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You are here: Home / Archives for Miscellaneous

Take Time for You

February 8, 2014 by Tracy

Take Time for You
Take Time for You

Photograph Credit: Flickr (slgckgc)

For the past four months, I have been taking more time for myself. When I feel tired and worn out from a busy day, I rest in the evening and go to bed early. When my schedule gets overloaded and I need time to think, I stop.

By listening to my body, I have stayed very healthy. Besides a small cold and a day of achiness, I have not gotten sick. My family has suffered through the flu and week-long colds, but I was able to care for them without succumbing to their illnesses.

As I usually would just run myself into the ground trying to get it all done, I have found freedom in letting things go. Having read Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I can turn a blind eye – without guilt – to the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, the mound of paperwork on my desk, and the 30+ e-mail messages staring at me from my inbox.

For my Type A personality, where I stop to organize something immediately before moving on, this has been a learning process. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m mellowing out. Not sure if it is because I turned 40 last year or my perspective on life has focused more on the big picture than the present moments, but I like the new me.

By concentrating on getting rest, good nutrition, and some fun, I have been more patient with my children, planned more outings, and have more free time to relax. This is possible because I have not taken on any projects. I have concentrated on my family and our home and declined other opportunities.

In seizing 2014, I am enjoying the more simple life without the distractions and expectations of others. I love it and will continue taking time for myself.

If you are feeling frazzled, exhausted, and impatient, please take time for you. When you are whole, then you can fully address your responsibilities. In using time wisely, take the time you need to heal, rest, and rejuvenate. I’ll be taking time for myself also. Happy resting this weekend!

Question: How are you changing these days?

Filed Under: Time Management, Miscellaneous Tagged With: time management

Series Recap: Scheduling 2014

February 1, 2014 by Tracy

Series Recap: Scheduling 2014

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

As I spread out the Scheduling 2014 series throughout the month of January to give time for researching and gathering the correct dates, the posts were not published on sequential days.

Though they are all filed under the miscellaneous category, other posts were published in the same category during the month.

In order to find the series posts, one must scroll through the category which takes time.

To make access to all these posts easier, I compiled the links to each post within this series recap:

Scheduling 2014

Preview :: Kicking off 2014

1-5 :: Scheduling: Holidays, Responsibilities, and Expirations Dates

6-8 :: Scheduling: Due Dates, Payday Deposits, and Credit Report Schedule

9 :: Scheduling: Finding, Using, and Evaluating a Savings Tracker

10-15 ::  Scheduling: Keep your Priorities in Front

16-18 :: Scheduling: Deposits, Transfers, and Payments

19-23 :: Scheduling: Regular Maintenance

24-27 :: Scheduling: Time-sensitive Tasks

28-31 :: Scheduling: Feeding our Families

Getting our calendars planned in January, Scheduling 2014 sets us up for a great year of using time wisely. Now we just need to follow the plan, adjust as needed, and take it one step at a time. Happy planning!

Question: How often do you adjust your calendar?

Filed Under: Time Management, Miscellaneous Tagged With: series recap

Scheduling: Feeding our Families

January 30, 2014 by Tracy

Scheduling: Feeding our Families

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

The cold temperatures and snow have driven us indoors, and I love it! With our grocery shopping done, our family is prepared should we get to stay in for the rest of the week.

In completing the Scheduling 2014 series with the last 4 tasks from the Planning for Success series last year, we are focusing on feeding our families.

From choosing a menu planner to arranging coupon redemption, these tasks will help us save money while using time wisely.

28. Print and Display Menu Planner: Planning for Success – Day 3

When preparing for the Scheduling 2014 series, I wrote this article that included my monthly calendar, menu planner, and water and exercise log. If you do not have a menu planner, then feel free to use my FREE printable.

If you are new to menu planning, then I recommend just writing down what you eat. As you get used to tracking your meals and knowing what you have on hand, then you can start to plan. But for starting out, just record what your family eats.

29. Track your Family’s Favorite Meals: Planning for Success – Day 17

I used to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen often. In the past year, I think I tried 3 new recipes and have repeated one of them.

Whether you like to try new dishes or keep with the tried-and-true, tracking your family’s favorite meals gives you suggestions when life gets busy.

Our family’s favorite meals are written down and kept inside my menu planning notebook. When I need inspiration, I go to the list. To see some of our family’s favorite meals, check out this list of 10 favorites.

30. Design a Quick Meals List: Planning for Success – Day 24

Another great tool for using time wisely is a list of quick meals. These are life-savers when traffic was backed up, homework took longer than expected, or life happened.

Keeping the ingredients for one or two of your quick meals on hand will see you through your busy evening. We used one of these 15 quick meals last night when our plans to meet family fell through due to icy roads.

31. Arrange Coupon Redemption: Planning for Success – Day 31

From daily deals to paper coupons, we keep a stash of coupons handy for family outings. If we find a great deal, I make sure I note the deal on our calendar. This way, I am reminded of the coupon when I schedule or consider an activity around a meal time.

In Scheduling 2014, we are off to a great start. There will be more items added to the calendar throughout the year, but the basics are all covered.

As food is a big part of family life, I find the favorite meals and quick meals lists huge time savers for me. As the masses get hungry and time is short, these meals meet us where we are without a trip through the drive-thru.

As you continue Scheduling 2014 may you find the organization tools you choose a help to using your time wisely. If I have left off any tasks, then please share in the comments. I prefer to have too much on the calendar than not enough. Happy scheduling!

