Time Management - Is it A Myth?

It seems appropriate that my first blog entry after many months away is on Time Management.  After all, the only reason I haven’t blogged in a while is because I haven’t had time.  It’s a very precious commodity these days.  As an example, my husband and I just put all our Christmas boxes back in the attic.  Yes, on February 23, the Christmas decorations are packed away. 

Just to be fair to myself, however, we left the decorations up longer than usual because my daughter couldn’t get home for the holidays until late January.  Then we had something going every weekend, whether it was out-of-town guests, work or family parties.  At least all the decorations were down.  It’s just the boxes that were sitting in the basement family room--a room we hardly use.  So it wasn’t like we saw them every day, or they were in the way.

But what is all this, except excuses?  And don’t we have one for just about anything that goes wrong, or doesn’t happen at all? 

As I look back, can I have put the boxes back in the attic?  Not by myself.  Many of them weigh 20-30 pounds, and we have to climb a ladder to get to the attic.  My husband can do it by himself.  I can’t.  Plus, he has a special way of stacking them so they all fit properly.  Can I have pushed him harder to get them put away?  Sure.  But after four back surgeries, two neck surgeries, and two shoulder surgeries, I don’t press him very much when it comes to physical activity around the house.  Especially with his job as a driver with a major package delivery company.  Every day at work is a challenge for him.  I can only imagine the pain he is in when he gets home.  His days off are a luxury.

So all this also made me wonder, is Time Management really a TIME issue?  Or is it an EXCUSE issue for some, or most, of us?  Do we not do things because we really don’t have time?  Or is it because we are averse to getting the task done?  Or because we decided to spend time with the family instead?  Or because that book looked a lot more inviting than the pile of laundry in the corner?  Or we love to procrastinate?

When all is said and done, everything seems to get accomplished, whether it’s writing a blog, cleaning the bathroom, or baking a batch of cookies for the holidays.  I may make myself crazy by leaving things to the last minute.  But at the end of the day, if I am truly honest with myself, the only one to blame is me.  I could delegate some tasks to other family members, say ‘no’ when asked to volunteer somewhere, or get up 30 minutes earlier each day to give myself time to exercise or send emails or pay bills. There are so many tasks that can be done in the space of a half hour. 

How honest are you with your time and schedule?  Are there instances where you could have called for an insurance quote, but chose to talk on the phone to a friend instead? 

Ten Minutes Early

Frugal Friday

Last week I talked about being frugal with your time—scheduling yourself accordingly so you don't overstress yourself.  This week, I'd like to look at the benefits of getting up ten minutes early. 

We all know that getting up an hour earlier would give us lots of time to get things done.  But who wants to sacrifice an entire hour of sleep?  Especially if you can't get to bed any earlier.  I know I can't survive on only six hours of sleep. So I tried something different—I set my alarm for ten minutes earlier.  That's it—ten minutes.

And I was pleasantly surprised! 

I couldn't believe as the mornings went on what that ten minutes meant to me.  I used to get up and get dressed to walk my daughter to the train station, then go for a walk through the neighborhood.  I would take a different route depending on the time I had to get out the door for clients.  There were days I'd be rushing around trying to get the dogs fed, read and respond to emails, post on Facebook, and tidy up the kitchen before I left. 

Getting up ten minutes earlier made my life so much easier.  You wouldn't think ten minutes can do much.  But now I can put away a load of laundry, select my clothes for the day, put away dishes from the sink, write out a check to pay a bill, or any number of little things that I'd try to do when I got home from my walk.

Doing this freed up my time later.  If I get my breakfast ready before my walk, I have time to do some upper body work with hand weights while I'm waiting for the dogs to finish eating.  If I set my clothes out before my walk, I can use that time later to scan in a document my accountant needs.  I've used the time to call utilities, to file papers that are laying on the kitchen counter, and to send a quick email to a client.  My mornings are much less stressful—and because of a measly ten minutes.  Who knew?

What would you do with ten extra minutes a day?

Being Frugal With Your Time

Frugal Friday

If it's anything I've learned over the years, it's that there is no such thing as 'normal.'  We wish for a normal life or a normal day.  For me, that means a day when everything goes as planned, and nothing goes wrong.  And I have to say, there are a few of those.  Unfortunately, there are more that don't.

