Whether
you are feeling overextended, overcommitted and overwhelmed, or just ready to
free more time for summer, the following tips can help you take the first steps
toward conquering your time crunched lifestyle find more time for "off the
clock" fun.
"There
is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at
all." ~ Peter F. Drucker
1. Begin
by learning
the difference between "Do I need to do this now?" and "Do I
need to do this at all?" Just because you are busy and getting things done
doesn’t mean you are actually accomplishing anything significant. As you plan
your day or week, really think about the things you have to do as opposed to
things you think you have to do. A lot of to do’s are not necessarily things we
have to do. Often times the lines are blurred because we over commit or feel
obligated to things that aren’t in line with our goals and rob us of valuable
time.
2.
Organize future events with a monthly accordion file: Put birthday cards,
directions to a baby shower, a note to check on furniture deliveries, even
vacation brochures in the appropriate months for quick reference and retrieval.
3. Create
a “just in case” box for the car trunk: umbrella, cheap rain ponchos, scissors,
big black marker, tape, paper towels, plastic bags, extra kids’ socks and a
one-size-fits-all T-shirt, sweatshirt and pair of sweatpants for adults,
another for kids.
4. Go
digital with record keeping: Instead of printing every report, article, recipe
or document you think you might need or want some day, burn records onto CDs
for storage. You will be amazed about the amount of space you’ll save, not to
mention printer ink and copy paper – and as an extra bonus you’ll be saving
LOTS of trees in the process!
5. Take
control of managing your bill paying schedule: Rather than having to constantly
trying to keep track of when various bills are due each month, ask creditors to
shift your due dates to lump them all together or to split them between the two
pay periods of each month.
6. Make your
home office an actual work space: Attempting to work at a cluttered table or
desk may not be the sign of a cluttered mind, but piles of disorganized faxes,
bills, receipts and mail are definitely off-putting when you're trying to work
at home. You need to be able to sit down in your home office and go to work,
without having to clear a space or hunt for a particular piece of paper.
Getting your home office organized and keeping it that way prevents
distractions and time-wasting. Buy an in and out basket and use it, invest in a
filing cabinet, and have a wastepaper can handy so you can clean up when you
close up for the day. Keep all your relevant working materials in your work
space. Having to walk into another room to retrieve a file can be a serious waste
of time.
Tip:
Having an actual “work space” also helps to get across the point to family
and friends that, even though you are at home, you are working.
7.
Practice Chunking: This strategy refers to completing similar types of work all
at the same time. For example if you typically field a large number of calls
and or emails each day – instead of dropping everything to take each call as it
comes in or each email as it arrives, set aside specific blocks of time
dedicated to returning calls and responding to emails. It's more effective and
a better use of energy, where possible, to accomplish similar tasks all
together. Same goes for writing, scheduling clients, etc. Tip: I know, being
needed is so gratifying, but so is self-preservation. It’s especially for us
‘control freaks’ to let go of control and allow others to make decisions, but
if you try just testing the waters, you’re likely to find very few true
“emergencies” in a given day. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised at how
often problems are magically solved without your able involvement – which
leaves you the opportunity to heap praise for a job well done!
8. Be
prepared before making phone calls: Before picking up the phone, make a list of
things you need to talk about and questions you need to ask. That way, you
won’t waste time calling someone back because you forgot to ask an important
question. I even do this when I call my relatives if I have a lot of things to
tell them.
9. Use
templates & swipe files: You can use templates and swipe files for
invoices, letters of introduction, client questionnaires, standard email
responses, out of office notices and other documents you use on a regular
basis. If you have a website or blog consider a FAQ page where readers can
easily access answers to the most frequently asked questions about your product
or programs. Keep a current copy of your online profile in your swipe file so
when you register at a new forum or website you can simply cut and paste.
10.
Create easy access to your information: You can use Evernote to capture
thoughts and ideas, store notes, swipe files and photos all in one place.
Evernote Mobile lets you capture anything you want to remember where ever you
are and instantly makes it available on all the computers and devices you use.
That doesn’t mean you should work everywhere, or all the time. It means you
spend less time trying to locate or transfer files & programs. Less time
typing the same responses over and over. Less time stuck inside in your office.
Best of all – it’s FREE!
11. If
you DARE – use Rescue Time: For those really serious about productivity,
Rescue Time can save you hours every week by tracking how and where you spend
your time online. There’s no data entry required - a little application tracks
what you use, and how much time you spending using it. There’s a free 14-day
trial for the full service version, then optional plans ranging from just $6 to
$9/month. If you don’t care about all the graphs and reporting, you can opt for
the Lite “free forever” version.
12.
Finally, plan how you will use your “off the clock” fun time: As gratifying as
it can feel to take control of your time and become more productive in the
process – if you don’t create a plan for what you’ll do with your free time, it
will be quickly lost to whatever pops up. Even if your plan is to finally read
that book that’s been gathering dust on your nightstand, schedule your personal
time around that so it feels more like a commitment – because it is, a
commitment to enjoy more of your life.
Start
using these tips today and enjoy all the free time you create!
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