Want to do your own time audit?? Let me know by posting a comment below! I’d love to see it!
Time management is a skill that I will probably spend my lifetime honing. We have the privilege (and burden) of so many choices in our modern world of how we will spend our time. Once again, I have found myself wondering how in the world I am going to get done all the things on my list. I feel that I just don’t have the time to do everything that is before me, and things that get done, are not done very well. I often say no to commitments because I feel “I just don’t have the time” which can seem like a cop-out, (and can frustrate ministries coordinators at church). What do I do with all my time anyway? I’m home ALL THE TIME!
This week, I felt the need for a “time audit.” I needed to really see where I was spending my time, as it compared to how I need to be investing my time. I made a big list of all of the tasks that I believe really needed to be done in a week. Then, I wrote down a realistic estimate of how much time each task should take.
Guess what? I really don’t have time! If I were to do all of the important things on my list…things which I really believe are necessary and that God has called me to, my week is done.
But here’s the catch. I haven’t been doing the things on my list, or at least not very well. Can you guess why? Yep, because I’ve made other things a priority. This little activity was actually quite eye-opening, and even encouraging. If I do what I need to do each week, I really do need to say no to other activities. Sometimes this is a relief, and sometimes an exercise in self-control. But in either case, it will bring more peace to our family.
So, below you will find my audit.
Activity Time needed Times per week Hours per week
Bible/prayer ½ hr 7 3.5
Time with husband ½ hr 7 3.5
(true, this time can overlap with other things, like folding laundry while we talk, working outside, etc., but my hubby likes to spend time with me, and have at least a little undivided attention!)
Bible with Kids ¼ hr 7 2
Personal Care ½ hr 7 3.5
Cook/clean meals 2 ½ hr 7 17.5
(I cook simply from scratch, 3 squares a day, and my littles are not helpers yet…but they are big mess makers!)
Plan/shop meals 2 hr 1 2
House cleaning 2 ½hr 7 14
(this may sound like a lot, but my kids are all little. The 8 year old is a genuine help, but the others actually require more of my time in order to allow them to help do chores…which they do. The training will pay off, but not now. We homeschool, so we are all home all day everyday…and the 3 year olds are making constant messes.)
Outside chores 1 hr 7 7
(this will drastically increase when the weather turns nicer, but hopefully “school” time will decrease.)
Plan School 2 hr 1 2
School w/ kids 3 hr 5 15
Errands 3 hr 1 3
Good Samaritan Home 4 hr 1 4
(this is mission work that my husband has delegated administrative duties to me.)
Correspondence 1 hr 7 7
(email and phone calls)
TOTAL: 84
Add an additional 25% for doing everything in the presence of small children: training, discipline, nurturing, hugs for boo boos, intervening in rivalry, admiring art work, stopping for cuddles, cleaning up messes, finding missing blankets and toys, unclogging toilets, etc. 21
GRAND TOTAL: 101 hours per week
Based on a 16 hour day, I have 112 waking hours in a week give or take. Yep indeed, I really don’t have time for more than this when you figure all of the unplanned happenings, and perhaps a little down time. Please note what is NOT on this list: entertaining, church ministries, women’s Bible Studies, etc.
Hmmm, I’m all of a sudden not feeling quite so guilty about saying “no.” Maybe I’ll carry a copy of this list in my purse, in case I feel the need for further clarification…I’m not copping out…I really just don’t have the time!