THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU SIMPLY HAVE JUST TOO MUCH WORK AND TOO LITTLE TIME? THERE'S A WAY TO ORGANIZE IT ALL!
Believe it or not, there's a way to cope and sort it all - the Salami Method. I kid you not. It works . . .
Basically, this is how it goes. Say today you have to
- visit the doctor [you have a health problem]
- cook the meals
- you're working a shift the next day
- you need to stock up on groceries
- your phone time is nearly finished
- your car needs a wash
- the children need to have their school work monitored and their homework supervised
- your husband gets home from work and will need to eat
- the cat needs food
- the house needs cleaning
- the washing needs doing
- you need to prepare for a work project - an hour's work
HELP! Where to start?
Cup of tea
Firstly, sit down at the kitchen table. Take a deep breath. Know that twelve hours in a day is simply not enough to get everything done. Deal with it. You're lazy superwoman, not overachieving superwoman. Make a cup of tea [or coffee, or hot chocolate if you're not on a diet].
Get a piece of paper and a pen. And start writing.
Salami method
The Salami method means looking at a large vegetarian salami, and no way are you going to get through eating it all.
You take a knife and cut the salami into small pieces, one by one, on a cutting board.
At the end of a relatively short time you sit with a number of cut salami pieces you can serve.
Easy to share. And easy to eat.
Written list
In the same way, make your salami method list.
Divide a huge amount of work into smaller manageable tasks.
Look at what is absolutely essential, what needs to be done, what can wait, what can certainly wait until next week or the next salary cheque comes in.
The above list is easy to go through. If you're sick, you can't work properly and you risk giving the sickness - say, a serious flu - to others if you're not treated properly. See the doctor as soon as possible - have your own good GP within your area, always keep a few pennies in a bank rainy day fund somewhere for just this kind of unplanned need.
Ring your GP and make an urgent appointment. Say your GP can see you at 2 pm - that gives you some time.
Most important things
What are the most important things to do? Nutrition is essential.
The cat's food and water bowls have been washed out the night before, and cleaned and dried with the cat's bowl drying cloth [keep pets' linen apart from that of the family].
Put cat food in the bowl and put fresh water in the water bowl. Listen to Kibbles' contented purrs while she eats.
[Or feed whatever animals you have].
Go back to the kitchen table.
Order or Importance
Now start the list. In order of importance:
1. Doctor at 2pm
2. Buy supplies and get phone time so you're not cut off from family emergency calls and from work commitments
3. Cook food
4. The kids come home in the evening, so their supervision can wait
5. The car can wait until you're off next week unless you can't see out of the windows. Of course, if you clean the car regularly on your days off, this won't be a problem
6. The work project will do fine for this evening, if you don't get it finished while waiting at the Doctor's. You can sit and finish it while keeping a beady eye on the kids as they do their homework
7. Clean washing is needed - but the house won't fall down if it's not done. Make sure you always keep a fresh clean supply of work and school clothing in reserve.
The family can wear one set, have one set in the wash and have three back ups in the wardrobe. Both you and your family will always look smart - important if you want to keep a high standard at your jobs and schools.
Neat house
So. Here we go. You've got between 8am and 2pm. When the family come home, the house needs to look neat. The best way is to get the big things in the house looking as if everything is under control. Which it really always isn't, but it looks good.
So, after tea, write your list of groceries, phone needs and cat food. This helps you to fly in to the store, get what you need, and fly out in ten minutes flat. Make sure you buy the cheapest, best brands - sometimes no-name brand - and stick to them. This makes shopping a breeze. Put the list in your bag with a pen, your funds to pay, your car keys if you've got a car.
Make beds
Now go in to the rooms and make the beds. A smart superwoman ensures she has fitted sheets [you can sew them yourself - elastic across the corners under the mattress] and a duvet with cover, a pillow. So easy.
