Using Time Wisely

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Hurry Up to Waste Time

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (a_s_h.)

Confession time . . .  I get clumsy when I am in a hurry. It’s true! You would think that I would learn to either schedule a few extra minutes or forget that “one more thing” I can squeeze into 5 extra minutes. But, no, I have not learned.

Just this week, I finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes and decided to do “one more thing” before leaving the house. That “one more thing” was sweetening the brewed pitcher of tea, simple task with no complicated steps.

However, I got in a hurry.

As I poured the full sugar scoop into the pitcher, I hit the edge and dropped the scoop into the tea. My “one more thing” then turned into a project. To correct my error, I had to use a few more minutes of my time to:

  • Retrieve the scoop,
  • Wash the scoop,
  • Dry the scoop, and
  • Continue to add sugar to the tea pitcher.

By the time I finished sweetening the tea, I had spent more than 5 minutes. The extra time was gone, and I had exerted more energy than needed. In my effort to maximize my time, I hurried up and wasted time.

Though I will probably repeat this mistake again, I hope to remind myself to slow down and relax during the extra minutes rather than wasting precious time and energy. Using time wisely is a constant set of choices. With good intentions, I still often fail, learn from those mistakes, and choose a better option next time.

Question: What obstacles hinder you from using time wisely?

Time Management: Rising Above the Unexpected

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Do you ever have those weeks where you’re just off? Thankfully, these weeks are not often, but I had an “off” week when I hit that pot hole. The entire week I was a day off. On Tuesday, I thought it was Monday. On Wednesday, I functioned like it was Tuesday. This continued ALL week. Though I would look at my calendar and know what day it was, my brain continued to associate the day with the tasks I performed. When I hit the pot hole on Monday, I changed my normal routine. I concentrated on fixing my car and the regular schedule was moved to Tuesday. My brain finally reset on Sunday when I returned to my Sunday routine.

For some reason, I could not reset my brain during the week which had the following results:

  • Failed to prepare for church on Wednesday night.
  • Fell behind on laundry.
  • Missed a sale on business cards.

The results were not devastating losses, but there were repercussions to my “off” week. Fortunately, these “off” weeks are few and far between. When I am dealing with an unexpected situation, then another area of my life is likely to fall apart. Keeping it all together, all the time is not a possibility for me. Life will happen, and choices will need to be made. Overall, it was a very eventful week. I’m thankful it is over even though I am still working on getting my bent wheel repaired. In fact, my car is currently sporting the spare tire as the regular wheel is at the repair shop.

How do you keep it together when the unexpected arises? As you can see, I have room for improvement. Can you offer me any advice? If so, please leave me a comment. I need to know that I am not the only one who experiences these bumps in the road.

Time Management: Expecting the Unexpected

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Last week I shared my strategy for planning each day. Lest you believe that at the end of each day I have accomplished all I set out to do, I give you a glimpse into my life. Last Sunday night before heading to bed, I planned a general idea of what I wanted to accomplish on Monday. I was planning to do laundry, menu planning, and blogging in the morning. My children and I headed off to school. After dropping off my son, we headed home. About 3-5 miles from home, I hit a pot hole and popped my front passenger-side tire. After moving to safety onto the shoulder, I examined the damage. Yep, the tire was flat.

After calling my husband, I used a temporary AAA membership, which came in the mail as a promotion, to get the tire changed. There were a number of gracious folk who stopped to make sure the girls and I were not hurt. One lady passed us and sent her husband and son to come help us. When they arrived, I informed them that AAA had been notified and was sending someone to help. The husband/son team offered to wait in their vehicle behind our car to be sure we stayed safe. This dad has 3 children of his own and would not want his wife to be stranded without some protection. How kind of this family to spend their time ensuring the safety of myself and the girls while we waited for AAA to arrive!

Many offered to change the tire for me, but I did not want them to get dirty. Some of them were wearing their business attire or white shirts. Their offers were kind, but I’m thankful we waited for AAA. About 1 hour and 15 minutes after calling, the employee arrived. He noticed that our spare tire was flat, so he pumped it up. He also had a really sturdy jack, unlike the one included with our spare tire. Since the car was in the dirt/sand, the girls and I stayed behind the car as he worked. He quickly finished, and we were on our way.

My morning was then spent at Discount Tire to repair the damage. After inspecting the tire and wheel, the employee informed me that I would need a new wheel/rim and a new tire. Remember how I opted to pay for insurance on the new tires I purchased? Having that insurance saved our family about $130 for a new tire. Discount Tire replaced the gashed tire for free, and I added the insurance on the new tire for $16. In the event that I hit another pot hole, this new tire will be covered as well.

The wheel is another story. A refurbished wheel for the year and make of our car is $180. Yikes! Learning that the car is drivable with the current bent wheel, I opted to look around. After speaking to our mechanic, I called a store in a nearby city and found a refurbished wheel for $125 plus tax. Our mechanic suggested having ours fixed, so I called another local establishment. They will fix our wheel for $125. Since our mechanic likes the local business that repairs bent wheels, I now need to find a day that works in my schedule. Working around church, soccer, school, and family obligations is quite tricky.

