Tips to Slow Down in this Busy Fall Season - by Judy Christie

Be sure to look at the end of this post to find how you might win a copy of Judy's book.

Most busy wives and mothers are list-keepers – notes here and there about errands to run, meetings to attend, bills to pay, and places the family needs to be.

Maybe you’re like me and get satisfaction when you check items off these lists. (OK, confess: Have you ever written something on a list just so you could check it off? I have.)

In this busy fall season, already with hints of the holidays ahead, it is important to consider tools that can help you with all those to-do items and to remember that you can’t do everything. You’re not supposed to do everything! A few tips:

• Shift your thinking, just as the seasons are shifting. Your role is important and demanding. Think positively, expecting things to work out for the best. Take a fresh look at your schedule and make needed changes. Don’t be afraid to say “no” sometimes.
   
• Shape your busy afternoon and evening routines deliberately. Consider what is important to you and your family, and plan evenings accordingly. Write your schedule down, tweaking it as needed when unexpected things arise. Take marginal activities off your schedule to add things that mean more.
• Make good choices for your own time. Perhaps you need another reminder here: you cannot do everything. You will drive yourself (and your family) crazy if you try. Model a calmer, more meaningful way of life – helping those around you to understand that life is full of great choices. It takes wisdom and courage to make the best ones. Don’t keep adding on a little activity here or a small request there. Those add up to burnout and fatigue. 
• Work with your children on homework habits – getting it done earlier in the evening, so that you aren’t scrambling, nagging, pushing at bedtime. 
• Help your children choose good extracurricular activities -- guiding them and not overloading. Kids today have so many pressures, and they often fill their schedules to the breaking point. Help them learn more about themselves – and whether they want to be in the band or play football or volunteer at a hospital or be a youth group leader at church. 
• Add fun to your to-do list. Don’t focus only on “ought-to’s.” Laugh with your family and friends. 
• Take care of yourself. Have hobbies and friends, and go out with your spouse, even in the busy seasons. Take renewal time – and do it without feeling guilty. Fill up your personal gas tank, so that you have more to offer, not always running on empty.
• Pray about your calendar. Your weeks fill up quickly, and they require focus and attention. Ask God to guide you as you choose how you will spend each hour.

 Thank you for the amazing ways you touch lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Judy Christie loves to help busy people slow down and enjoy each day more. She’s a speaker and the author of the popular Hurry Less Worry Less series, including Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas which now includes an Advent study, recipes and more tips. Judy likes to visit with friends and family on her old green Kitchen Couch (bought for $40 at the church where she grew up) and writes in her journal on an antique glider. She is the author of the Green series of novels, including the recent Rally 'Round Green about life in the small town of Green, LA. Her first Young Adult novel, Wreath, came out this month.

For more info on Judy, see www.judychristie.com. Judy loves to chat with readers at www.facebook.com/judychristie and http://twitter.com/judypchristie. For free Hurry Less Worry Less tips, visit her weekly podcast on iTunes. She also enjoys visiting with book clubs and church groups via Skype or telephone!

ABOUT THE BOOK
Hurry Less, Worry Less for Moms is full of practical tips and encouragement for busy moms who are exhausted from juggling and want to enjoy each day more. Moms know the feeling. They’re constantly trying to fit everything – work, laundry, family fun, shuttle service, you name it - into 24-hours. They want to enjoy each day with their family but sometimes feel like they’re in quicksand and don’t know how to get started on a new path. Hurry Less, Worry Less for Moms offers ways to take a fresh look and make needed changes and includes a study guide for group or individual use.


WIN THE BOOK
If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Hurry Less, Worry Less for Moms, just leave a comment on this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, October 19th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!