Part I
Most tips save TIME and MONEY or both, one way or
another.
1) When looking for something you've misplaced, tidy up
as you search. By the time you've located the missing
item, you've made a lot of order in the house instead
of another mess! And if you didn't find what you
were looking for, at least you did something
constructive, thereby saving TIME!
2) Standing in the elevator alone is a perfect
time/place to do some stretching. I reach up towards
the ceiling, bend over and touch those toes. Always try
to use every moment wisely!
3) Above the kitchen sink, I tape a posuk, words
of a song I've been wanting to learn, or words of self-
endorsement to repeat and/or memorize while washing
dishes or peeling those carrots!
4) On the way to the store, or waiting in line at the
bank, or at any similar places, I say pesukim! It
says that after Moshiach comes, the stones we walked on
will ask, "In what way were you better than us?"
Why DID we have the right to walk on the stones? How
ARE we better? By always having Torah in our mouth,
from our mouths. That's what we will be able to
answer those stones.*
5) Think backwards. If you have to put up a soup, put
clothes in the dryer and fry fish -- start with the
thing that will take the longest amount of time. For
example: WHILE the soup is simmering, put the laundry
in. WHILE that's drying, start frying the fish. After
an hour or so, you will have accomplished quite a few
things at once!
6) While folding your older children's clothing (8
years old and up), fold them as is. If they're wrong
side out, fold the way they are and let the child turn
it right side out when s/he gets dressed. For younger
children, however, DO turn the clothing right side out
so that when s/he is dashing out to the bus, or if his
Abba is waiting for him to go to shul and doesn't
want to be late, s/he'll be able to get dressed
quickly.
7) At night, I set up the washing machine so it'll be
all ready to go, as well as filling the dirty pots with
soapy water to soak so that in the morning, when I'm
still half asleep, I simply press the button to start
running and then I begin to wash the pots and maybe
even do something else that takes no thought, like
peeling the vegetables. By the time I'm really awake,
I've already done some of my housework on `automatic.'
8) Before I fall asleep, I often begin to remember all
the little things that I need to do the next day. I
keep a pen and notepad next to my bed to jot these
things down. Knowing that I have all the `to do' items
written down not only helps me to stay on top of the
housework but to sleep better, too!
9) I keep my alarm clock on the other side of my room
so that it keeps ringing until I actually get up and
turn it off. This insures that I GET UP and don't spend
TIME taking the kids to their respective schools
because they missed their rides, or have to pay MONEY
to send them by taxi!
* [Have your repertoire of favorite psukim. For
example, when walking in the dark or on uneven terrain,
I recite "Al yitein lamot raglecha - Hashem shall
not let your feet stumble." Then if I can, I finish
this chapter of Tehillim. It is very steadying! Have
some pesukim for those zippedee-do-da days, for
happy, grateful times, for blue skies, or
alternatively, for blue days... Talk/pray to Hashem.
He's always there to listen.]
[Cut this list out and paste above sink (see #3) till
you've memorized these great ideas. More to come next
week. By then, we want yours, too!]