Though I had a plan for my day, the unexpected occurred. I did not plan to hit a pot hole, be in the car with my girls for over an hour, and then wait at Discount Tire for the repair work to be completed. I’m not sure I know of anyone who would have this on their To Do list for the day. On the list or not, it happened. I just used my time to play with my girls. The baby enjoyed “driving” the car. She loves pushing all the buttons. My oldest daughter enjoyed changing seats. She kept moving from the front seat to the back seat. We read books, stacked rocks in the sand, and watched the passing cars. They both were worn out as they fell asleep on the way back to school to pick up their brother.

We were safe, the car is almost repaired, bonding time was achieved during the morning, and the planned items were pushed off to the afternoon and the next day. As all the items on my list for the day were “need to be done” items, I did not have a pressing need to be home. I’m thankful that the Lord protected us from harm, provided the resources to repair our vehicle, and allowed us time to spend with each other. When life throws me an unexpected delay, I attempt to seize that time and spend it wisely.

Time Management: Scheduling my Day

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Do you have a set schedule for each day? If your life is like mine, then you do not. Each day is different and will probably not end the way I had planned. Knowing that interruptions and emergencies will arise, how do you plan your day? Do you keep a time frame schedule where each hour is designated to a specific task; do you have a list of items whether written, typed, or in your mind; or do you fly by the seat of your pants and accomplish items as they arise?

As a planner, I like to have a schedule. The hour by hour designation does not work for me. My little ones need Mommy often, and their needs are unpredictable. Some days they need me a lot, and other days they are happy to play alone or with each other. If I had an hour by hour schedule, then I might lose those precious opportunities with my kids because I am keeping to my schedule. I also cannot fly by the seat of my pants. I will forget something, and I really need a plan, even if it is just one or two items to keep me on track. Having a need for organization in my schedule, I have found the To Do list my tool of choice. Sometimes my list is written, and other times it is just a list in my head.

My Planning:

At the end of each day, I take a look at my calendar for the next few days. I am looking for appointments, assignments, errands, projects, and any other items that need to be addressed. With that information, I designate a day to accomplish those tasks. I then work out my plan for the next morning. For example, start laundry, put dinner in crock pot, file paperwork, and type letter for insurance appeal.

The Execution of my planning:

In the morning, I get my son off to school, and while driving, I remind myself of my morning schedule. After drop off, I am ready to execute. I come home and begin my To Do list of items. When my girls need me to put together puzzles or play restaurant, I can take a break and play with them. If the fabric softener needs to be put in the laundry, then I either get my daughters to help or take a break to put it in the laundry. Then when they are off to play alone, I can return to my list. This system works for me.

When my To Do list is really long, I divide the items into 3 categories: must get done, needs to be done, and would be nice to have done. I work to get the “must done” items finished first which may be pay a bill, meet a deadline, or return a phone call. I then work on what needs to be done, i.e. laundry, dishes, shopping lists with coupons, blog posts, etc. On those rare days when I am able to complete everything on my list in the first two categories, then I go to my on-going To Do list to start on my next project.

Having an idea for my day helps me to stay on-task, organized, and focused. My plan saves me time from having to think of what to do next. A few minutes each night helps me to save time tomorrow. What about you? Do you spend a little time getting organized with a plan for the day? If I did not plan my day the night before, I might plan while in the shower, preparing breakfast, or driving in the car. Having a flexible plan works for me. Please leave a comment on how you plan your day. Happy organizing!

Using a To Do List to Keep Organized – Step 3 of 3

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How is your To Do list looking? I have added a few items and crossed off others. I’m making progress, and I hope you are doing the same. Having completed STEP ONE and STEP TWO, here are my thoughts on getting those items crossed off one project at a time.

STEP THREE: Executing my To Do list.

Sometimes I need to revise my list. When I first write down an item, I list the broad category (i.e. clean upstairs). As I work through my list, I may get 20 minutes to start cleaning. When I have completed what I could in that time (i.e. the sink and toilet in my kids’ bathroom), I will update my To Do list by adding KIDS’ BATHROOM – CLEAN TUB AND FLOORS. I still keep CLEAN UPSTAIRS, but now I know what I still need to clean.

Most of my projects are done in sections. When my kids need me, I take time to spend with them. As they find something to play alone or with each other, then I can get a few minutes to tackle 1 or 2 items on my To Do list. By updating my list, I am better able to keep track of what I have done and what I still need to complete.

SIDE BENEFIT: With additional items on the list, you get to cross-off more items. Do you enjoy having items to cross-off your list? My husband loves to add items to his To Do list after completing tasks, just so he can cross off the item. He can quickly fill a legal-size sheet of paper. Silly guy! I’m just thankful he stays motivated as he crosses off the substantial items on his To Do list.

My To Do list saves me time since I do not stop to think about what needs to be done. Remember, I am task-oriented, and I need my To Do list to remind and guide me in using my time wisely. For those of you who are goal-oriented, how do you organize? Do you use a To Do list, calendar, or just handle things as they come? I’m interested to hear how you keep it together. Please leave a comment with your tips for staying-on-top  of your responsibilities. In reading the comments, someone else may benefit from your suggestion.