SAY NO

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how I spend my time.  It is so easy to feel like there are not enough hours in the day.  My "to-do" list is so long and it seems like it just grows and grows.  Also, I don't want to spend my life just checking off items on my list---I also want some time with my family, some personal time, time to read, time to visit with friends, etc...  How do we make it all work?

I have come to the conclusion that there are two main things I can do to help me get through my list and still have that margin time that I crave.  First, I have to use the time I have wisely---no more wasting time surfing the Web or mindlessly watching TV at night.  I can still do those things, but I want to do them more intentionally and severely limit the time that I waste on these activities in a mindless way.  It just seems that they can be major time suckers and I want to change these habits that I have developed so that I can have "more" time each day.

Second, I think that I have to learn how to "say no" to many (probably most) of the requests I get to help with various school activities.  I feel like there is a fine line to walk---I want to be involved with my kids' schools and in their classrooms, but I also don't want to over-commit myself so that I am stressed out and exhausted from participating in all these school events.

Now that this school year is about to end, I have been thinking about how I feel about each of the activities in which I have been involved at school this year.  There are some volunteer positions for which I will not be volunteering again next year.  It is hard to say no, but it is so necessary if we feel like we cannot keep on top of everything at home.

If I want to have more time with my husband and more fun time with my children, then I have to prioritize that and make room for it in my life.  I can do that by scaling back on some school commitments.  For example, this year I am a room parent for both of my children's classes.  I have done this the past 4 years.  It can be fun at times, but now mostly seems to be about collecting money, which I don't enjoy and actually find somewhat stressful.  I have decided that I will not be a room parent next year and I feel good about that decision.

Another example is that this spring I am teaching Junior Achievement for my son's class. When they asked for volunteers, no one volunteered from his class, so they came right out and asked me.  I couldn't say no.  The kids are adorable and I enjoy the classroom time with my son, but it involves about an hour of prep work each week and then the teaching time, and this lasts for 5 weeks.  It is just too much time for me, so next year, I will not volunteer for this activity.

So, my plan is to work hard to be deliberate about how I use my time on-line and watching TV and also to "say no" more often to school commitments.  Then, hopefully, I will feel like I have more time to accomplish items on my "to do" list and spend with my family.