The Rule of Three

I have been having one of those weeks where I have been feeling ridiculously overwhelmed, trying to get through a never diminishing to do list, as well as keep up with my normal household duties. Inevitably I fail to get through said list fast enough, because realistically I set myself up for failure, and I end up beating myself up yet again and wanting to give up completely.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this?

So today I stopped, took a deep breath, and regrouped.

I have decided to make one master to do list and split up tasks so that I have only three manageable tasks to complete daily. Should I get through those three tasks then I get to feel good about myself and give myself a pat on the back. Should I have more time and energy at my disposal I can choose to complete additional tasks from my master list, or I can choose to relax and enjoy some well deserved me time.  I think this will be way more manageable and stress free than my current method (or lack thereof).  I unfortunately cannot take credit for this idea, as I borrowed it from Jacqui at Baby Boy Bakery, and to her I am incredibly grateful.

Today's list of tasks included:

1) Making a spreadsheet of our monthly expenses to see where we can cut down our spending.  I know that most people do this already, but mine thus far has been all pen and paper.  This was an important task and also so helpful.  It reminded me that Matt and I need to consolidate our medical aid cover. Currently we are both covered under separate medical insurance companies. Investigating with which company we would get more comprehensive and affordable cover has been added onto my master list.

2) Phoning car insurance companies to obtain quotes and therefore decrease our monthly premium. This was another important task on my list, and I managed to save us an additional R350 a month. This is something that as consumers we should be doing on a yearly basis (if the value of our car is depreciating then why should our premium be increasing?). It can be such a pain answering all those questions, but realistically it only took me 15 mins to do.

3) Paint our headboard with wood primer. This is still on the to do list, but will be done before my head hits the pillow tonight. Mostly because I am so excited to get my DIY headboard project underway.

Does anyone have any personal time management tips which they would be willing to share?

On a side note I am so looking forward to this weekend. On Saturday Natalie and I are having an early morning walk at the beach, followed by some yummy coffee.  On Sunday the family and I are participating in the East Coast Radio 10km walk and it's Matt and my 1 year wedding anniversary. How time flies.

Enjoy your weekend all.