A new statistic says that Americans do in a 24-hour period what should be spread over 31-hours. The first thing we should do is evaluate and see how we can cut back. Productive is one thing, but working so hard that life passes you by is quite another. In the event that cutting back is not an option, a few minutes of planning can save oodles of time in the long run.
- Daily Routine
Establish what your daily routine looks like and commit it to memory. Be flexible and allow it to be broken when the need arises, but try constantly to stay on track. By being consistent with your daily routine, you will never wonder what to do next. - Daily To Do List
Within our daily routine, we have things that absolutely must be done. There are bills to pay, appointments to be made, menus to plan, groceries to be purchased, and many more tasks that demand attention from the family manager. Setting goals will help you accomplish these chores in the right amount of time. - Weekly Planner
If you have a few tasks that have some flexibility, plot it on your weekly to do list. This way you are not overloading your daily list and making it so overwhelming that you end up shuffling half of it (or more) to the next day. That can be very demoralizing. - Monthly Calendar
Don’t let your Mother-in-Law’s birthday sneak up without a chance to buy a card or a gift. Look at each month as a whole and then break it down into friendlier increments. Knowing what is right up ahead will allow you to spread out the planning so you are not overwhelmed. - Planning for the long term
Be sure to have a yearly calendar accessible at work and at home. Plug in those dates now that you KNOW will need planning (birthdays, holidays, vacations, guests). Be aware of the “Big Picture”.
Find each of the above planning pages in the Planner ePlanner and as a member of ListPlanIt.com.
What are your favorite Time Management Techniques?
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