Entries Tagged 'Goals & Time Management' ↓

Well, in part 1 of organizing my home office workflow, I shared how easy it can be to get sidetracked or feel scattered during the day.  Today I’d like to share steps that I have taken to improve my focus and productivity!

• Of course every meeting, talk or appointment I have goes on my calendar, I don’t want anything slippping through the cracks.  You don’t need to rely on your memory for anything-just write it down.
• On Sunday I look at my day planner to see what’s coming up for the week.  I then take a piece of paper and write my ideal week which would be the tasks that need to get done that week.  It might be a talk I need to write.  It may need to be blogs I need to write.  Whatever needs to be done.
• I also created a paper with times typed out and designated slots for certain activities that I know I need to do daily such as twitter and blog right here on DIY.   There are times that haven’t been filled in yet for the next step.
• I then look at my tasks on my “ideal week” sheet and choose the ones I need to do today.  I then fill in the time slots with those tasks.
• I account for time to take a snack break/stretch as I’m in front of the computer a lot as well as lunch time.

Now I feel like I don’t have to jump around so much checking emails and twitter and such when I can count on having a specific time set aside for those activities.   This doesn’t mean every task is going to take the exact amount of time I have alloted-it really is just an estimate.  But if I can stay close to schedule, I know I can get a lot more done in the day realizing I need to go with the flow a bit too.  I feel much more organized and focused now!

Part 3:  Time Wasters.

Tweet This Post

I love how much work I am able to do right  from my own home office!  I am able to blog, twitter, write talks, write ebooks, type up client data and on & on.  But working from home can also involve distractions like laundry, phone calls and the urge to quickly clean out the dishwasher (even though it’s a chore I can’t stand).  When you are your own boss and can work at night or on weekends too, it can be easy to get off track or even have a scattered approach to your work because there isn’t quite that cap on your time or work hours to stay within.

So recently, I’ve really been organizing my home office workflow so I feel like I have a better handle on when I do what tasks and making sure everything gets done in a  timely manner.   I want to feel like I am accomplishing more during the day instead of being on the computer so much at night.  I have decided that in place of the computer at night, I would like to devote more time to exercise and meditation (I’m new at that) and also use that time to clean my house so it’s fresh for the next day.  It’s distracting for me to try to work knowing things are out of place in the house.

Next blog I will share the way I am organizing my workflow!

Tweet This Post

The best time to get organized for a new day is the night before!  Getting your clothes ready for the next day is a great first step.  The other night I was putting together my outfit for the next day and I needed to iron a shirt.  The next thing I knew, I pulled out two more outfits for the following days as well.  I figured as long as I had the iron out, I might as well just get it all done at once.  If you don’t think you will know what you will feel like wearing the next day (or 3 like me!), then at least prepare by ironing and having several outfits ready to choose from depending on your mood the next morning.

Other helpful things to do to prepare for the next day:

• Pack lunch
• Put anything in your purse that you may need to take with you
• Make sure your briefcase is loaded with anything you may need
• If you have things that need to leave the house with you, either place near the door or out in the car if you park in the garage
• Check your calendar to make sure you are clear on what you need to do the next day.  This gives you some wiggle room if you realize you have something that needs to be prepared or purchased-you still have a little time on your side!

Getting up before the rest of your family can be very helpful as well.  Earlier this week I had a presentation to give on organizing paper at a breakfast meeting so I had to get up earlier than usual.  It felt really great to be up early, dressed and I even made a stop at the store at 6:30 am!  If you can get a head start on your family, it will give you some quiet time to concentrate on getting yourself ready and fresh for the day.  Get organized at night for a smooth day the next day!

