Allison Mitchell - Time Management for Manic Mums: Get Control of Your Life in 7 Weeks

Allison Mitchell, 2006, 2012

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for 'fair use' as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-84850-967-2 in print
ISBN 978-1-84850-735-7 in epub format
ISBN 978-1-84850-734-0 in Mobipocket format

This book is dedicated to all mums. In particular, my own mum who is one of the truly marvellous variety, also my dad, and of course the apples and blueberries of my eye, Chris, Hannah, Callum and Laura.

My thanks to everybody who has supported me in my most manic of motherhood moments. Id especially like to thank a few people who have been particularly supportive whilst I was writing this book: Clare, Jackie, Lou, Kathleen, Debby, Belinda, Louise, Rachel. Paul for his coaching. An extra special thanks goes to Wonderbird Lou Gimson. And of course to all at Hay House.

Dear Allison,
As I sit here watching the late-night omnibus edition of Coronation Street, sipping a large glass of Baileys, thinking about the dishes piled high in the sink, my unplucked eyebrows and the school trip letter needing my signature, I decided to write to you and ask for your help.

You see, my life has become a mish-mash of things to do, all jumbled and colliding into one another. The tasks I am expected to complete as a working mother with three daughters seem completely overwhelming. I just never have the time to do it all, let alone enjoy any of it. The events of today really got me thinking that I need help to create more time. This is how my day began:

This morning I had an appointment at the gynaecologists clinic for a colposcopy following a bad smear test result. Id been up three times in the night with Natalies nightmares, so when my alarm sounded I pressed the snooze button twice. I now didnt know if Id get there on time. I quickly dressed, shoved the children into my next-door neighbours house, jumped in the car and drove too quickly down the road, doing up my seat belt as I went. Then it dawned on me: I hadnt left enough time to go to the cashpoint. I only had 1.60 in my purse. Not enough to pay for the hospital parking! Inspired, I decided to park up a side street and catch the bus. Unfortunately, as I waited at the traffic lights the Number 26 flew round the corner and passed me at great speed in the bus lane. Like a cross between Ayrton Senna and Evel Knievel, I spent the next 20 minutes playing beat the bus. I lost.

As a last resort I abandoned the car in my dentists car park and walked the rest of the way to the hospital. Did I say walk? With a ten-minute journey ahead and my appointment in seven, I ran! When I arrived I was delighted to find that I hadnt unpacked my handbag from the childrens picnic last week and I was able to salvage a couple of almost-dried-out baby wipes. I popped to the Ladies to clean myself up. Whilst locked in the loo I heard my name being called and rushed out, leaving my handbag and car keys in the cubicle. I bravely underwent the procedure, which lasted 20 minutes. It certainly gave a whole new meaning to the term go for the burn! As I sat with my legs in the air, I thought to myself, What a sad tale: the only time I havent rushed today was whilst clamped in a rather unflattering position to a gynaecologists examination table.

The last time I found myself in this position was when I gave birth, which is when my loss of time first began. Its also when I stopped dedicating time to looking after myself.

When I was pregnant, I made sure I ate, exercised and rested properly. I wanted to do the best I could for my unborn babies whilst I was sharing my body with them. What about now theyre here? I cant remember the last time I had any me time in the past 14 years.

Please help me to find some elusive time for myself and to run my life in an organized and calm manner, instead of the pulse-racing, manic way I live it today.

Yours hopefully,
A Manic Mum

Dear Manic Mum,

I write in response to your request for more time and a calmer life. I know youll be delighted to hear that what you want is perfectly possible to achieve. Believe me, I speak from personal experience. People are sometimes surprised to learn that I, too, used to live my life in the same manic way that you do. That is, until I learned the secrets to getting more time. These secrets lie in the Seven Truths of Time Management. Apply these Truths to your life and your problems will be solved. I receive so many letters like yours that I now find it difficult to keep up with them. So I thought it would be useful to write the secrets and Truths down, so you can discover them for yourself, then pass them on to others. I look forward to hearing how you get on.

With warmest wishes,
Allison

If you have no time then it does rather beg the question, How will I find time to read this book?! Believe me, with three children and a busy life myself, I fully understand the challenge.

Ive written the book with this in mind. And what better place to start than with some tips and suggestions for getting this book under your belt, and its help and advice into your brain and life, in just seven weeks.

Unfortunately for me, I had to write this epic one word at a time. You, however, can read it two words at a time, immediately halving your reading time. Not bad. Try it out. Its easy to read two words at once. When reading silently to yourself, dont say the words out loud in your head. This will really slow you down. Look at them, take them in without saying them, then move on. When you get used to reading two words at a time like this, try it with three and four.

Use your finger to point at the words. Pull it along the line so your eyes have to work a little quicker than usual to keep up with your finger. I know pointing at words is what you do with your five-year-old, but it really does work. Go on, have a go, try it now. Before you know it youll be such a proficient speed-reader all youll have to do is hold the book against your head, and its contents will enter your brain by osmosis.

Just as youd eat an apple, a pear or an elephant one bite at a time, devour this book one chunk at a time. Break it down into a series of manageable pieces. Its already broken into seven chapters. Each chapter can be read over the course of a week.

Set aside 15 minutes a day for reading. Make a time when youll be able to do it. Maybe bedtime, on your lunch break or waiting to pick up from school. Finding time to read a whole book is tricky. Finding time to read for 15 minutes a day, thats achievable.

At the end of each chapter I give a rough estimate of how long the exercises take so you can plan when to do them.