I don’t know why, but March might just be my most challenging month of the year.
The hope of snow is virtually faded, and spring is not yet here — and for me, that makes for a long and slightly unmotivating month. It also reminds me of the dreaded day three years ago when our world completely changed — I am sure you recall where you were or what you were doing when that happened.
It serves as a reminder that our worlds can stop on a dime at any moment.
Just Stay Home: On March 13, 2020, I went from having a calendar that was booked for months to suddenly having a very blank schedule. I cleaned my closets, purged items, and my house was sparkling clean.
More importantly, my family and I rediscovered things we never had time for. Family game nights, movie nights, reading my favorite books, exercise, baking — all things I never had time for, I suddenly had plenty of time to do. While I do not have time to do these things these days, I find that scheduling time for them brings me back to those more straightforward, albeit uncertain, times and gives me a sense of happiness. Find yours again! It should not take a global pandemic to make us realize those things that give us joy.
If you discovered the love of cooking, budget time to do it.
Buy More Time: To the person who invented grocery pick-up, I cannot tell you how much your innovation has changed my life. Instead of spending my entire day off traipsing from store to store, I can order my groceries from my living room sofa and save myself, quite literally, hours of time.
Perhaps you spend your entire weekend cleaning the house — would it be helpful to hire a housekeeper to do a deep cleaning once or twice a month?
If cutting grass or landscaping has become too tiresome or hard to manage, consider how paying an expert to take that one thing off your plate.
Keep It Simple: Whether it is your exercise routine, meal planning or any other chore, keeping things simple and slightly automated can make all the difference in the world. I used to wrack my brain to try to come up with new meal ideas — only to find that keeping it simple was actually the preferred option. For example, my kids don’t mind having tacos every Tuesday!
While I might vary the type of protein or method, I use to prepare it, making Tuesdays our standing Taco Tuesday makes things simple for all of us. It makes everything from meal prep to grocery planning so much easier. Consider everything you do in your routine and think about how to simplify.
Smart Moves for Your Home: Just as we can buy time by hiring someone to do the things that take you too much time, there are ways to make things easier in your house.
Consider investing in smart tools to automate your home.
A smart home is outfitted with wirelessly connected gadgets that can do things for you. Whether it is adjusting your thermostat when you leave the house or having an automated vacuum clean your rugs daily, there are ways to save yourself time — and the extra hassle of remembering to do all of these things. Take some time to consider everything in your house that could be adapted to a smart device. It may not happen overnight, but you can start to budget for implementing these tools into your home.
I’ve already written my letter to Santa for that new robot vacuum next Christmas.
(Editor’s Note: Kristine George is a freelance journalist who resides in Easton.)