Don't bother with the sheet, second sheet, all tucked in, blanket, then coverlet, pillow format of bedmaking. It takes ages, no one cares, and I've yet to receive a medal for all the beds I've painstakingly made down the years. Now I fly with a sheet and duvet and the house hasn't fallen down yet.
Presoak dishes
Beds are made so quickly. Pop any dishes for washing into warm water in the sink with a good squirt of dishwashing liquid.
Let them soak while you're at the shops. It's very quick to wash dishes and pots after they've been well soaked.
It takes ages to clean dishes and pots which have been left for a long time after a meal before cleaning.
Buy groceries
Pop out to the shops making sure you have a bag to carry your purchases in. Get what you need. Get back home. Pack away the purchases immediately. Fold away your reusable bag. You're so organized!
Start cooking
Put the food on the stove.
Keep an eye on the cooking, because it can burn really quickly. Say today's Monday. Place containers ready on the kitchen table for the next day's meal you are cooking. They will ready to receive the food for freezing when you've finished cooking.
Remember rice takes a while, not too long, to cook. It's well done when the water has bubbled through and a lattice work of holes appears in the rice.
Potatoes are done when you prod them with a knife or fork, and they easily separate around the kitchen implement. They're not done if they're still hard.
Make sure you have plenty of vegetables and fruit in your diet. If the kids don't enjoy vegetables, they'll love them pureed in a delicious soup with fresh bread.
Once the food is cooked, serve your own meal on a plate, serve plates for your husband and children. Allow their plates to cool before covering them with a plastic overdish, tinfoil or clinging food wrap.
Tidy lounge and kitchen
Make sure the lounge and kitchen are tidy. If they aren't, collect each person's items from the lounge and kitchen and place them in a box or basket in their room. They can tidy them later. Write this on the list of their chores.
Freeze food containers
Ladle the cooled food into the awaiting dishes.
Wash and dry hands before handling food. Cover with tinfoil and put a label on each. Remember to place each person's meal in a separate container.
So; 'Dad's food Tuesday', label goes on one container. 'Dad's food Wednesday' on the next; and so it goes. Place all the containers in the freezer. Take a moment to feel proud. You're a great mom
Clean kitchen
As I cook, I put each implement and pan straightaway into a sink of warm water with dishwashing liquid. I leave them to soak for a few minutes, then immediately wash and dry them - and put them away. When the meal is over, there isn't a backlog of kitchen utensils to clean.
Now clean the kitchen. Wipe over all surfaces with a clean cloth and a suitable disinfectant.
I also wipe over the stove after cooking. A clean kitchen means a healthy family and lovely environment.
I also clean the kitchen way before I clean the bathroom. The bathroom always gets cleaned last, so there's no risk of cross contamination.
I also wear different gloves for the different areas. This keeps everything sparkling clean, and no risk of bacteria transference.
Clean bins
Empty the bins. Dirty bins get an offensive odour, attract flies and other vermin.
Wash them out regularly - you can squeeze dishwasher liquid or a disinfectant in water, swish it around. Let it clean the inside of the bin for a while.
Pour the dirty water away in a drain hole outside. Always be careful to get no splashback in your eyes while pouring. I wear protective glasses.
Let the bins air dry before bringing them back into the kitchen. It's helpful to put them upside down on a clean area, to help the drying process.
Clothes into washing machine or bucket
Once the kitchen has been cleaned, place the washing in the washing machine if you have one.
Otherwise, soak your clothes in buckets with washing powder. After about an hour the clothes are usually ready to be thoroughly washed out.
Start the bathroom clean
Put some disinfectant into the toilet, and down the bath, shower and basin plug hole. Let them disinfect these areas for at least half an hour.
[You can also put disinfectant into the toilet before everyone retires for the night, so disinfection goes on for a good time]. Keep your ablution areas spotlessly clean.
Clean floors
Now sweep or hoover the floors quickly. Cleaning the lounge and bathroom furniture, washing windows, doing the garden can all wait until your next day off. You can add some of these tasks to the kids chores list.
