Time Management

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Organizing Daily Routines

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Ever feel like your day is out of control? This blog article is about organizing your days at home, with ideas for tools to help keep you on track and questions you’ll want to answer before buying or using the free tools.

Questions to Answer before You Choose Your Product

*Are you comfortable with software and apps, more so than paper? Are you often on your device?

*What’s important to keep track of?;

*Where do you think you get bogged down?;

*Who else needs to see the calendar or to do’s (and what technology do they use if you think you’ll need to synchronize);

*How mobile do you need to be;

*What technology do you prefer – type, size of device – or do you prefer paper;

*What “view” is most useful to you (daily, weekly, monthly)?;

*How easy does the software look; pricing; setup time; intuitive?

*Can you sync up or otherwise backup all this wonderful data you’re about to put into your tool? Comfortable with that?

 

A tool can be useful because you get a place to start, a method to keep track, a structure.

A tool can work against you, in a sense, if you don’t know what you want it to do, or if you spend more time setting it up and reorganizing items instead of doing them.

A balance, as with so much, is important.

If you’re not sure what you want, but you know you’re a software person, then take a look at each tool. They are quite different looking even though they do similar things; by reviewing each one for a few minutes, you may figure out what you like or don’t, narrowing down your choice.

 

 

Click on the graphics to go to their sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in AD/HD, Harmony at Home, Time Management | No Comments »

The Rhythms of Our Days

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

The rhythms of our days: Some days are rushed, even more than others. Some days it feels like you have a bit more time to do what needs doing. Still other days, it feels as if you can barely breathe, only finding slivers of time.

This is about noticing the patterns or rhythms to our days. With that knowledge, we can figure out how to smooth out the rhythm a bit AND to let go of a too-high standard we set for ourselves sometimes.

Think about:

>Your typical Saturday: the activities, who is involved, the amount of time you have on your own, the time you work, the time you spend out of the house, your own energy level, how tie passing felt, what filled the time as planned, and what filled time unexpectedly.

>Now consider a typical Sunday.

What’s the Rhythm of YOUR Days?

>Or focus on the weekdays, each one of last week. Quite a different pace to it all, when you sit back and notice.

 

The days are really not alike when you look at them closely are they?

Some days, it’s about running and keeping up. For now, it has to be. So don’t even try to add in something you want to do. Just do what has to get done.

Other days, you have a slightly slower pace (it’s relative, right?). There’s more time to “fit in” something – whether it’s picking up the kitchen, several clients or prospective clients needing time, or starting on reorganizing your office or your quilting space.

It all fits in nicely, with some breathing space, and you’re less harried. It fits that particular day.

The point is this:

When you look at your day, if you know it’s a “running around and keeping up” day, let go of doing anything extra, proactive, big, or that needs a good chunk of time (> 15 minutes these days).

Let it go. Today’s not that day. But write down your thoughts and ideas so they’re not lost.

On another day, when you have that slightly slower pace, you can get these things done.

And please – not all of them – add in one and see how that goes. What many of us do is pile high the tasks and expectations and end up frustrated. One thing at a time.

Notice the rhythm first. Play with it. And soon enough, you may see ways you can change the rhythms of your days, creating that masterpiece of balance. If not, please reach out and let’s talk about time management together.

 

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The Holiday Season: There’s Still Time to Organize and Simplify

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

There’s still time to get more organized for this holiday season; don’t give up yet if you’re feeling overwhelmed. This free, recorded webinar is about what to do with all the “stuff” and how to manage our time more easily.

A book coupon for my book, Organize for a Fresh Start: Embrace Your Next Chapter in Life is at the webinar site, too. (To read a chapter of the book, go here.)

Click the “Have an Organized Holiday” picture below and you’ll see the instructions for downloading the recording and/or glancing through our organizing tips slides. Listen, read or both. (Or save them for use next year!)

The webinar recording kicks off with my organizing tips for time management over the holiday season, followed by tips from a colleague about organizing your home and belongings. This is the recorded version of the “Have an Organized Holiday” webinar, hosted by our publisher.

And until 12/31/2012, get a coupon for my book and other organizing books. Yes, 2012. Click on the graphic below.

I also wrote about  5 Ways to Simplify Your Holiday Season for my publisher’s blog site.  You’ll miss the book coupon, though, unless you go to the webinar site.

January brings another webinar, which will be released mid month as a recording/slides download as well. “Help Me Organize after a Life Change” is about how to get back on track, organized and moving forward after a big life change: divorce, marriage, caregiving or even an adult diagnosis of ADHD.

I’ll cover some themes from the book, and a framework to follow for getting your home reorganized and decluttered to move forward and into your next chapter of life.

 

 

 

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Keeping Track of (and Decluttering !) Passwords

Monday, December 12th, 2011

A reader’s question:  Any suggestions for organizing one’s myriad log ins and passwords?

As with other organizing answers, I’m going to start you off with some questions, so you find what works best for you and is sustainable.  Here are some considerations and then some experts’ solutions after that.

All sites are not the same. You have banking sites, store/catalog sites, blogs, YouTube, software sites. Consider how important the site and the password are. Banking versus blog, for example. Is your credit card information in use or any other financials? I know that some of my colleagues use a different, financials-only password (different  far more complex than other passwords). And some people keep one PC exclusively for use with financials. So what are your thoughts on this front?

