Are you feeling overwhelmed as a homeschooling mom? Here is an instant project board idea that will free up your brain from having to carry so much. This is idea works with all of your zooey schedule and the constant demands for multi-tasking just to make it through the day, let alone progress with any additional projects you would like to accomplish yourself sometime. In just a few seconds you can set up an easy, do-able project board that can help you get going. This wall-board will enable you to visualize what you need to do—but you don't have to actually do any of it until you feel like it.
After hearing about the unparalleled success rates of using a professional project board, I recently started a homespun version on the back of a bedroom door, using Post-It notes and my door—that's it—no other surface—just the door. I stuck my sticky notes under a number of category headings all over the back of the door. I put them on the back of that door so that no one sees them, because that door is usually open. So, the list is against the wall until I want to see it, privately . My door is now covered with little mini-tasks. At first I was tenuous about writing notes for it—but now I recklessly throw all kinds of mini-tasks up on there.
You can often find Post-It notes on sale, making the financial toll almost nil—one-tenth of a cent per Post-It note or so :) —not bad for a tool to get yourself wonderfully organized. For the clearest visibility of what you write on them, I find that the light yellow ones work best; if the paper is any darker, you can't see your lettering from a distance away. You could use the more flamboyant-colored Post-Its for your headers at the top of the door, noting each category you want to move forward in.
I'm finding this system more successful than anything I've ever attempted as a tool to "manage me". It gives a visual oomph to get tasks done. If you are super tired, or have only five minutes, you look at the door and you may not have energy (or time) for a big task, but you can spot a little something on there and think "Oh, E-Z-P-Z, I can just whip that one out." This enables you to "limp when wounded"—eventually accomplishing an amazing amount.
To give yourself a wee reward when you’ve completed a task, transfer the Post-It note to the bottom of the door and watch your accomplishments stack up "down there" (if you need this sort of motivation :) —and some of us do. Otherwise, pitch them in the trash as you do them.
Here are three additional tweaking tips I learned while doing this:
- Write only one task on each Post-It note (this saves rewriting lists of details over and over).
- Write out your note with large letters, using the whole Post-It note surface for your short phrase.
- Write with a marker instead of pen or pencil; it comes out much bolder; you can see it further away.
Happy enhanced brain power, and stacks and stacks of accomplishments to you!