How many times have you looked at your schedule and thought—this looks like an easy day.  Then, the dog throws up on your carpet as you're leaving for work, there's an accident on the highway with traffic backed up for over a mile, and you realize you forgot your lunch, so you have to run out and get something instead of making up for lost time by eating at your desk.

The next morning might go more smoothly.  But then you get a call from your mother that she ran out of her prescription medication, your husband calls and asks you to send flowers to his boss's wife who had emergency surgery, and your son 'reminds' you there is an Open House at his school that evening.  

You had your days all planned out to the minute, from errands to cleaning to cooking to laundry.  Then these emergencies happen.  Your life is anything BUT normal.

So how do you cope?  I call it being frugal with your time.  Just like you put away money for a rainy day, or are very attentive as to how you spend it, you should also do this with the minutes and hours in your day. 

Never plan out every minute of every day with something that needs to be done.  Odds are, these emergencies will creep up, eat up your time, and before you know it, nothing is checked off that list. In fact, the list keeps getting longer, not shorter.  So leave cushions in your week for these emergencies.

Allow more time for appointments and tasks than you know they will take.  For example, you have a dentist appointment with a 15 minute drive each way.  You know the appointment is only for a cleaning—30 minutes tops.  So you allow yourself an hour.  But then traffic and lights slow you down, the dentist is running late, and they discover a cavity that needs filling.  Suddenly, that hour appointment turns into two hours and the bathroom doesn't get cleaned as a result.  

Finally, don't take on any more tasks than you are sure you can handle.  It's much easier to say no at the beginning than handing it back mid-project.  

Be frugal with your time, and you will find you have more of it than you think.

Managing Work Flow

Tips for Tuesday

Whether it's your work desk or your personal desk at home, the papers can get overwhelming.  It's sometimes difficult to determine where everything should go.  It seems like more is coming in than is going out.  So how do you handle your work flow to make your desk a productive space?

First, look at every item as it comes "in."  Determine if it needs action.  If not, then it belongs in one of three categories; Discard (trash, recycle, shred), Incubate (hold for later review), File (reference material when required).

If the item needs action, what is that action?  If it can be done in less than two minutes, then do it.  If you can, delegate it. This can be tracked via a communication system.  If you are waiting for someone to do it, check up on the progress on a regular basis.  Anything else needs to be deferred.  When a task is deferred, separate them into tasks that need to be done as soon as possible, and tasks that can be done later.  Schedule time on your calendar for those that can be done later. 

Sometimes the action required on an item is multi-step.  In this case, the individual steps within the project need to be planned out and scheduled.  Each step must be reviewed for further action.

Finally, keep your desk as clear as possible by following these rules:

·         If it's used every day, it belongs ON your desk.

·         If it's used every week, it belongs IN your desk.

·         If it's used every month, it belongs in your office.

·         Everything else belongs in storage.

General Organizing Tips for Writers--Part Two

Writer Wednesday

So far, we've been talking about organizing tips specific to aspects of writing, from tracking submissions to networking. But writers are people too. They have the same challenges in their day-to-day lives as we all do. So here are some general organizing tips for writers.

• Use MS Outlook or other similar contact software management for collecting emails and contacts.
• Keep receipts of all expenses for tax purposes.
• Keep business money separate from household money.
• Always write a name with any phone number you jot down so you remember to whom the number belongs.
• Keep a notebook in your purse or briefcase to record appointments, etc., if you don't carry your planner with you.

Time Management for Writers--Part Five

Writer Wednesday

If you're like most writers, this isn't your full-time job. You may work outside the home. You might have children to care for. You might have a sick family member that takes up much of yor time.

Whatever it is, not many writers have the luxury of writing ten hours a day to crank out that manuscript. Here are some tips to help you manage your time better, and find more time to write:

21. Compose a signature line for all your emails that is automatically added to outgoing messages.
22. Create a master file of standard email responses to copy and paste into the body of an email.
23. Delete or save emails immediately after reading and responding to them.
24. Let phone calls go into voicemail when writing to minimize interruptions.
25. Close the door to your office when working--this tells your family you mean business!

