Happiness Project: 1) Organization and Time

It seems a little odd to be starting a Happiness Project when I’m really a very happy person. But that’s one of the things I appreciated about Gretchen Rubin’s book. She wasn’t unhappy, either. Good job, great husband, two healthy kids, no major health complaints, etc. She just realized one day that time was passing and she didn’t feel like she was living each day as fully as she could be.

My days are pretty darn full. But I do feel often like there are things I want to do that I’m not doing (like art projects). Or things that I’m doing that I’d rather not be doing (like being swallowed up by laundry). So that’s where my quest begins.

Trying to decide what to focus on first for my Happiness Project has been a bit tricky. I’m not a great decision maker. I tend to analyze every option, weigh pros and cons, research best practices, etc., trying to make sure I make the best possible decision – and this is true whether I’m trying to pick out a new printer, choose where to go on vacation, or decide what to have for dinner.

So when the professional organizer at the homeschool conference yesterday said that decision-making is one of the biggest time wasters, I was surprised, but then relieved. I always feel like I’m scrambling for time, wanting more of it, trying to figure out how to maximize it, etc. Now I know where a lot of my time goes – to trying to decide on ways to maximize my time.

You see, on paper, I’m an organization/time management expert. I’ve read just about every book and article out there on getting organized and using time efficiently. My problem isn’t not knowing the principles; my problem is making a decision about what kind of system to use. So ironically, I feel like I don’t have enough time because I spend a lot of time researching organization and time management techniques and even more time trying to decide which system to implement, to the point where I get stuck this decision-making (which I now recognize as time-wasting) limbo.

You can see how circular that problem can become.

So my first focus is going to be Organization and Time. The days I feel the happiest are the days I feel like I’m on top of the day. If I get up early, get in some exercise, take time to pray and meditate (even just a few minutes), and get showered before the kids are up, the rest of the day always falls into place (for the most part). It’s a simple routine, but so so so important. And for some reason, so so so elusive to me.

I always have some excuse. I stayed up too late and need some extra sleep, BoyWonder didn’t sleep well so I need to sleep in. I’ll exercise later in the day. Even just coming downstairs and eating breakfast first thing sets me off on the wrong foot. Inevitably, I start checking e-mail and lose track of time, and then by the time I shower and get dressed, the girls are entrenched in some sort of make-believe game and I can’t round them up to talk about the day’s plans without moans and complaints. And then I feel like we’re starting the day all wah-wah and cranky.

We’ve gone through periods of having set morning routines, and that’s gone well for a while, but then vacations or sicknesses or something else happens and it goes by the wayside. Life always seems to get in the way of living, doesn’t it?

But it’s time again to get a good routine down. So today I wrote down a full (but simple) morning and evening routine for me and the moppets. I’m hoping that this system will get more of the tedious stuff out of the way in an efficient manner and free up more time for important things. Plus, making exercise and prayer/reflection time a priority first thing in the morning will help start me off on the right foot physically and spiritually.

Now there’s just the matter of getting to bed early enough so I can get up at 6:00. I’d better go get my jammies on now. 🙂

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Very excited!

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