Question: What scheduling tasks have I missed?

Filed Under: Coupons, Time Management, Menu Planning, Miscellaneous, Food Tagged With: food, coupons, scheduling

Scheduling: Time-sensitive Tasks

January 29, 2014 by Tracy

Scheduling: Time-sensitive Tasks
Scheduling: Time-sensitive Tasks

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

In winding down this Scheduling 2014 recap from the Planning for Success series last year, the next three items consist of time-sensitive tasks to save money, energy, and time.

The fourth item is listed as a follow up for any new planning tools. Back in December, I shared links to calendars that I found helpful.

If you are trying out a new calendar, then evaluate it after a few weeks before you have too much time invested.

If it is not working for you, then change to another tool. The best way to using time wisely is using resources that help rather than hinder your progress.

To help us stay organized and on track, let’s add the following time-sensitive tasks to our calendar and use the reminder to evaluate our calendar system:

24. Prepare your Medical Spending Record: Planning for Success – Day 20

To save on medical expenses by using pre-tax dollars, we use a medical spending account. With money designated in this account for medical expenses, I record the credits and debits on the following FREE printable log:

Free Printable

Portrait Options

  2014 Medical Spending Record (.pdf version)

2014 Medical Spending Record (Microsoft Word version)

Scheduling: Time-sensitive Tasks

Landscape Options

 2014 Medical Spending Record (.pdf version)

2014 Medical Spending Record (Microsoft Word version)

Scheduling: Time-sensitive Tasks

You are welcome to download, customize the Microsoft Word version, and use this FREE printable. To share this resource with others, please forward the link to this post rather than sending the file directly.

Thank you for protecting Using Time Wisely’s copyright.

25. Jot down Library Return Dates: Planning for Success – Day 16

Anytime we checkout books at the library, we receive a receipt listing the books with the due dates. I keep the receipt and enter the due dates on our calendar to remind me to drop off the books or renew them by the date to prevent paying a late fee for overdue books.

26. Enter Reward Deadlines: Planning for Success – Day 23

Playing the drugstore game is a great way to save money if you are using the store credits earned. To help me remember to use the rewards before their deadlines, I note the expiration dates on our calendar. With the reminder, I use the store credits and continue saving our family money.

27. Select a Planning Tool: Planning for Success – Day 1

As I love the monthly calendar, I always want to be sure that my planning tool is helping me stay organized. If you find that your planning tool is no longer working for you, then try another option before settling into 2014.

Our Schedule 2014 series is almost complete with these three time-sensitive tasks added. Tomorrow, I will finish covering the last four items dealing with food.

If your calendar looks anything like mine, it is getting full. This is good because all those items are written down for us to work through one day at a time as we continue using time wisely. Happy scheduling!

Question: How is your scheduling 2014 coming along?

Filed Under: Time Management, Miscellaneous Tagged With: scheduling

Scheduling: Regular Maintenance

January 27, 2014 by Tracy

Scheduling: Regular Maintenance

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Keeping up with regular maintenance saves money, energy, and time. Having concentrated on regular maintenance of my health these past two weeks, I am so thankful to have escaped illness. I did get a mild cold, but no fever, chills, or other flu symptoms.

As Paul is still recovering, we will wait until full healing before changing our air filters and giving our home a good cleaning. In keeping up with regular maintenance on our home, we can prevent some major repairs and expenses.

Continuing to schedule 2014 using the Planning for Success series from last year, I am adding these regular maintenance tasks to our calendar:

19. Schedule Annual Home Maintenance: Planning for Success – Day 7

Keeping up with our termite inspection, pressure washing, and heating and air conditioning maintenance, I select months where the contracts renew or where the service is most needed to remind me to make the call to have these services performed.

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

With a year’s worth of air filters housed in our garage from a great sale where I found the filters $.59 each, I tend to forget that the filters need to be changed. By adding this maintenance item to our calendar toward the end of the month, I remember to ask Paul to change them out when he checks for burned out light bulbs.

21. Purchase Batteries: Planning for Success – Day 14

With daylight savings time on our calendar, I make a note about 2 weeks prior to look for sales on batteries. We then store these batteries in their original container.

Please be very careful with 9-volt batteries as storing them in a group where the positives and negatives could touch each other could start a fire as it did in the embedded video.

22. Face Vehicle Maintenance: Planning for Success – Day 30

Our mechanic sees our vehicles at least 4 times a year for regular oil changes. During these visits, he checks our vehicles and alerts us to any major maintenance services that need to occur.

With the advanced warning, we are able to save for those costs and schedule a date before getting stranded by a non-working vehicle.

23. Address Technology: Planning for Success – Day 28

To protect my files, I schedule regular updates, backups, and cleanup. Though I have an on-going project to consolidate all my documents into two locations, I do keep backups. Last year Paul purchased a terabyte hard drive for me to backup Using Time Wisely and my computer and laptop files.

If something should happen to my hosting site, I have a backup which gives me peace of mind. Having lost documents in the past, I learned and now have a backup system.

In taking care of our home, vehicles, and computers, we schedule regular maintenance. As life happens and I would forget to do these items, I add them to the calendar to jog my memory to save us money, energy, and time.

As you continue scheduling 2014, remind yourself of regular maintenance tasks to save you money from big problems, energy from hurrying to find a solution, and time waiting for a problem to get fixed. Happy scheduling!

Question: What regular maintenance items are you adding to your calendar?

Filed Under: Organization, Time Management, Miscellaneous Tagged With: maintenance, scheduling

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