Tweet This Post

How can you get organized if you don’t know what you want to accomplish?  It’s very easy to have lots of great ideas for how you want to spend your time whether it be on home projects, business plans, hobbies or any type of activities.  And it’s easy to get scattered doing a little bit here and a little bit there but never really accomplishing or completing any one activity or idea.  So, let’s stop the madness now and step back to make a plan.  I’m doing that right now for my business plans for the upcoming year.  I’ve really thought about what my dreams are and where I enjoy spending my time the most.  Now I will be mapping out plans monthly to get where I want to go!

You too can sit down and think about what your focus is.  What will make you happy?  What would you like to accomplish or complete?  What would you like to eliminate? 

• Get out paper and pencil or your computer and jot down what you would like to accomplish.  Make this reasonable, like 3 things.
• Choose the task that you would like to accomplish first. 
• Now break this down into manageable steps.
• Make sure you have a timeline, use your calendar to add deadlines for each step.
• Keep track of your progress if needed.

Here’s an example:

Say you want to run a 10k:

• One day research local races in your area
• Choose a race/date & sign up
• Place it on your calendar
• Decide how much you need to train each week to be ready
• Schedule in training time throughout your week
• Train, train, train
• Have fun on race day!

Get organized with focus and a plan!

Tweet This Post

Today I had a really fun time speaking to a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) in my area.  It was especially nice for me, because the first talk on home organization that I ever gave was in the same location to another MOPS group.  I had just started my business, it was my first time to give a talk and who would have known I would go on to really enjoy public speaking?!

I was a stay-at-home parent for many years, so I really enjoyed the opportunity to talk to these women who are doing such a hard job and give them some tips on how to take care of themselves and mangage their time.  As parents, it is so easy to put everyone ahead of ourselves and wear ourselves thin, but we must remember to take care of ourselves first so we can then be of better service to others.  Knowing there will be many demands on our time, we must be be prepared through self-care.

So don’t feel guilty about taking care of yourself.  In the long run you will feel better, have more energy for yourself, your family and the demands on your time.  So, go ahead and take that bubble bath.  Go ahead and get that pedicure.  You go right ahead and read that trashy magazine.  It’s all for the greater good!

Tweet This Post

Not only do we have to declutter our home from having excess stuff, we also have to declutter our calendars from being too full.  You can only be so many places at one time:  “one” and you can only do so many activities in one day.  With school beginning once again, it’s time to really look at what you are willing to take on.  There can be such a pull on our time and on often on our guilt with the many requests that come our way during the school year.   Just a few roles and duties that pop into my head:

• Classroom volunteering
• Art docent volunteering
• Field trip chaperone
• Room parent
• Party planning
• PTA
• And many more!

Sometimes it’s hard to say no because we tend to think that if we don’t say yes, no one else will step and everything will fall apart and it will be all our fault!  NO!  Only say yes because you:

1. Truly have the time
2. Truly have the passion for the project
3. Will remove something else from your schedule to make room if needed

Say no when you mean no.  No apologies, no excuses.  “No thank you, my plate is full, but I appreciate being considered.”  The end.  It may be hard.  That’s ok.  Doing too much and being stressed out is WAY harder on you and your family.  Practice and it will get easier. 

Declutter your time by only taking on what you really want to take on and let someone else who fits the bill take on the rest!

Tweet This Post

I have always believed that the foundation for me to run an organized home has always started with my day planner.  If it weren’t for my day planner, I wouldn’t know where anyone in the family had to be.  I wouldn’t have a clear picture of what the day had in store and I would be relying on my memory way too much.  I moved up from a regular wall calendar with little squares to a day planner with the the times of day listed from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm daily.  I love that planner, everything is in chronological order! 

So, then along comes my pretty, red Blackberry-I’m in love.  Now what to do?  Do I stick with paper or switch everything over to my Blackberry.  So, I decided to experiment a bit.  Now, I felt I had to stick with my trusty pencil to paper as a back-up while I played around.  And keep in mind, I always tell people-only use one calendar or something is going to fall through the cracks.  So, as I experimented I was keeping track of appointments in THREE places.  That’s not good.  I was using the computer, backing it up to the Blackberry and writing in my day planner.  That is a pretty good recipe for disaster.

