It’s Amazing What You Can Accomplish in 15 or 20 Minutes!

When I first became a homeschool mom back in 1999, my great organization skills seemed to literally fly out the window. I went from neat and organized to clutter, clutter, and even more clutter. I know that some of you homeschool moms are LOL and ROF right about now, because you know all too well that clutter has a way of taking over the homes of most homeschoolers.

At the time I lived in a 2 bedroom flat and as an apartment it was fantastic, but once it had to house a classroom everything changed. Pennsylvania is the 2nd toughest state to homeschool in, New York is number one. So if you private homeschool (buy your own curriculum and don’t use cyber school) the state requires a lot of paperwork from you. The daily school log alone can cause you to pull out your hair, especially when you only do it every three months versus every school day!!! Oh, the tears that first year. Some days I cried more than Tovah did. ~Smile~ The one thing we can always count on is that when God gives us instruction to do something He does provide all that we will ever need to succeed. Besides the brain smarts He had already given me to do the job, He gave me a spiritual mentor who is pretty darn smart herself.

One day as I was expressing my frustration with paperwork, and no longer able to eat at the dinning room table, she suggested that I begin timing projects and when the time was up move on to something else that had to be done. She then added, “You will be amazed at what you can do in 15 minutes!” At first I thought she was making light of the situation and trying to pick my spirits up by making me laugh, but she was very serious. That was 10 years ago, and I’ve become a pro at using 15 to 20 minutes to get things done. I want to share this little nugget with you, because someone of us are having trouble making time for rest or even just a quiet moment to think. Trust me my sisters, this works. And the more you apply it to everyday things, the better it gets.

I started by taking 15 minutes every evening to make sure my bedroom was picked up and everything in its place. I had a habit of cleaning my room once a week and that was it because by the end of the day my butt was tired! The handles on my exercise bike housed all the clothing I didn’t hang up during the week, and there were piles of books, papers and junk on the seat of the bike too. By the week’s end my dresser was cluttered and covered with white talcum powder and I won’t even talk about the night stands. But I will say that once I did the weekly cleaning of my room and began picking it up every night; I had the sanctuary one needed after spending all day in the front of the apartment working from home and homeschooling a second grader. Before long I just automatically put everything in its place. Tovah’s bedroom, the bathroom and kitchen were places that were always neat and clean, but there was a huge problem in my living and dinning area. Because of the way my flat was designed these two rooms were together without the division of a wall, and often at the end of the day I just walked away and left the stuff there. After conquering my bedroom I began to focus on picking up 15 minutes after school was done and 15 more minutes after my paid work was done. This really helped me to feel good about things and I was no longer overwhelmed trying to get a month’s worth of paperwork done in one day.

I don’t always use a 15 minute time frame, but I do use a timing system for many things. When I have a big project that seems intimidating or overwhelming, I begin to block a certain amount of time each day to work on it, often it is an hour. At the end of 2 weeks I am amazed at how much I have accomplished. When I moved a couple of years ago, I had boxes on top of boxes to unpack, so I took on one box a day and before I knew it, everything had a place and the boxes that needed to be stored were put away too.

As Tovah grew older and could handle her 15 minutes of chores in the evening, together we would get a lot accomplished. Truth is it really doesn’t take longer than 15 minutes to mop a floor, or dust a certain area. I can freshen up the bathroom in 10 minutes. The more hands you have (meaning kids) the easier it is to get an hour’s or more worth of work done in just 15 minutes.

Over the years one of the greatest things I’ve found to do in 15 to 20 minutes is meditate on the Word of God.

I’ve taken this example for you from the book [In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart, by Ruth Graham (daughter)]. First choose a Bible verse that speaks to your heart. Get comfortable in a place where you will not be distracted. Relax your body and let all the thoughts and to-dos pass from your mind. Consider a phrase or concept in the verse you have chosen. Meditate on the phrase. What does it mean? What does it say to you personally? What does it tell you about God? Do not rush while you think on these things—stay relaxed. Invite God to show you something new, to change you in some way. Allow God to increase your clarity about what the verse is communicating specifically to you. As you gain understanding, begin to thank God for what He is showing you. Praise Him for what you have leaned about His character and ask Him to help you apply whatever it is you have learned to your every day life.

Joshua 1:8 (The Message) And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Now I ask, "How wonderful is that?"

My hope is that I have encouraged you to tackle some of the mountains that have been overwhelming you, by continuing in the theme of helping us finding quiet time and rest for our soul, spirit, mind and body. Drop me a line and share how you tackle overwhelming “jobs to do” or just express an opinion on what you might be able to do in 15 to 20 minutes.

Winner of the drawing for a gift from Cupteavity.com is: Rita Scarborough of Sicklerville, NJ, USA. Rita will be receiving a Tin of their special blended “Pumpkin Tea,” and a shiny strainer. Keep looking because we have a few more drawings coming up.

Blessings & Love to you all!!

Ponnie