Before I even started this segment, I’d say I was about ¾ of
the way there. Any one who knows me well knows that I have a daily/weekly chore
schedule. I get most of these items done during the day, so that when The
Hubster gets home, we can all relax as a family. In theory, great. However, I
have noticed that there are things in a day OUTSIDE of cleaning. Crazy! I am
involved in a few Mom’s Groups, teach a religious ed class, am in choir. There
are doctors appointments, social outings, and trips to the mall that need to be
taken into account as well. And soon, I’ll be putting The Munchkin in swimming
classes!
So, I need to revamp my schedule, accounting for activities,
Es naps, etc. I have had this task on my To Do list for about 5 weeks now. So I’m
glad this has come up. I’ll HAVE to do it!!
This book makes a great point when it says choosing to spend your time wisely and
efficiently will reduce stress so you can enjoy a more balanced life. Tasks
left undone linger in the back of your mind stealing your energy. Amen. I
am the master of lists. I have lists of my lists. But it just doesn’t work 100%
for me. So for this weeks goals:
·
Buy ONE planner for both work and personal
life. Easy and done. I use the Google Calendar and have it synced to my
BlackBerry. Although I am having a hard time letting go of paper planners, so I’ll
be picking up a huge monthly calendar to hang on the wall so I can see
everything at once.
·
Sit down
with family regularly to plan schedule. Eh. I do this myself and tell the
Hubs where to be and when. It works for us!
·
Gather all
of your To Do items into one place. I used to be a Post-It fool. But now I
use the Task feature on my phone. Green and efficient! I wish there was a way
to sync with the Google Task feature. Anyone?
·
Sort tasks
by: day, week, month, etc… I have this somewhat. I have chores I do daily
and weekly. It suggests if you have a friend’s birthday, writing in an
appointment the week prior to card & present shop. Good tip!
·
Categorize
and prioritize tasks. Honestly, this just isn’t me. I tried that with the
super fancy planners. I get confused. I just do what needs to be done.
·
Long term
To Do list. Such as movies you want to see, books you want to read, etc… I
already do this on my phone. I love this darn phone!
·
Be
realistic about what you can accomplish in one day. I need to work on this
in a big and bad way. My first real job, I always had an issue with leaving
tasks for the next day. I still do.
·
Schedule appointments
based on location. Save time & gas by not driving all over creation!
·
Avoid
overwhelming tasks. Instead of “organize garage sale” break it down… Clean
out kids closet; clean out storage; place price tags; advertise. Etc…
·
Once a Month: Pick a future task and schedule time to complete it. I need to come
up with monthly items. My friend Jamie gave me her list, so I may work off of
that. Calling Grandma, changing the furnace filter, date with The Hubster.
·
Every 3-6 Months: Re-evaluate how its working for you. Is too much scheduled each
day? Are things getting done?
·
Once a Year: When you buy a new planner, transfer all birthdays, holidays and
anniversaries. Again, I use Google Calendar with the option of recurrence.
So easy!
This sounds like a book I need to get! My phone is not as cool as yours, so I guess I'd be doing the paper planner, for now anyway. But, your post has me interested!!
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