Time Management 101

Unless I am mistaken, I believe it is summer.

Why then am I so stinkin' busy?

I'm beginning to wonder if I am going to look back and feel like I wasted these glorious summer days doing stuff.

Errands. Phone calls. Blogging. The list could go on.

Starting today it is back to boot camp.

Time Management Boot Camp.

If I don't control the direction of my day...who is going to?

I seriously doubt The King is going to suddenly exclaim, "Honey, I've noticed you are overwhelmed with the day to day stuff right now, and I would love to spend my hard earned money providing you with a personal assistant to do all of the yuck sprinkled throughout your day. It is my heartfelt desire that you and The Princess enjoy leisurely summer days filled with nothing but lemonade and bliss".

It is more likely that I'll be mistaken for a swimsuit model.

And that, my friends, ain't gonna happen.

So, I'm going to spend the day organizing things so that the rest of this break feels like an actual break.

I thought I might give you one of my favorite time management tips and then you could share one of yours.

We all win.

Ok. I love, love, love unruled index cards.

I use them for:

Daily Lists - I write down everything I need to do that day and scratch it off when it is done. I LOVE scratching things off my list. Sometimes I even put "eat lunch" on my list. I can carry it with me all day and throw it away each night.

Grocery Lists - It fits right in my wallet. Perfect!!

Meal Planning - I keep my weekly menu on a card and keep in on my calendar. When the week is over, I file it to use again.

Notes - I can jot notes to The King and leave those babies all over the place.

Gift Tags - Oh yes. I've done it. A few stickers, ribbon and markers and you are all set.

It costs less than $3 for a package of 500 cards. Get them. You will love them.

Now give me your best. Quickly. Time's a-wastin'.

Comments

[Kristin]

Time Management tip? Ha! I have cleaning tips, tips on doing dishes, when to fill the tank, but time tips??

I guess the best one I have is to use a timer. Set it and forget it. Well, set it, do your chore, blogging, sleeping, dishes, TV, whatever and when the timer goes off stop what you are doing and do something else.

It's kind of fun to play beat the clock.

[Straight Shooter]

I know many people do this already but it is so dang easy. I make a week's worth of meal ideas using only two kinds of meat. Like chicken and and hamburger. On either Sunday or Monday afternoon I cook up the entire amount I will need for the week. Then I alternate meats during the week. Tacos, then chicken fetticine, then goulash, the chicken salad, then... and so on. We usually need something quick on Wed. before church so we either do sandwiches or fast food. Having the main meats cooked sounds so simple but it has amazed me how much more quick I can have meals on the table. The other up side is the fact I KNOW there is something nutritious and quick to make so I am less apt to call Lover Boy to pick something up on his way home. So it has been a time saver for me and kinda a money saver too.
Loved your tip with card by the way! Thanks!

[Vicky]

I totally get the list thing... especially writing things on my daily to-do list for the sheer joy of crossing them off. I don't know that "eat lunch" has ever made it on the list though...
I started keeping my to-do list on a white board. If I need to buy something random, I put it on there too. The joy of erasing something is equal to that of crossing it off. And I get really excited when the board is empty and I can WASH IT.
I also really loved that you FILE your meal plans for later use. I also love files...
I don't really have any tips, but I had to comment. I may need to get myself some unruled index cards...

[Meg in Tally]

Sorry, no tips here. But I also wonder how I can be so busy in the summer? Homeschool is ratcheted down to "math only", no field trips to run to, even church activities pretty much go on hiatus for the summer (except VBS, which is already OVER! Hallelujah!). So why all the hustle and bustle? Don't know. Sure wish I could figure out -- gotta run! Errands, ya know!

[Katy]

I am in the midst of trying to organize my life so it's recognizable again! VBS wrecked my daily routine, so boot camp it is around here, as well!

Katy
http://mynutvillage.com/

[Fuschia]

Love the note card idea. Lists are my friends...even my lists have lists!
My best time mgmt idea is the Buddy System. With five kids, I can't do it all, or even most of it! My oldest two are close in age and my youngest two are close in age...so I pair an older with a younger for just about everything from chores to getting buckled in the car. The poor middle child is...well...the middle child :-)
Hey, this sounds like a WFMW post in the makin'.

[Joanne (The Simple Wife)]

Check this out for a fun list to keep on hand--so cool!

http://pocketmod.com/

I'm thinking that I need to start a "Tomorrow List" since it takes me forever to get going in the morning. Yesterday felt like a total waste. So I think I'm going to spend time the night before deciding what needs to be done/what I want to do on the morrow.

We'll see how it goes...

But time management? Lists are totally the way to go in my book! That and asking God to help me number my day...Psalm 90:12.

[Amy @ By His Grace]

Lists...they make me very happy!

[Lisa@take90west]

I do the list thing too, on RULED spiral bound index cards. Same thing...shopping, menu, to-do, to-buy.
Other than that, I usually waste my time reading time management/organization books! If I'd just stop reading about how to get more time in my day...I'd have lots of time!
I think there is a saying that goes '...if it weren't for the last minute I wouldn't get anything done.' Yeah. That's pretty much my life's motto.
Have some fun today...put it on the list!

[Darcie]

I use the unruled index cards too. Love those. My favorite tip is to trick yourself. Sounds silly, I know. But it works.

I find that my time on the computer monopolizes much of my day. So I bribe myself to finish a certain chore (folding a load of laundry, cleaning the toilets) before allowing myself 15 minutes on the computer.

