Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Tricks to Make Your "Real Life" Run Smoother



As an SLP who juggles a full-time school position, home-care, and clinic-based work, in addition to running my TeachersPayTeachers store, keeping up with daily chores can be difficult.  I have started to find a few shortcuts that help me make my week more manageable and give me a few spare minutes to stop, breathe, and smell the roses.  I thought I would share them with you.

Wake up ten minutes earlier.  It doesn't sound like a lot, but it's surprising how much you can get done in just ten minutes.  I have found that I can:

-clean and prep chicken cutlets for dinner later
-put away dishes in the drainboard
-wash dishes in the sink
-swiff the bathroom floor
-lay out my outfit for the following day
-pack my lunch
-check my emails

It may not sound like a lot, but when you come home from a long day, those are the little annoying things that nobody feels like doing.  Having completed them in the morning just makes the evening a little less stressful.

I don't want to wake up ten minutes earlier, Lauren.  I'm barely getting six hours of sleep as it is.

Okay, okay, I hear you.  Sleep is valuable to me also.  Here are a few other tips I have found help, that don't require waking up earlier.

-Stay at work ten minutes longer and knock off those medicaid logs.  Nobody wants them hanging over their heads on the 30th of the month.  What you can accomplish in ten minutes a day, will save you hours in the long run.

-Make your own coffee rather than stopping at Dunkin or Starbucks.  I know the drive-thru seems like a no-brainer, but that line gets long and the longer you are on it, the more time you are wasting.  By making your coffee at home, you could be saving enough time to wipe down the kitchen counter or throw clothes in the washing machine.

-At night, instead of just watching TV, watch TV while you:
            Clean out your purse/therapy bag
            Put all the cards back in the Super Duper case that they fell out of
            Go on google translate and type up that letter you need to put in
            parent's backpack tomorrow
           
Balancing multiple jobs with the responsibilities of adult life is tricky. Has anyone found any other tips that are helpful?  If so, please share!

-Lauren