I LOVE going to the library and browsing through my favorite sections. Every now and then, I’ll bring home a book that I like so much that when it’s returned, I go out and buy it. (This has been a great $ saver + it keeps my home library filled favorites.)
My latest keeper: Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping, by Miriam Lukken. I’m passionate about making your house your HOME and this book is filled with great tips and inspiration. Mrs. Dunwoody’s timeless advice holds true today, and I just had to share the part I just read. Some are a big part of my day-to-day {and I can attest to the magic they bring} and others… well, I’m still working on!
The following excerpt is Mrs. Dunwoody’s response to the question she gets the most: “How do you find the time to do it all?”
Mrs. Dunwoody’s Notes for Planning a Superior Day
- Make a plan for your day. Otherwise you’ll find yourself making the fatal mistake of dealing primarily with problems rather than opportunities. Start each day by making a general schedule, with particular emphasis on two or three…Each day you need to have a destination in mind.
- Concentrate. I have observed concentration is a key aspect of effective use of time….If you dedicate fifteen solid, uninterrupted minutes to an immense task, it will not seem so overwhelming the next time you return to it.
- Learn to rest and catch your breath. To work for long periods of time without taking a break is not the most effective use of our time. In fact, when you labor too long without rest, your work suffers for it and you end up spending more time to complete your task….It is not a poor use of your time to rest; on the contrary, being refreshed increases your productivity.
- Don’t procrastinate. It is the thief of time. Start off your day by doing the most unpleasant chore first. It’s usually something that takes minimal effort – an apology, a long-overdue thank-you, or an annoying chore.
- Sift and sort. Don’t assume the most important matters will “float to the top.” You must sort through the clutter of the day and categorize.
- Strive for excellence, not perfection. Perfection does not exist. Perhaps this is one of the most important things…There is great difference in striving for excellence and striving for perfection. The first is attainable, gratifying, and healthy. The second is impossible, frustrating, and neurotic – not to mention obnoxious. It is also a terrible waste of time.
- Never lose sight of the “big picture.” Some things need only five minutes…while others need five hours. But if you can try to maintain a perspective, and remember that people {especially children} are always more important than things, you will do well in life. After all, TODAY is all we ever have to work with. Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. Take it minute by minute, wisely, and you will succeed. As you’ve often heard me say, “Trust in God and do the next thing.”
Excerpt above from this wonderful book: by Miriam Lukken, published by Warner Books
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