Like I said, silly, but it works.

[Heather]

Time management?

Hmm. I do plan my meals a week in advance. It saves from the whole day of "what should I cook today?" while opening the freezer a dozen times hoping the contents have changed.

OH!

I sort the laundry daily. Everyday, I take the dirty clothes downstairs to the laundry room and put them in this three compartment hamper. When a specific color is full then I do that load.

It's not going to gain you a whole day or even an hour, I know. But this helps me.

:)

[Leslie @ Sunday School Blog]

I'm all about a list, too, except I keep my lists in my cell phone (I have a Blackjack). I have to-do lists and even a packing list for when I go out of town. I also put recipes in my cell phone so that I'll always have them with me and can look up ingredients on an impromptu trip to the grocery store.

[Jennifer]

I heart lists. A lot. I also enjoy putting on Eat Lunch (because really, I'm never NOT going to do that!) just so I can cross it off. Crossing things off is the reason we do things in the first place, right?

Other suggestions:
~What's happening tomorrow? Can anything be done quickly tonight when I'm more awake than tomorrow morning when I'm moving in a slow sleepy state? This can include putting meat in the fridge to thaw for dinner, refilling my water bottle for work, finding the shoes I want to wear the next day.
~I run the laundry every morning. Usually just one load gets all the way done. I start the machines when I go get breakfast and fold the dry clothes before I leave. The load in the washer gets left until the next morning and moved over. Sometimes when I get caught up, I take those days to eat a special breakfast (or sleep in!!) as a reward for being so amazing!
~Ask for help. It's just me and my husband (and two dogs) so I don't have others to worry about. It has taken me a while to realize that I am not the "perfect" wife who does everything ontime and is super organized. I am just me. I ask for help when I need it. Or I get really mopey and DH has to guess what I want him to do. Sometime that is more fun, but it is more time consuming, so sometime it defeats the purpose!

Good luck!

[Julie]

I'm with everyone else - I make lists. It's the only way I can remember to do things that need to be done. I write my "to-do" list in my planner on that day and then I get to check things off. Love to do that! I like the index card idea for shopping lists, thanks!

[Kellyn]

I keep a notepad in my purse at ALL TIMES. It is small and prefect when I need to jot something down for later. I check it every night when I get home, transfer things to the calendar and so forth. I love it!

[sandee foster]

STicky Notes.... you know the ones you can get at office stores. As a nurse, reps give them out by the millions so I have never had to buy any but they are great for lists and you can stick them on your husband's forehead if he repeatedly forgets stuff. They can go on the dash or on the back door when there is something super important to remember. Disclaimer: Don't abuse/overuse the sticky notes or you will find that you have forgotten what color your kitchen is because it is "sticky note" yellow.

[Elizabeth]

Index cards are brilliant!!! I have no time management tips. None. It's that bad LOL.

[Mary B]

I heart index cards. No great suggestions though. I am not working this summer for the first time. Ever. I need to figure out some time management because nothing is getting done!

[Jeni]

What saves my butt when I'm busy or frazzled is the little whiteboard on my fridge. It usually keeps a running grocery list, but also occasionally has to-do lists, appointments, phone numbers, or whatever else I'm reasonably sure I won't remember five minutes from now.

The running-grocery-list is a MUST for me. I get annoyed when I go to my mom's house and see that they're out of something, and there's NOWHERE to write it down!

[Wendi]

I am a list kinda gal too.
My lists have lists.
I make lists of my lists.
You get my point.

On Saturday or Sunday evening I have my husband grill up the week's meats.
I always have a variety.
Chicken, Steak, Hamburger, Pork Chops. Then I make my weekly menus.
With the meat already done... I just have to make a salad, rice, veggies, or something to go with it.
Saves tons of time in the kitchen.
I also cook with the crock pot.
Major time saver.

I have many OCD issues.
One is an organized pantry and cabinets.
My husband laughs.
I always know what we need or what we are out of at a glance.
I think organization of anything...saves time.

[mamajil]

Have you tried the index cards with the sticky on the back...kinda like a post it note but an index card....those are my Favorite!! Hmmm as for time saving tip....I always try to have at least 2 things going at the same time...I start cooking my main entree for dinner as I start breakfast...In the evening the kids bathe as I finish getting dinner sides together...I start my day with the washing machine going that way, I'm washing clothes, cooking breakfast and starting dinner all at the same time... :D Makes me feel like I got a lot going on....lol

[Lisa @ The PW]

time management? can you hear the maniacal laughter?

my main goal everyday is to shower. so far i've not even accomplished that. (but I am writing by a pool so there's an excuse, yes?)

[Lisa @ The PW]

time management? can you hear the maniacal laughter?

my main goal everyday is to shower. so far i've not even accomplished that. (but I am writing by a pool so there's an excuse, yes?)

[Casa de Jules]

Still dreaming of a personal assistant as well! In the meantime, I'm using ruled index cards for grocery lists, post-its when I'm in a hurry. I'm beginning to use a daily planner again due to too many loose notes! Love to make lists.

[Michelle@Life with Three]

I just ordered one of these Grocery/menu planners after seeing it on orgjunkie. (Here's the link: http://www.organizeittoday.com/Grocery_Menu_Planner.html) It's a small spiral-bound book that allows you to make your weekly menu plan and grocery list. Keeps everything together, and makes referencing past menus easy. I like it better than the index cards I was using, because I would lose the cards all over the place.