Take Control with These Time-Saving Strategies

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. ~Grandma Moses

Think of all the different hats you wear every day: mother, daughter, friend, worker, cook, housecleaner, teacher, student, caregiver, decorator, shopper, wise woman….and the list goes on. When your schedules collide and your duties conflict, separate your different roles and give some thought to what is really important about each role.

• The first thing is to learn to say “no”. This way you’ll have time to say “yes” to what’s truly important in your life without overextending yourself.

• Statistics indicate most people spend 80 percent of their time trying to complete 20 percent of their tasks. Set aside a few minutes at the start of the day to plan what you want to accomplish. List the top 3-5 things that you absolutely need to do. If possible, you may have time to add additional tasks later. If not, you will have at least accomplished what is necessary.

• For a whole week, try keeping a detailed diary to see how you spend your time. You might be surprised. And you might decide to do weekly planning for a while – block out the important tasks or activities you want to get done each day.

• Don’t waste time waiting. Whenever you are waiting at the doctor’s office or in the car line at school, have a book or magazine handy, pay some bills, send out thank you notes, or bring a notepad to make notes or lists. FlyLady has a handy-dandy “office in a bag” that I love to use.

• Create “waiting bags” for each of your children. This is a small carrying bag that has toys, games, a deck of cards, a notepad and pen, crayons, a sketchbook, etc. – whatever suits each particular child, as well as a snack and a water bottle or juice box. Waiting bags can come out when you go visiting, travelling, or running errands around town. This will help to cut down on kids’ boredom when waiting around.

• Another big time saver is cutting back on television. Watch only what you love whether it’s the news, reality TV, feature movies, etc. Plan ahead what you want to watch in the course of a week. Consider having no-TV days or weeks, and take note of how much more time you have on your hands to do more important things.

• Have a big family calendar in the kitchen, so you can see who has what activities and who needs driving where and when. This helps with organization and can save time with unnecessary duplication. It also allows you to see when there’s just too much happening!

• Plan your weekly menu in advance and post it on the refrigerator for everyone to see. My husband really appreciates this because it prevents him from eating something similar for lunch. For tips on planning a weekly menu go to: http://bit.ly/aH0i9R.

Copyright 2010 Charlene Davis. All rights reserved.