Just give me five more minutes! PLEASE!

How many of us have used this phrase a million times a day? I have and still do!

It's not just five minutes, sometimes I wish I could add more hours to a day. It's been said "good personal time management skills are essential for a happy, successful career". Entering into motherhood changes our whole world. Nothing can truly prepare you for the sleepless nights, the consuming cries of a child, chores pilling up, and in top of your hormonal body, trying to find intimacy time with your spouse.

I remember when I had my first born I cried the whole first year. I totally failed when it came to keeping a house cleaned, cooking an edible meal, and keeping up with myself so that I didn't scare anyone off. I would improve little by little but I wasn't happy with what I was giving my children, husband, especially myself.

At the end of every year everyone has a new year's resolution. Some people set a goal to loose weight, buy a house, be debt free, get married, have a baby. But nope not me! The word that first popped into my head was..."Determination". Do you have any idea how many times I’ve set goals? Yes I'm going to do this and that and then I start, I give it a week, and I've quit by then. Then I get so upset at myself at the fact that I started something to not finish it and my excuse as always been "I just don't have the time".

While reading the word of God one morning I came across this passage, Philippians 1:6."Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". I understood that I was created in God's image being fully capable of starting something and finishing it as God is doing in our lives. I was determined to make the time for everything I had to accomplish in one day. I'm going to share with you a few things I did that made my life so much better and happier boosting my confidence, as a mother, wife and homemaker.

Preparing a To-Do List
You can use to-do lists in different ways in different situations; whatever role you have, either a stay-at-home or a working parent.

A good way to motivate yourself is to keep your to-do list relatively short, and aim to complete it every day. Remember to carry out only necessary tasks.

Tackle the most important jobs first, and don't waste time on little things. Don't get stressed by a large number of unimportant jobs. There are 7 days a week so make sure to prioritize your tasks and have fun with it.

Before you go to sleep do your to-do list for the next day. Write down chores you would like to get done and make sure to include activities for your kids to do. If you’re going out shopping take a list of the things you want/need to buy and give yourself a specific time to be out so you won’t be rushing home to cook dinner and get kids ready for bed.

Everyday doesn’t have to be about chores, plan a fun day out for yourself or your kids.

Organization is a Must!
American inventor Thomas Edison once said "Time is really the only capital any human being has, and the one thing he can't afford to waste."
Organizational skills are important for day after day life because they will assist in planning correctly the actual tasks that need to be completed. After preparing your to-do list, write down a time schedule in which each task will be completed.

Plan every hour of the day the night before starting from the moment you wake up and that should be as early as possible. I get up at 6am to start my day with prayer, working out and getting ready before my kids wake up which is by 8am, after that time my day is planned with specific chores, activities and me time. Everyday is a different schedule depending on the things I have planned.

It will take a while to get used to a daily routine but I promise you it will all flow naturally by a month’s time. This may not always work when you or the kids are sick or something unexpected comes up, but 80% of the time it will work allowing you to be in control of your time, day and children. I normally place my paper in the fridge where I can go back to it as a reminder of what to do next. Try to change the time used to watch TV, go on the internet and even texting. They are all distractions that can consume so much of our time. Remember to give yourself a time slot to relax. A happy wife makes a happy home.

God made a season and a time for everything but it is our job to plan out our lives. God in the beginning had a 7 day To-Do List for all creation. He had a goal, set a daily plan, and did an amazing job at accomplishing it and so can we! Nothing in life is easy but you can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens you!

Sheila is a wife and a mommy of three beautiful little girls.

"I know what it is to lose a husband in a car accident while pregnant. Then to later marry again, go through a divorce but also be able to experience God’s restoration in my marriage after a 3 year separation. God is a good God and everything He does is perfect! I am also a stay-at-home mommy who homeschools. My children make me a better mother everyday and my husband a better wife. I love the life God has chosen for me and will continue to serve God and my family well until the return of Jesus Christ.”