Saturday, April 26, 2008

Get Time Smart ! Discovering The Hidden Time Wasters in your Day Part 2

Today in part 2 of Discovering The Hidden Time Wasters in your Day, I will cover the few more things to help you manage your time more efficiently.

Learn to use bits of time...

No one has several free hours to clean out a closet The keys is to use the 10-minute segments you do have to accomplish a small task or make a dent in a large one. For example, file your nails, make an appointment to see the dentist or clean just one shelf of that closet. You'll double your efforts if you do small tasks, such as writing a thank you note, while engaged in some other activity like running a bath or waiting for a casserole to heat. Try talking into a small tape recorder to give yourself reminders while putting on your make up or driving in the car.

You will be so surprised at how much you can get done this way. The problem we have is we overwhelm our selves then ultimately either do not finish or even start anything because it seems to be to much.

Those little hand held recorders are a real lifesaver. Before I started using one I would have all these things that I needed to to either get done, buy, etc and by the time I was ready to set down and make out my list I had forgot half of them and then would have to waste more time trying to remember what I needed to do.

They are very inexpensive anymore and they are small and do not take up a lot of space making it easy to carry in your purse for quick reminders and updates through out your day.

Avoid Peak-Hour Delays...

Schedule appointments and shopping for times when other people are less likely to do so:

  • Unless it's an emergency, schedule doctors' appointments early in the morning or just after lunch.
  • See your your dentist during the lunch hour if he or she is available.
  • Make appointments with home repairmen for times when you can be first on the list.
  • Avoid banks on Friday, the first and the fifteenth and the thirtieth of each month. Your best bet is bank online.
  • Call in your prescriptions in ahead of time and then use the drive- thru if available to pick them up.
  • Keep a good book and a couple of things you can work on for those time when you can't avoid waiting.
Consolidate and Plan Ahead...

  • With gas prices being what they are, group errands together. If you are going to the cleaner's, check your master list to see what else you can do in that part of town.
  • Whenever you buy a staple, pick up two instead of one. When you start to on your last box of noodles or your last tube of toothpaste, enter that item on your shopping list so you do not forget later. You'll save yourself needless trips to the store.
  • Buy an assortment of birthday and other greeting cards and stock up on all-purpose wrapping paper, note cards, ribbons and bows.
  • Keep a list of your family's clothing sizes in your purse or wallet. When you stumble on a good buy, you can take advantage of it while saving time and money.

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