bluehealer® diary
Whether you are a busy corporate professional who needs to make better use of his/her time both at the office and at home, an entrepreneur who works with a variety of vendors and projects or a stay-at-home mom who needs more structure to get things done, the right tools can help you work more effectively and take control of your time.
1. Throw away the sticky notes. Is your desk cluttered with sticky notes reminding you of appointments, to do items and notes for projects? This is not an effective way to stay on top of projects and meetings. Sticky notes can easily be thrown away or misplaced.
2. Similarly, keep a notebook with you to jot down the things you have to do, notes to yourself, shopping lists, etc. When you have a consistent place to record new to-dos or ideas your workspace will be clean. It also removes the temptation to start new projects right away.
3. Plan your day each morning or the night before. Try to spend 5-10 minutes each day on planning your activities with a daily to do list.
4. Manage your e-mail. Reading and responding to e-mail can quickly consume your day. Establish a time for reading and responding to email. Pencil that time in to your calendar and treat it like a meeting. For example, from 1:30 to 2:30 you will take a break from projects and address emails that require an immediate response. Choose a less productive time of day to read “important-
5. Place your phone on do not disturb when you need to focus on a project. Like email, schedule a time each day to return calls and try to return messages within 24 hours.
6. Use one planner for both work and personal appointments. This will minimize confusion or double booking.
7. Check off items as you complete them. By placing a check mark next to completed items you will most likely feel a sense of accomplishment.
8. Arrange your work time to keep interruptions to a minimum. Set boundaries or close your door when you need uninterrupted time for concentration.
9. Learn to say “No” to commitments that don’t match your priorities, without guilt! Maybe you can’t be PTA president or the soccer Team Mom, but perhaps you could volunteer for snack duty one day a month to remain involved in your child’s activities.
10. Conduct a time study. The easiest way to do this is to print a daily calendar. Write down what each family member is doing during the day. Identify any problem times where schedules might overlap, and think about how the schedule can be re-structured to eliminate problems.
Angela Shipp has learned to balance a hectic career and stay organized at the same time. She is the author of bluehealer® diary, a personal command center for personal and family schedules. The bluehealer® diary can be found at www.bluehealeradiary.com.
Photo:
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