Organizing Your Way To More Time

Time. We all wish we had more of it. One of the best ways I’ve discovered to carve more hours out of my day is to take control of my schedule, organize it better and find a way of working smarter. Better organizing of your schedule sometimes means doubling up on tasks or simply viewing any momentary chunks of downtime differently. As a result of my own experience, I’ve come up with five simple ways of organizing your time.
Tidy First, Clean Later
Now ask yourself this…will anyone ever know if your don’t dust behind the TV or clean the top of the refrigerator? Chances are good they won’t, unless you happen to have a friend or relative who visits wearing a white glove. And, if you do have such a visitor, send them on their way after only a brief visit. I’m sure they’ll find even more dust at their next stop. The key to eliminating the overgrowth of clutter is to pick up things around the house on a regular basis. But when time is short and it comes down doing one thing or the other, focus on organizing the house first and leave the cleaning until later.
Master The Art Of Delegation
Weekly planning sheets which include chores, appointments, school activities and leisure interests are a great way of organizing your family life. Having everything spelled out in advance works wonders and eliminates the need to continually nag. Kids can see everything they have to do and want to do, at a quick glance. So, when they ask permission to do something, all they have to do is consult the weekly planning sheet first.
Carry A Notebook
You may want to take the planning sheet idea one step further and use a calendar/planning notebook as well. Carry this one with you at all times. Write in it all appointments, dates, special occasions and deadlines for you and your family. It may seem like a lot of doubling up but in the end, it does save a lot of time not to mention, the hassle of having to deal with conflicting activities. Any blank sheets can be used for to-do lists.
Organize With A Little Forethought
Stay on top of things by organizing inside and outside of your home. Save time by keeping jumper cables in the car, a waste paper basket in every room and your library books in one central location.
Don’t Over Shoot Your Goals
We’ve all been there. We’re expecting company and we throw ourselves into a cleaning frenzy. We convince ourselves that we have to clean and organize every square inch of the house in order to make it presentable. Stop and ask yourself, “Just what is my goal here?” Chances are cleaning the heating vents will have little to do with hosting a successful party. Eliminate any activity that doesn’t advance your goal.