179: Top 10 Quick Life Hacks for the Busy Blended Family

Brian Mayer talks about some quick things you and your family can do to save time.  The biggest difficulty that blended families face is feeling that there is not enough time left over in our days and weeks to breathe and even connect with each other.  In today’s episode it is all about doing some practical things to create more time and space.  We hope you are inspired by today’s message.  For more information and additional resources please visit our website at http://www.theremarriedlife.com Today's Goodies If you want more time to relax or to even just quietly connect with your partner and the kids then this episode is for you. I am going to give you my top 10 hacks to create that time and space. By the way if you don’t know, a “hack” is a term probably coined over the last few years.  According to Wikipedia in short it means something like “a trick or shortcut to increase productivity.”  So let’s not waste any more of your time. Here they are:   Ask yourself these two questions with everything that you face: “Is it important?” and “Can I do anything about it?”  By asking these questions, you may be able to either eliminate some things or reduce the amount of energy spent on them.  Do much of your food prep for the week in one block of time, say two hours on a Sunday for example. You would be surprised that you will probably gain that time and more back. If you exercise, wake up earlier and do it then. This is a had one to do, but once you get in the habit you might find it becomes easier. 10 minute pick-up. This involves everyone in the family doing a quick pick up of the clutter around the house and placing back in the proper area.  This is something you might do every evening or maybe once every few days.  If you enjoy watching television, record your favorite programs or watch them on demand later. You can often fast forward through commercials saving time.  Brainstorm with your partner ways to save time getting the kids to all the appropriate activities. Of course during our time in COVID this may not make sense.  Take advantage of the new grocery pick-up that many stores offer. This could save you at least an hour every week.  Use something called the Pomodoro Technique. The crux of this idea is to set a timer for 25 minutes to complete each task we must do.  We often will complete tasks in however much time we are given.  You know what I am talking about.  At work if the boss gives us two weeks then by golly we will take that long….stopping and starting etc.  If the boss gives us one day, we will move through it without as many stops and starts.  Ask for help. This one is tough for those of us who don’t like to delegate.  Reduce your shower/bath to a few times a week. Unless of course you sweat and get grimy, science says a few times a week should suffice.  Of course the armpits and groin area can tend to get smelly so those may be need to be focused on daily.  I hope some of these quick hacks have helped you to think about getting some time back. Speaking of getting some time back, I am going to take 4-6 weeks off from producing new episodes to focus on some other things around The Remarried Life like the email newsletter and continued development of the relationship building workshop. Brian’s Lasting Connection Workshop I am currently offering a relationship building workshop that takes place over the course of 1 day. The workshops are offered live online through Zoom which many of you are now familiar. The workshops are done in a group setting with other couples and use the format we just talked about which involves periods of education, application (couples exercises to practice), group discussion, and assessments (surveys) to take about your relationship. The current workshops are held on Friday’s from 8 am – 4:30 pm Eastern Time on the following dates: March 19, 2021 April 16, 2021 May 21, 2021 For listeners of the Remarried Life Podcast, I am offering $100 off to show my appreciation for your support. Go to following link: theremarriedlife.com/workshop Click on one of the dates that works best. Then enter the Promo Code: TRL100 The promo code may only stay around for those 3 workshops so act now to get $100 off. Hope to see you at the workshop with your partner.     Resources: Brian’s Virtual Couples Workshop Thanks For Listening! With so many things that take time in our lives, I more grateful than you know that you took time to listen to this podcast episode.  If you liked this episode and believe that it would be beneficial to a friend, family member, or colleague, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. The Remarried Life Facebook Groupis a community of people just like you who get and give support.  Please join today!  ​ As always remember that marriage is not something you have, it is something you do.  Talk to you next week unless you are binge listening in the future in which case I will talk to you in about a minute!  Take care.