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Newsletter Archives
June 2008
Road Trip Organizing
May 2008
Collections Instead of Clutter
April 2008
Getting Ready for Tax Time
March 2008
Where to Begin
February 2008
When You Want to Help
January 2008
Top Ten Causes of Disorganization
December 2007
Organize for Air Travel
November 2007
Organize for Small Spaces
October 2007
When Life Happens, Reorganize
September 2007
Bathroom Organizing
August 2007
Paper Organizing
July 2007
Uncluttered Kids' Rooms
June 2007
Top Ten Organizing Tools
May 2007
Grapple The Garage
April 2007
Managing Your Time
March 2007
Spring Organizing
February 2007
Help for Caregivers of Aging Parents
January 2007
National Get Organized Month
December 2006
Year End Organizing
November 2006
Give Thanks for Being Organized
October 2006
Holiday Kitchen Organization
September 2006
In Case of a Weather Emergency - Organize!
August 2006
Back to School Organizing
July 2006
Declare your Independence from Summer Clutter
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ORGANIZING TIPS OF THE MONTH: APRIL 2007
Managing your Time
“Where does the time go?” “I don’t have the time.” “Too much to do, too little time.” If these statements sound familiar, you will benefit from my time management tips. I also do group presentations on time management and other organizing topics. Contact me at Cheryl@organizeatlanta.com for more information.
- Set goals and write them down. Then note the actions you are taking to help you reach those goals. Do not write down things you plan to do to reach the goals—plans are not reality and have a habit of being pushed aside for other priorities.
- Make a list of your tasks. Then draw a simple 4-box grid with the labels Want to Do; Don’t Want to Do along the top and Must Do; and May Do along the side. Sort each task into one of the four boxes. Take a look at the box labeled Don’t Want to Do/May Do. You can eliminate many of the tasks in that box. The other boxes will help you to set your priorities.
- Tailor your time to the value of the task. If you spend hours making invitations when you can easily buy them for under $20, is the task worth it? You are using your time for something of little value. If you spend hours organizing your kitchen so you can reach what you use and find what you need quickly, is the task worth it? You are using your time for something of lasting value. Avoid filling your day with tasks of little value.
- Take into account the time it takes to complete a task when you make your daily To Do list. Include travel time. Do not commit to completing five things in a day, when one task may take four hours to complete.
- Include white space on your daily task list. In other words, do not schedule appointments back to back. Give yourself some buffer time for traffic, appointments that run late, interruptions which may throw off your schedule.
- Choose a day to plan out the week. Some people like to use Friday mornings, others prefer Sunday evenings. Use whatever works best for you. Put family commitments onto your calendar first before you fill your week with other things to do. As in your daily To Do list, block your calendar in chunks of time needed to complete tasks.
- Discover the magic of the Two Minute Rule. If a task will take less than two minutes to complete, do it right away. This eliminates the problem of small tasks snowballing into a tangled mess of chores.
- It takes more time to take care of more stuff. Think before you make a purchase.
- Procrastination is not just putting off things you don’t want to do. It is to prefer doing low priority tasks over high priority tasks. For example, you know you need to gather your tax information to do your taxes. You may start looking for the papers you need, but then end up cleaning out a desk drawer, sharpening pencils, answering emails instead. The best use of time is to stay focused on the high priority task. Write it in large print on a piece of paper if you need a visual reminder to keep you on task.
- Time management expert, Harold Taylor, emphasizes to his clients the following: Time is Not Money; Time is Life. Make time to take care of your health and spend time with your family and friends as top priority.
©All Sorted Out, 2007 All Rights Reserved
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