OYOL Week Four Report

I'm late on this. Oops.

After visualizing my life in categories on a pie chart, I found it much easier to prioritize my routine list from week three. In fact, it was pretty easy. Whatever category it fit into dictated it's priority.

I listed out all the roles that currently dominate my life.

1. God's Child
2. Wife
3. Mother
4. Home Manager
5. Health & Nutrition Manager
6. Finance Manager
7. Daughter, Sister, etc. (extended family)
8. Friend
9. Creater (sewing/crafts)
10. Designer (graphic design)
11. Relaxer (named this only because it had to end with an -er. lol. It's a fancy word for doing absolutely nothing or whatever I feel like doing at the moment.)

I then graphed them according to importance. This does not always equal time. Being a family finance manager is more important than crafting, but I may actually spend more hours working on a craft project than I may spend paying the bills and working out a budget.

Here's the breakdown of my chart. You will notice I did not put God in my graph. That is because He should not just be a chunk in my life. He IS my life. So I put down the things I should do as His child in a circle around the entire graph.

God's Child- 100%
Wife- 25%
Mother- 20%
Home Manager- 10%
Health & Nutrition Manager- 10%
Finance Manager- 10%
Daughter, Sister, etc- 8%
Friend- 8%
Creater- 3%
Designer- 3%
Relaxer- 3%

The graph helps me visualize which of the tasks at hand are more important to focus on at that time. For example, one day I wake up with a long to do list. My husband has asked me to make some phone calls for him. There are two bills that absolutely have to be paid. The sink is overflowing with dishes. My 3 year old has no clean underwear. My 5 year old is waiting on me to start school for the day. I trip over a thousand toys just trying to walk from one side of the living room to the next. The pantry and fridge need restocked. The bathroom smells like an outhouse. Where do I start? What do I do?

While the answer can, a lot of times, be "whatever is screaming loudest", especially if that happens to be a 2 year old wanting juice instead of water, that's not always the best way to tackle things. It only leaves me feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because so much seems to be screaming all at once at the same volume level.

The graph allows me to see at a glance what is most important to accomplish that day. Spending time with God is top priority, since I am utmost and foremost His child before I am anything else to anyone else. Making those phone calls for my husband is next in line in importance. My husband is my highest priority, aside from God. I have to find a way to fit those phone calls in that day. My next priority in the day should be my children... loving them and training them. These three things are top priority. I should try to fit in the other tasks in my day, but not at the expense of one of the other higher priorities.

I'm really loving this pie chart thing. I sure hope I'm not nerding anyone out with it. Ha ha. I'm such a visual person.