Time Management for Writers--Part Four

Writer Wednesday

If you're like most writers, this isn't your full-time job. You may work outside the home. You might have children to care for. You might have a sick family member that takes up much of yor time.

Whatever it is, not many writers have the luxury of writing ten hours a day to crank out that manuscript. Here are some tips to help you manage your time better, and find more time to write:

16. Learn to say "NO." Whether it's volunteer work, school events or a position on the board of your writer's group, agree only to what you can handle and still have time for yourself.
17. Learn to ask for support. There are times you have to be honest with yourself and admit you can't do it all. If you need help, with anything from cleaning the house to taking the kids to soccer practice, ask for help.
18. Open your mail over a trash/recycle bin. This way you will only handle it once, and won't be tempted to read or keep something that is really trash.
19. Sort mail immediately upon opening--To Do or Pay, To Read, To Keep and File, etc., then put all that mail where it belongs.
20. Set a specific time of the day to read and respond to e-mail. Use only that time for opening e-mails. Do not open an e-mail if you know you won't have time to read and respond to it immediately.

Time Management for Writers--Part Two

Writer Wednesday

If you're like most writers, this isn't your full-time job. You may work outside the home. You might have children to care for. You might have a sick family member that takes up much of yor time.

Whatever it is, not many writers have the luxury of writing ten hours a day to crank out that manuscript. Here are some tips to help you manage your time better, and find more time to write:

6. Purchase a planner or use an electronic calendar. Schedule time for every task you need to complete, keeping aware of deadlines.
7. Create a specific place on your desk for your planner so you can find it when you need it.
8. Have only one calendar for both business and personal appointments so you don't double book yourself.
9. Color code business and personal entries to see the differences at a glance.
10. When entering an appointment in your planner, include the contact name, phone number and directions.

Streamline Your Tasks Around the Home

Tips for Tuesday

Does your life seem busier than ever? Take all your day-to-day tasks, add in the hours you work outside the home and the hours you spend driving your children around, and you are left with precious little time to yourself. Here are some tips to help you streamline your life, get things done more quickly, and have more time for yourself and your family.

AROUND THE HOUSE
• Keep new garbage bags at the bottom of the cans for quick replacement at take-out time.
• Keep a vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies on each level of the house so you don’t have to drag everything up and down stairs.
• Keep vinegar in a spray bottle for quick clean-up of windows, drains, etc..
• Bring a basket or box along while cleaning to collect items for other rooms—put stray items away when you get to that room.
• Line roasting pans with foil for easy clean-up.
• Cook in bulk and freeze extra servings for busy evenings.
• Use clear containers whenever possible for easy viewing of contents.
• Label any non-transparent boxes in storage so you know their contents without having to open them/
• Purchase a programmable thermostat to save time switching settings back and forth, and to save on heating/cooling bills.
• Tape your repairman’s phone number to furnace, water heater, etc., so you don’t have to search for it in an emergency.
• Program frequently-used phone numbers into your home and cellular phones.
• Keep a supply of greeting cards on hand for unexpected events such as illnesses and deaths.

Saving Time Around the House

Tips for Tuesday

Wouldn't we all like a little more time? If you were to take all your day-to-day tasks, add in the hours you spend at work, and all the family events you're obligated to attend, you are left with precious little time to yourself. Here are some tips to help you streamline your life, get things done more quickly, and have more time for yourself and your family.

• Keep new garbage bags at the bottom of the can for quick replacement at take-out time
• Keep a vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies on each level of the house so you don’t have to drag everything up and down stairs
• Keep vinegar in a spray bottle for quick clean-up of windows, drains, etc.
• Bring a basket or box along while cleaning to collect items for other rooms—put stray items away when you get to that room
• Line roasting pans with foil for easy clean-up
• Cook in bulk and freeze extra servings for busy evenings
• Use clear containers whenever possible for easy viewing of contents
• Label any non-transparent boxes in storage so you know their contents without having to open them
• Purchase a programmable thermostat to save time switching settings back and forth
• Tape your repairman’s phone number to furnace, water heater, etc., so you don’t have to search for it in an emergency
• Program frequently-used phone numbers into your home and cellular phones
• Keep a supply of greeting cards on hand for unexpected events such as illnesses