’re going to refer to it again and again.

I wrote a post last week on boundaries – please click to have a read.

A friend said to me last year when we were having lunch, “I believe that everything in life comes down to boundaries. If people had...

{31 days of enough time} Know your priorities

This is one of my favourite topics to talk about mainly because of the answers I get when I ask people what their priorities are.

People always confidently tell me what their priorities are but then…. they falter a bit when I ask which decisions they’ve made or how they’ve arranged their lives around their priorities.

um, what?

Let’s go back a step.

If I ask you what your priorities are, I’m sure you could list your top 3.

E.g. Family, health, home

Now, let’s discuss, how do you practically priorit...

{31 days of enough time} One of the worst uses of time…

{31 days of enough time} Choosing clothes

After doing this 90% of the time for years and years now, it still amazes me just how much time I save.

Because when I don’t choose my clothes in the evening, the morning is a big rush as I run around getting ready for work.

I’ve written before about how I once ran a very impromptu focus group with my 5 colleagues to see how they all approached the choosing clothes thing.

The most structured chose all her clothes and accessories for the entire week on a Sunday afternoon, and hung them in her war...

{31 days of enough time} I’m the only one who can do it properly

If you haven’t guessed it yet, when you say things like, “I’m the only one who can do it properly”, you’re doing three things:

you’re giving yourself more work and
you disempower those around you
you deprive others of a learning or giving opportunity

The key to all people who successfully manage their time is that they have the ability to delegate.

Delegate doesn’t only refer to those people who have staff.

You can delegate to your husband, kids, friends, etc.

Some of us have control issues and feel...