Denise with friends
I’m sitting in my den writing this time because it’s warm and cozy and I’m watching Design on a Dime on HGTV. I’m about to head out of town to a coach’s retreat at a great little beach down the coast and wanted to write before I left.
Clearing my schedule so I could go on this retreat really brought up a topic that is near and dear to my business. Helping people to use their time to their advantage.
The reality of life is that there is a finite amount of time for you to work within. If you do not accomplish what you set out to accomplish today, there is always tomorrow. Or, is there?
What you, I and everyone else is challenged with is fitting everything we have to do within a specified amount of time. When I was a stay at home mom I always thought time was endless. The boys would go out to play and I’d be in the house trying to stay on top of the housework. When I went back to work I struggled with the whole double/triple schedule that most women have to keep up with when they are moms. I kept playing with the schedule, always trying to fit more in, until one day I realized I just had to learn how to say ‘no’.
So, today I want to give you a few tips on how to go about managing your schedule, and in essence, managing yourself. Do you have to get up an hour earlier to get things done that wouldn’t get done if you didn’t? Are you the main maid, cook, concierge, cheerleader, tear dryer, yard maintenance, corporate mogul? Well, of course you are. Whether you are single or married with ten children you have the responsibility of all of the above.
The first tip of the day is to write out the monthly schedule. If you work a retail schedule that you only have about a two week notice on what your work schedule is. Take the time to transfer it to your paper calendar schedule (if you don’t use a pda).
Then, start adding in other permanent scheduled events (like bill paying) into your planner/calendar so you don’t forget major events. Children’s events, concerts etc can be added as you learn about them.
Remember, no matter what you do, you need to take care of your relationships with other people. Your job may or may not depend on the networking that you do. Of course, mine does, so I am always adding to my planner those networking events that everyone is asking me to attend. I keep on going and going like the battery bunny. So much so my husband asked me last night how did I know about so many restaurants in the area. Guess I’ve been going a bit much…
Your success in managing the amount of time you spend on any one activity is measured by whether you are finishing those activities. Sometimes we do not give ourselves enough time to complete a project. Or in some cases we allow everyone and their fires to direct our lives. Try the second tip I have for you today.
Your second tip is to eliminate your distractions. You know you get distracted. For me, sitting in my den or anywhere in my house is the kids walk through, the phone rings for them, or the realization that when you work at home and you know the laundry needs to be done, the floor mopped, you and me too…become distracted by the other things you need to do.
So this tip is all about setting priorities. If you work at home, like I do, you know that you have to set work times, house times, family times, errand times. I write into my planner that I stop work at a specific time. If I don’t stop working because I’m on a roll with a project, then it is my choice to do that. If I stop work early because I’m frustrated with how a project is going, again it is my choice, but I know that I can switch modes and clean house for an hour and come back to the project with a fresh perspective.
I have however, worked outside the home, and know the feeling of getting the kids off on the school bus, eating on the run to get to work on time (sometimes by 6 am) and then rushing home to make sure my kids didn’t feel like latchkey kids. Cooking, cleaning and taking care of family and work without running a calendar/planner can cause stress headaches and anxiety. Try scheduling these into your planner and not letting them overwhelm you.
Well, take these, see if they fit with you. As you come across problems, email me at denise@progressiveorganizingsolutions.com I’d love to hear from you.
Denise
Paulette Ensign is the founder, Chief Visionary, and Booklet Queen at Tips Products International. Paulette’s sense of humor and can-do attitude are the backdrop for teaching you to transform your knowledge into tips booklets and other information products for marketing, motivating, and making money. Paulette has personally sold well over a million copies (so far!) of her one tips booklet, “110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life,” in four languages and various formats without ever spending a penny on advertising. You will leave this session with ideas to breathe new life into your business, just one of which could significantly increase your bottom line.
