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Lots of people (well maybe not lots) ask me how in the world do I manage it all? The being a mom & wife, the blog(s), the fun activities / outings we do do with L, the contests, the other stuff I do all day, etc. I don’t have a formal time management system or anything, but I definitely do have my tricks to keep things organized and flowing nicely.

1. I do laundry 2x a week.  I start it on Friday evenings and like to have it all folded and put away by lunch time on Saturday.  That’s the goal anyways.  I do another few loads on Sunday night to make sure that pretty much everything in the house is 100% clean by the time Monday morning rolls around.  This way I do not have to worry about anything laundry related during the week.
2. I enter all my “single entry” contests once a week.  That way I never fall too behind and also don’t spend every day entering these.
3. I always multi-task.  I won’t just sit down and watch an episode of the Bachelorette.   Nope, I enter contests or do some blogging or clip coupons or something while I am watching it.  Listen, the tv shows I watch hardly require my full attention.  And if you want to talk to me on the phone?  Make sure to call me when I am in the car.  Don’t worry all you who cell-phone-while-driving-haters out there (I’m looking at you Oprah), I have the SYNC system.   Makes me feel more productive this way!
4. Buy things before you run out.  I try my hardest not to run out of something which would force an unexpected trip to the store.  I’m not interested in running to the store for one thing.  It’s just not efficient.
5. I do my “To Do” list by doing the easiest things on the list first.  I’m sure the “experts” would tell you to do it the opposite way, but for me, it I feel super productive when I am able to knock off 3/4 of my list quickly.  If I would do the harder items on the list first, they’d take me forever and I’d procrastinate and it’d feel like a lost cause.  It’s so much easier to do the hard stuff when you are already feeling nice and productive!
6. I don’t start more than one thing at a time.  If I am entering contests, I don’t try and write a blog at the same time.  I do most of my “stuff” after L does to bed and the furries settle down for the night, not only because I want to spend as much time with him (L, not the dogs) as I can, but also because constant interruptions make things take way longer to get done.  It’s hard to get a blog written when you are letting the dogs outside, cleaning up play-doh, making dinner, etc.
7. I get things ready the night before and have a basic plan in my mind about the next day.  If L needs to bring something to school, I for sure have it all ready to go and sitting on the counter so we can just grab it and go in the morning!

So, that’s a brief idea how I manage things.  I’ll love to hear everyone else’s strategies!