Bathroom
Get gloves on. Clean your bathroom. Put up fresh towels if needed. Clean the mirror. A clean mirror makes a bathroom look spotless. Wash and dry your hands after cleaning the bathroom.
Chores list for kids
Write your kids' chores on the list. Number 1 on the list; teach the kids old enough to make their own beds.
You'll be doing them a favour teaching independence, and yourself a favour by reminding yourself you're the queen of the house, not the slave.
Enjoy lunch
Pray your grace, make another cup of tea, and enjoy your beautifully made meal. Time is ticking on, and all is going well
Priority
It's one pm. Go to the doctor. Give plenty of time for traffic. Murphy's law for lazy superwomen dictates that if you leave late, there'll be loads of traffic and you'll be later, holding a busy doctor up. Murphy's law continues on that if you leave early, there'll be no traffic, and you'll sit for ages at the doctor's surgery.
Always bring your latest book and a bottle of water or juice with you. You can start your work project for tomorrow while waiting at the surgery.
Many of my studies were done while commuting and waiting at appointments.
Take a nap
When you come home with your diagnosis and prescription, do the most sensible thing. Take a nap. Even twenty minutes can help to recharge a flagging battery. Your body needs it.
Before going for a quick lie down, pop the soaked washing into the machine so it can be done when you get up. Otherwise leave the handwashing until you get up.
Kids come home
By the time the kids come home from school [5pm today because of extracurricular activities], you have the clothes in a drier or pegged outside if you don't have a drier.
When they come home, insist they change from school clothes into home clothes. School clothes are to be placed ready with fresh undies and sock over a chair, or hung up in the cupboard.
Serve the meal. Say grace. Sit with the kids and enjoy their company. Or, alternately, you can have a snack in the morning, and your meal with the kids. Your choice.
Homework
The kids start homework. No, really. No playing ball, piano or having friends visiting over until homework is done, in cases and placed in their school satchels next to their chair on which their school clothes are placed. This saves the next morning rush 'Ma, where is my maths book? Ma, haven't you seen my socks? Etc'
Insist the kids hand up any requests for school or notices NOW. Not tomorrow. Not as they're exiting the car at school tomorrow. Not as they leave for the bus. Not as they walk to school. NOW. This saves your nerves.
While the kids finish their homework, welcome your husband home. Resist the temptation to whine about how hard you've worked today. He doesn't know or care. He's tired out from his day.
Let him enjoy his meal in peace. Really. When he's finished is time enough to thrash out the kids' babysitting times over the next three days. Unless you've turned into superwoman instead of lazy superwoman, and have this already organized.
Work project
While the kids finish homework etc, finish your work project. Keep any sewing, mending, shoe reheeling, in an area ready for your next day off. Unless it's really urgent.
Teach your kids on a day off how to sew a button, put up a hem, mend a sock. I was sewing clothes at age nine. They can do it.
Teach the kids to prepare the table for breakfast. Again, they can do it. We were cooking one meal a week at age nine. At my dad's insistence. It's thanks to him that I can cook properly today.
Now enjoy the evening. You can do any of a number of things. Don't get into a routine of everybody in front of a technological device.
Read a book with the kids. Toast marshmallows. Have an evening storytelling session. Play music. Whatever. Enjoy some time talking with your husband. Everything has been done. The car can wait until next week.
Have family prayers together, before settling for baths and bed.
The most important lesson to be drawn from the above example is
- Don't panic when the job seems too much work to get through
- Divide the job into smaller sections
- Do the smaller tasks in order of priority
- Don't lose your cool. Stick with the plan
- Make a good list, ticking off each task as completed. Nothing makes lazy superwomen happier than completing a list. Result!
- Don't let your tasks rule you - you rule your tasks
- Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and medications to help you get through the day. They'll impact on your life years down the line. Prayer, a good network of friends, GP, dentist, optician and grocer can do wonders to help you keep your life in line.
Congratulations! Superwoman has done it again![Or superman . . .]
Disclaimer: this blog post is meant as sharing of personal experience only, not as a protocol
