Meeting the Minute

An ideal homemaker makes the best use of her time and energy by being efficient so that she is able not only to keep up with her housework, but she is able to be a companion to her husband and a friend and teacher to her children. She is able to pursue personal interests which further contribute to her happiness and development.

Last week I realized just how much time I have each day. The girls are all in school, I'm not working anymore, and most of my days are wide open. After Natalie and Samantha leave for the bus it's eight hours before anyone comes home again. Most days I exercise, spend an hour or so doing actual homemaking related things, and then spend the rest of the day pretty much however I want. This has led to some days where I spend my time being fairly productive and other days (most days, if we're being honest) where I'm spectacularly lazy. It's nice to have so much time to do with as I will, but I do realize I need to be more intentional and make good use of the time I've been given. 

This chapter of the Art of Homemaking was written for me and my procrastinating, time-wasting, lazy tendencies. I'm actually a pretty efficient person can get a lot done in a short period of time when I'm working. It's just that sometimes it takes a lot for me to get started. The introductory paragraph from the chapter that is at the top of this post sounds just about perfect to me. Getting things done quickly and well so that I can enjoy time with my family and also have time to spend on hobbies (napping, etc) and other things that bring me joy? Yes please!  Overall, most of the tips she gives in this chapter seem like common sense and they're things I tend to do already. It's nice to have what you're doing validated though. I'll share the highlights here and some of my thoughts on what works for me, what I hope to implement in my life, and why any of it matters anyway. 

I really appreciated the section about using the best appliances and cleaning agents. When I read it I could hear my dad's voice in my head saying, "Work smarter, not harder." There's only one of me, but there are lots of things I can use to make my life easier. Spending a little more on the tools I use and keeping them in good condition - for me that means hand washing my nice knives and pots and pans - makes such a difference. This does require me to fight my cheapskate urges by reminding myself that the payoff of having more time for what really matters is totally worth the extra up-front investment. Please don't try to sell me Norwex because I wrote that. Thanks.

Another part of this chapter highlights the benefits of multi-tasking. Mrs. Hoole shares a story of the Mother's Day when she received a much-anticipated extra long telephone cord which allowed her to fold clothes or iron AND make phone calls at the same time. What a luxury! While I've never put a telephone cord on my wish list I have been known to request small appliances and kitchen tools. Wipe the counters while the pasta is boiling, talk with your kids about their day at school while folding laundry, compose emails in your head as you're vacuuming the house. One good tip here that I need to remember more often is that it's not double the work to make two of something.  Making lasagna, soup, or some other easily frozen meal? Double the recipe and freeze one for later. Making a double batch takes a fraction of the time that making two separate batches would. The same goes for breads and cookies although I won't be implementing this one because I like frozen cookies almost as much as I like unfrozen ones. And, believe it or not, there are some cookies I actually prefer frozen!

My biggest take away from this chapter, and the thing I'm most excited to try? Have some "minute projects" in mind that take advantage of those little pockets of time throughout the day. The newspaper writer Authur Brisbane is quoted as saying, "Our success depends not only upon the use of our time but also on the use of its by-product, the odd moment." Who doesn't have an odd moment or three to fill with a little productivity each day? My plan is to keep a running list of tasks that I might not do every day but that could be completed in some free blocks of time here or there. I'm thinking a list of five, ten, or fifteen-minute tasks as well as some larger jobs that I could get done in thirty minutes or an hour. It would certainly be a much better use of my time than watching Netflix or reading books!

The Minute

Just a tiny little minute,

Only sixty seconds in it,

Forced upon me, 

Can't refuse it,

Didn't seek it, 

Didn't choose it,

But it's up to me to use it,

Give account if I abuse it.

Just a tiny little minute

But eternity is in it.