Live Better. Love More.
Leave A Legacy.

Alright, you non-morning types—this one is for you! No guilt. No judgment. Just a lot of love and compassion to help you get a better start on your day to squeeze it for all it’s worth.

A couple days ago, I had an audio recording in my head from many years ago go on replay. It was a little sing-song tune my wife used to wake our kids with when they were little. “I’m alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic!” It would repeat several times to a simple melody that sticks in your head all day—and, as it appears, for years.

I’ve worked hard over the years to learn principles that govern good time management. It’s because I believe time is probably the most valuable resource we have. We better make the most of today because once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Courtesy 123RF/Tetiana Vitsenko

But principles mean nothing unless you have systems and tools to put them into action. Principles never change though tools may, and mine sure have over the years.

Most families have too much of the month left over at the end of the paycheck. There’s seems to be this never-ending struggle to provide for the needs of a growing family amidst ever-increasing costs of living. Everyone wants to save for a house, the kids’ college education, weddings, and retirement, yet find it hard to just keep up—much less get ahead.

Three of the most valuable resources we have are time, money, and health. Unfortunately, most reach adulthood without much training in managing any of these.

Leaders are readers. I can’t think of anything more important for personal development than reading. And there’s certainly no lack of great material available. The problem for most people boils down to time.

Courtesy 123RF/Nisakorn Neera

The answer to this for me has been to do most of my reading via the Kindle app on my iPhone. Don’t get me wrong—I love a good ol’ fashioned paper book. I’ve purchased a bunch. Yet I’ve narrowed down my actual physical library over the last few years just due to space.

Life has changed so much over the years. We find our hands almost permanently connected to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. All of our contacts, calendars, to-do lists, notes, games, social media connections, conversations with people, etc. are all wrapped up in one neat little package. Our whole life is contained on our smartphone or computer. The results of our devices crashing would be devastating.

Courtesy 123RF/Cathy Yeulet

But technology itself can be devastating without the crash. Can these devices which so efficiently organize our lives and keep us on a productive path actually become detrimental? I believe we all know that they can if we don’t intentionally keep them in check.

Most of us automatically make a list whenever we begin a project. It might be a simple grocery list, a plan for a child’s birthday party, a packing list for an upcoming vacation or business trip, or your to-do list for today. We naturally know the value of getting endless lists out of our heads onto paper or an app.

Courtesy 123RF/Andriy Popov

But there is an even greater potential value than this one-off simple list-making process. It’s taking it a step further to create checklists and workflows for anything that is recurring.

Life can get nuts. So far this year, I’ve made a career change and started a new venture. We moved from a 2,400 sq. ft. house to a 1,000 sq. ft. condo. Spent 65 of the first 85 days of the year in and out of hospitals and rehab with an ailing parent. Two trips out of state to visit other aging parents. Gail went through hand surgery. Helped one son and his family move. Currently helping another son and his family prepare to move out of state—taking four of our five grandchildren, mind you!

Courtesy 123RF/maigi

And, yet, with the exception of a few rattled moments, we’ve been able to maintain our health and sanity.

You may be going through such a season right now. If not, you have and will again. Pregnancy. A new born child. A long-term illness of a family member. Moving. Changing jobs. Starting a business. A new school. We all face many such unstable times in our lives.

Some of the busiest and most influential people on the planet are moms. Whether a stay-at-home mom or a work-outside-the-home mom, she’s got a lot on her plate. It’s almost a military operation to keep all the logistics of a family flowing smoothly.

So it’s not surprising that many moms live in varying degrees of feeling overwhelmed and stressed. “A man may work from sun to sun, but a mother’s work is never done.” But, Mom can learn to work smarter, and not just harder.