Lovely Work Time!

I wrote up a plan for the week (well, the three workdays my son has this week) and put below it reminders of things I wanted to try to add in as the week progressed and then some notes about what I wanted to try to add in next week.

Today's plan was as follows:

• New Testament reading: Matthew 3
• Faith and Life chapter
• Life of Fred
• copywork: printing
• Our Island story: chapter 3
• French grammar
• (Chemistry activity--need to find document first)

 My son got started on Life of Fred before I even had a look at the plan. That went well and was done rather quickly. Then he went to grab my iPod to play with, since I said he could use my iPod once his work was all done. I looked at him and asked, "What are you doing? You're not done!" He realized he'd only done math and had more to do and put it back without a problem.

I had him read Matthew 2 on his own last week (in French) and said I would read the third chapter to him this week. It's not CM but I do a lot of explaining of things, like today's Pharisees and whatnot. His narration was pitiful. lol. I need to learn to ask him sooner in a reading to give a narration. He did his copywork (barely anything, just some letters to practise since he seems to not be paying attention while writing them in words) while I was reading. I then grabbed our book on Ancients instead of doing Our Island Story today. He read that chapter on his own and told me a little bit. I didn't have the French grammar sheets ready, nor did I have the science ready (but I suspected I wouldn't, which is why it's in parentheses!). So that got cut a bit, or rather deferred: the grammar pages are now ready and he will do them tomorrow. I did, however, read to him from The Hobbit a bit and had him narrate some. (The Hobbit was actually scheduled for tomorrow, as was the reading from the Ancients.)

I'm not sure how long it took, clearly not as long as he ought to be spending working in the morning, but I like FlyLady's motto of progress, not perfection! Now, those aren't the only things that got done. I took out my guitar just after lunch and was trying to play this new song. He heard me, took out his guitar and we tuned in slightly and he practised a bit, trying to play one of the songs from Transformers--by ear. Getting his guitar tuned and practising was one of the things on the "try to get done this week" list. Getting that done makes me smile. :)

I realize as I write this that this has been my time management format for a while and when I actually sit down and do it and follow it, it works beautifully. Two simple steps:

1. Decide what has to be done.
2. Have your list of other things that can be done, that can be chosen from, when the time is available.

Clearly, I kind of changed the things with #1. Sometimes you have things that are scheduled or deadlined and they really have to be done that day. I got a GTD tip from a college student site about scheduling your study periods and making yourself stick to them, as though somebody else had scheduled that time in. I feel no need to insist on certain things being done at specific times, but being done at some point during the morning? Yes! You can't put in so much that you'll be scrambling to get it done (well, I can't), just what is truly the most important to you. Then, with your list from #2, you can pick and choose based on your mood or something that just fits with the flow you might be in. When I get any of those #2s done, it feels so good! It's icing on the cake because I know it didn't have to  be done. It was chosen, it was an extra.

Anyhow, I feel I may be rambling as I try to finish this post while making supper. I will leave you with a time management book that, while I still haven't managed to do all the steps fully, it has nonetheless helped me get more things done!