So, I won’t go into the pros and cons about why I chose what I did, but for now I have decided to stick with my pencil, an eraser and my trusty paper planner.  It’s really all about using the method that works for you, using it consistently and not worrying about what everyone else is doing.  I still run an organized home and business with my planner and I still love my pretty, red Blackberry!

Tweet This Post

 How can you organize your home without letting something go?  As a busy mom and a professional organizer with two businesses, I have been told I have to let something go.  Tell me, what should I let go?  Feeding my kids?  I’m thinking no.  Start living in a messy house?  I think not.  Get behind in my paperwork?  Not really sounding  good to me so far.

I am a very task-oriented person, so in the past I have felt like I needed to get my whole house in order before I could sit down to think to get my business work done.  Well, that’s not always such a great plan either.  So, with the kids home for the summer and lots of interruptions, here is my simple way to kind of “let something go” without having it all fall apart.

Now, when my kids are off somewhere I make myself go sit down in my office and do the work that I know will be difficult to do when there are kids and noise going on around me.  Now, I look at tasks in the house and evaluate if I want to do them now or if it would be better to save them for later.  Examples of what I would save for later:  folding laundry on my bed because I can actually do that while I am talking on the phone.  Cleaning up the kitchen or vacuuming the floor can be done when there are kids around and distractions.  Working in the yard can happen while the kids play outside.

So, I’m still organized and I’m still getting things done, I’m just judging when they should be done a lot better.  And, if the floor doesn’t get swept today, well, that’s not such a  big deal-at least the kids got fed!

Tweet This Post

You can get organized by thinking ahead and staying on top of your game.  I started thinking about this because lately I’ve noticed all the merchandise in stores and signs out for Halloween already!  I’ve been thinking, “Come on, we haven’t even gotten the kids back in school yet!”  But it did get me thinking about how important I have always felt it is to plan ahead so you you don’t miss anything important such as events or special occasions. 

Here are a few ways you can make it easy to think ahead:

• At the end of every year, sit down with your new calendar or planner and fill in all the birthdays and special occasions each month.  Make sure you make them noticeable with a highlighter or red pen.
• At the end of every month, look at all the special occasions coming in the next month and make a list of cards and gift that you will need.  Shop for them all at once so you have them on hand.
• Make a note in your calendar several days before someone’s special day with a reminder to mail their card or gift to get it to them on time.
• On Sunday, look at what you have going on the next week in case you need to run out and pick something up or lay something by the door that needs to leave the house with you.

You can get organized by thinking ahead and being ready for anything!

Tweet This Post

Recently I have started taking the time to sit down on Sundays and organize my week so I have a plan of action for what I would like to accomplish.  Let me share the easy way I do it and what I am finding the benefits are.

For this particular task, I have found I like writing my list down with pen and paper vs. creating a list on the computer.  I like having my list next to me on the desk and crossing things off as I accomplish them.  Although, the fussy part of me then feels an obligation to re-write the list when it gets messy from tasks being crossed off.  I think it gives me a sense of accomplishment to see the list get smaller though!

So, I look at my calendar to see what I have on my schedule and I look at what office tasks I need to accomplish and I write down a reasonable number of tasks.  Make this list manageable and reasonable!  If you accomplish everything on the list, then you have the freedom to make a new list.  What you don’t want to do is make the list so long you don’t get a sense of accomplishment by getting things crossed off.  The tasks can be as little as making a phone call. 

What is important is that you look at what the most critical tasks are that need to be accomplished to reach your goals that week.

The benefits I am finding with my new system are:

• It gives me better focus on what I want to get done that week.
• Having a plan helps keep me on track and better evaluate other unexpected tasks that come up.
• Not making my list too long allows me to handle other tasks that come up that also need attention.

Organize the next week Friday before you leave the office or Sunday night and get a better handle on your time!

Tweet This Post