Planning for Success: Address Technology – Day 28

January 28, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

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Day 28: Address Technology

In a world of smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, we stay well connected. At our home, Paul rarely gets a welcome as the initial sound of the garage opening brings three active children to the door requesting to play with the iPad. Though we are working on greeting Daddy first, the motivation is the electronic device.

Realizing that technology is a part of our lifestyle, I schedule times on my calendar to address technology by performing backups, cleanups, and updates. With a quarterly reminder, I work on one or more of these tasks to protect my files.

Backups

Viruses corrupt and ruin electronics daily, hard drives fail, and computer software crashes, so keeping a backup is beneficial. Using an external hard drive, I backup my system at least once a year. (I really ought to perform this task more often.)

Thankfully, Paul takes care of backing up our pictures, and he is looking into uploading them to the Cloud for safe keeping.

Cleanups

Creating folders and moving files into the appropriate folder allows for easy retrieval later. In using time wisely, I try to keep my folders organized, but I do miss a few. Taking time to cleanup and organize my files and label pictures clears my desktop and creates a clean system.

Updates

Keeping software and applications updated allows the computer to run more efficiently. With virus protections and upgrades, updating electronic devices takes a few minutes. However, if you get behind on the updates, then you might need to run them at the end of your day rather than waiting them out during the day. 🙂

Embracing this era of technology and adding devices within our home, we address technology throughout the year. From backups to updates, maintaining these devices keeps them running efficiently. In planning for success, I aim to address technology quarterly while using time wisely. Happy maintaining!

Question: Which of these tasks seems the most daunting: backup, cleanup, or update?

Planning for Success: Check Light Bulbs and Air Filters – Day 21

January 21, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 21: Check Light Bulbs and Air Filters

This school year has been really tough on so many levels. My time at home during the day is hit or miss, so I must make the most of the mornings I have at home. Without spending an hour just writing out my to-do list, I need to get productive. By jotting notes to myself, using my calendar, and staying motivated, I can maximize my time.

Though my cleaning this year seems to only occur during school breaks, I know that this mess is for a season. To adjust to these changing times, I concentrate on what I can do, and let the rest go. To focus my attention when I can spare a few moments, I include on my calendar a time to check light bulbs and air filters.

Light Bulbs

Keeping light bulbs on-hand in the type and size needed, I check for outages regularly. Finding that working in a well-lit area allows me to think clearly, I like to keep the lights on and the rooms bright. If I find a light out, I either change it or ask Paul to do so. But with a scheduled time, I can note any outages with seldom used lights.

Air Filters

Changing our air filters monthly with basic filters or every 3 months with high-efficiency filters, we keep our air and heating systems running efficiently. The changes to our 3 filters also keeps dust and allergens from recycling back through our home. Since our filters are out of sight, I must schedule the maintenance change to put it on my mind.

In planning for success, add check light bulbs and air filters to your planning tool. For me, the last week of the month seems less hectic than the rest of the month. Taking advantage of the lull in my schedule and using time wisely, I take about 5 minutes to walk through the house checking the lights. For the air filters, I just need to ask Paul, who willingly changes them. 🙂

Though home maintenance is ongoing, investing 5 to 10 minutes a month to check your light bulbs and air filters allows your family to see and breathe easier. As you complete these small tasks, you might get motivated to make larger changes. Happy maintaining!

Question: How often do you check light bulbs and air filters?

Planning for Success: Purchase Batteries – Day 14

January 14, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 14: Purchase Batteries

If I had known how many batteries we would need once we had children, Paul and I would have purchased stock in Duracell. Besides coming with wires, plastic cases, and complicated packaging, most toys require batteries. Though we keep a stash of the basic types – AA, AAA, C, and D, we rarely have 9-volt batteries in our stockpile.

Since our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors take 9-volt batteries and we change these batteries on Daylight Savings Time weekend, I add a reminder on my calendar to buy batteries.

If the weekend arrives and I don’t have the batteries, then no change is made. By the time the weekend is over, changing the batteries has slipped my mind and will go untouched until the next Daylight Savings weekend.

With Daylight Savings Time occurring this year on March 10 and November 3, I have added to my calendar at the beginning of February and October a notation to purchase batteries. The reason for the early notice is to watch the sales during the month. As most sales run on 6-week cycles, I should find a battery deal within that time frame.

In planning for success, purchase batteries prior to Daylight Savings Time. Having this reminder in my calendar alerts me to the upcoming time change and this important household maintenance. Though our detectors work on electricity with a battery backup, I want all systems in top condition should an emergency occur.

Continue adding your household alerts to your planning tool. With the reminders, you can address these maintenance items in the desired season. Keep using time wisely as you add tasks to your calendar while planning for success. Happy scheduling!

Question: How often do you change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors?

2012 Update Week: Yard Work

December 10, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Welcome to Update Week! During this week, I will follow-up on topics introduced throughout the year. Each day, I will choose one topic from that category. For today, I chose our yard work update.

Back in May and June, I posted about our spring yard work. Though we finished later than planned, I have been able to keep up the weeding.

When I wrote the last post, we had completed our side bed and under our tree. I still had 2 more beds to complete.

For some reason, I can only find the pictures of the one bed. I’m almost positive I took pictures, but I cannot find them. Oh well, here’s an update to the one bed as we cleared it out.

With the yard work complete, I only needed to nip the weeds before our Halloween party.

In November when Paul cleaned out our garage, my son raked our leaves in the front yard. The kids were playing in the little pile of leave before collecting them in the trash bags. Seeing the fun they were having with a few leaves, I took them after school to a field with a huge leaf pile. They had a blast!

This morning, I snagged a few more weeds, and then took a picture. (Our Christmas net lights are on, but I’m not sure you can tell.) With our yard work up-to-date, our home has a clean look within our neighborhood. Keeping the weeds at bay has been worth our time and energy.

As you continue your yard work, take it one area at a time. My kids enjoy helping as they get to wear their own gloves. Giving them a tool encourages them to help which saves me energy and time. Happy weeding!

Question: How is your yard work coming along?

Fall Home Maintenance

October 1, 2012 by Tracy

When Paul and I purchased our home, we also purchased the book, Home Maintenance For Dummies.*

Besides money-saving tips to fix small repairs, this book also provides monthly maintenance checklists. Of that list, Paul and I plan to perform the following tasks for our fall home maintenance:

Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Drain hot water heater

Clean and replace furnace and air conditioner filters

Check air intakes for insect blockages and debris

Clean range hood filter

Clean all appliances and counters

Disinfect and freshen garage disposal with vinegar ice cubes

Paste wax our dining room table and wooden trash can

Deep clean laminate surfaces

Deep clean all the floors

Test smoke detectors

Test carbon monoxide detector

Test auto reverse safety feature on garage door opener

Clean lint from dryer duct and from the interior of dryer housing

Inspect washing machine water supply hoses

Depending on your home, you may need more or less items on your fall home maintenance checklist. In our home when I find light bulbs out or batteries low, I jot them down on my “Honey-do” list. As Paul has a few moments to spare, he will work through the list to keep our home operating efficiently.

In using time wisely schedule your fall home maintenance. Create your own list to perform monthly or quarterly checks. Heading off problems before they happen will save you money, energy, and time. Happy maintaining!

Question: What additional items would you add to this fall home maintenance checklist?

* This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon.com (disclosure policy). Should you choose to purchase Home Maintenance For Dummies, Using Time Wisely benefits. 😉

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