If you have a list or the passwords are written down somewhere, go through them and declutter. How many are you actively using? Are there ones you remember, so you don’t need to write them down? (But are they secure enough?) When you review them, you may find fewer to keep track of than you think you have right now. And if you’re going to type these into a tracking mechanism, let’s reduce the time waste of tracking what you’re not using and later on, looking through unused passwords to find the ones you really need.

Consider your privacy and your comfort level with paper versus technology used at your computer versus out in the cloud. How much do you trust all of this? That’s where your tools should be, in your comfort zone.

And based on your answers, here are some options for you to think about.

Offline but at your desk: Use a document or a spreadsheet, but only kept offline from your regular PC (only saved to an external hard drive or separate usb/thumb drive just for this purpose.)

Go to the cloud: LastPass  is a product recommended by The Time Management Ninja  (and CNET and Lifehacker, too.)

Creating the password: Somewhere recently I read of the idea to come up with a structure, just one, for the password framework. Then you use a few different characters for each required password. You memorize and don’t write down the framework. this keeps framework and unique characters separate, because you can write down the characters. They mean nothing without the framework. (I was sure I’d saved the  source of the idea, but even people with the title of organizer are not always on the ball.)

Old fashioned mobility and privacy: a small paper notebook (unlabelled).  Picture at right: from www.SeeJaneWork.com

Or the Internet Password organizer from Organized AtoZ, owned by a professional organizer.

Creative award: From Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, reprinted from from one her blog readers. You make your passwords related to your goals and dreams so that you stay mindful of your dreams and goals. Because you’re using words associated with your goals frequently, the belief is that repetition and mindfulness help those dreams come true or those goals get accomplished. This could be combined with the “password framework” idea.

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Inside My Office: My Time Timer

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

This is my best friend, my Time Timer.

This is one of only two products I consistently recommend to clients.

We are all wired so differently – how our brains work, how we stay motivated, how we get started or finish tasks – that recommending products is a more complex challenge than you’d think at first. One size does not fit all.

However, the Time Timer works for so  many people that I don’t hesitate to mention it, if a client’s having difficulty with any issues related to time.  This friend will not solve all your time issues, but it’s a huge support to your own efforts.  If you click the photo, you’ll go to their web site. I do not earn anything for this; it’s just a great product.

If you have ANY issues with time, read on. Time management is a huge topic; there are myriad reasons your time is working against you instead of with you. This will assist in ways you might be surprised at.

Single Favorite Use for My Time Timer

I used to be a late a lot. Now I set this to show me how much time I have left until I have to leave. And I put it right in front of my screen. I can’t miss it, yet I don’t need to STOP what I’m working on to look at a clock and recalculate how much time I have left.  Some of you will get this math issue and for some of you, it’s just not your time issue.

Here is how I set my timer as I write today.  The RED says that I have 15 minutes left. No recalculating. It’s quite clear and simple and eye catching – WITHOUT interrupting my work. As my time goes away, the red pie slice gets smaller.

 Other Uses

Laundry: How many people say  laundry seems to take forever? Set it for the length of the wash cycle and keep it with you, wherever you are in the house. Set the audio beeper to ‘on,’ and you’ll keep up with the cycles better.

Time sinks: How long are you actually … on Facebook, for example: Say you want to eliminate what you suspect is a time sink. Set this for your allotted time on Facebook. You’ll be more focused and end on time, so you have time for something special.

Child or grandchild can’t tell time yet? Say you only want 35 minutes of  TV or PC time before dinner.  You set the clock; he/she understands when their time is up, and also what “35 minutes” feels like. Teach a sense of time. Great life skill. The product doesn’t do it all but it sure helps and it’s fun.

Fill the tiny slots of time in your day: This also requires you to break down your project into small steps. One step closer, as I’m often heard to say. When you have those small bits and pieces of time, it’s easier to bite off small pieces and get them done, yet stay on track with your day. Again, without your breaking down the project into small steps, your product isn’t solving the whole problem, but it does solve a big piece.

Declutter a drawer or daily maintenance/pickup: Play the  time game. Set this fun clock for 15 minutes and RACE to get done before the timer.  What’s different? The timer’s much more fun than an egg timer or microwave clock. And timer is WITH you everywhere you go. Your new best friend.

AD/HD and have time management issues? Absolute life saver. I suggest clients buy these (or clocks at least) in different sizes, so they are all  around the house, office, classroom.

I’m not perfect, but I’m much  happier with my relationship with time than I used to be:

  • Time timer keeps me on schedule better than my own brain has ever done (and the beeper isn’t yelling at me; it’s a nice, gentle sound!)
  • Gives me a better sense of how much time passes.
  • Keeps me out of hyper focus.
  • Doesn’t interrupt my thinking yet keeps me aware of time.
  • Is portable. I use this one at home/home office. I have a larger one I use in workshops to keep track of time.
  • It’s not technology. It is simple to use. And we all need something simple these days.

Good luck. Let us all know how you use your Time Timer!

 

Posted in AD/HD, Change, Habits, Home Office, Inside My World, Time Management | 8 Comments »

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