Not Enough Time | Productive vs. Busy and Better Time Management

Not Enough Time | Productive vs. Busy and Better Time Management

Have you ever used the excuse, "There is not enough time" to get everything done.  Is this because you are confusing busy vs. productive?  Is it that you simply procrastinate?  Try these tips for better time management.

Dealing with your Procrastination                                            

• Realize what emotion or block keeps you from completing what you really need to do will increase your time management
• Identifying your procrastinating techniques
• Ignore distractions that keep you from reaching even the smallest goal

Your day may be busy.  Packed with appointments, obligations and deadlines.  This can give you the excuse to procrastinate.  Just the idea of everything written on paper or seeing it on your calendar can be overwhelming.  When this happens,time management suffers so  it is important to prioritize your day to ensure that you meet deadlines.
There may be 20 tasks on your To Do List, which all have value and importance.  But, which task is the #1 priority?  Which deadline is (are) due immediately?
Prioritizing your Day Increases Time Management
Prioritizing your day is the best way to increase your time management.  Make the decision about  what "has" to be done vs. what "needs" to be done.  This is the difference between being "busy vs. being productive".
It is easy to fill your day with busy work and keep from reaching goals and meeting deadlines.  And when this happens who can you blame?  That's right...the blame is on yourself for not prioritizing goals and deadlines.

•       Decide what can be put off until the afternoon or tomorrow.  The priority will still be there!
•       Develop a daily schedule that you follow religiously.  Start your work day on time.
•       Shut the door, turn off your email and phone, put a Do Not Disturb sign on the window.  Unless there is an emergency, don't allow yourself to be distracted.

Just last week, while speaking to a Moms group, one mom shared this technique to staying focused and increase time management during her work day to avoid being interrupted.

Do NOT Disturb

She used the "traffic light" method to notify her family whether or not it was ok to interrupt her day.  If a Green circle was taped or attached to her door that meant, "Yes, you have permission to enter my office.
When a Yellow circle was taped or attached to her door that meant, "Yes, you can enter but at your own risk".
If a Red circle was taped or attached to the door that meant, "Enter and Die!"  Do NOT bother me right now unless there is a possibility that you are in serious danger.

        Keep Yourself Focused
Busy people are also productive people.  Stay focused on daily priorities and you will reach your goals.  Distractions are the #1 cause of lack of focus.  Being a society of instant gratification we are constantly connected to (and checking) our tablets, phone and laptops for emails and messages.
We don't want to miss a twitter comment or an email.  One of the best ways to stay focused, when you are working on strict deadlines, is to disconnect yourself from the electronic world.  Turn it all off for at least an hour or two to give yourself a chunk of dedicated time to work on accomplishing your tasks.
I'd love to hear...what is your most productive time of day?  Morning or afternoon?

Linda Clevenger, Professional Organizer
Organization Direct
www.organizationdirect.com

Too Much Clutter? Is Procrastination your biggest Enemy?

Is it in your personality to put things off and procrastinate? Do you have the attitude that you can always do something later? Do you tell yourself that there is always a tomorrow. Yet, then tomorrow comes and yet another unexpected event occurs which takes away from the time that you allotted to accomplish what you didn’t finish yesterday. Then the next day comes and someone else needs your assistance so you help them (because that defines you) and yet again your goal goes to the wayside because….there is always tomorrow. Then before you realize it the week is over and the one little goal that you set for yourself still hasn’t happened.
With persistence and dedication you can calm your clutter simply by avoiding procrastination. As each day goes by that the procrastination continues it affects you emotionally which again, causes you to continue to avoid your clutter.
Changing your thought pattern to get things done in a timely manner and to be able to make the best use of your time is your best option. One of the best things that I do every day is to make a list of the things that I need to get done. I have two suggestions: If you are a "night" person, make your list prior to going to bed. If you are a morning person (like myself) make your list in the morning for that day. Prioritize your list to make sure that you get the absolute most important things done. At the top of your list write the things that absolutely cannot be put off for another day either due to a deadline or timeline that cannot be ignored. Hold yourself accountable.
Remember that to make a difference takes time, patience and persistence. It takes 21 days of constantly doing an act on a daily basis in order for it to become second nature. So don’t give up. You can always begin your 21 day process again if you miss a day. Don’t let your clutter take over your life. Live the live you deserve!

Declutter Your Home and Reduce Your Stress

DeClutter Options - Which is Right for You?

#1 Reason to Declutter is to reduce the amount of stress in your life. The world, economy and environment are changing at a rapid pace and if you allow it, stress will creep in. One area that you can take charge of your stress is with the reduction of the clutter in your life. We have all become accustomed to the availability of what we want, when we want it and without knowing or meaning to, we have cluttered our lives with “stuff” that we don’t need and can definitely live without.

Consider how you feel when you arrive home after a long day at work...not taking into fact that you may have to add several hours for a commute. Does the stress immediately hit you like a brick across the back of your head? And from the moment you step into the door, the children are hungry, homework needs to be done, dinner needs to be cooked and the house is a wreck! There just aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything accomplished. By the time that you finish everything on your list it is after 10:00 and you are finally sitting down to “enjoy” some time with your spouse but you can hardly keep your eyes open because…in 6-7 hours it all begins again. And the clutter builds and builds and builds.

There are several directions that you can consider when taking charge of your clutter. The first option is to dedicate a specific amount of time each weekend to a certain area and get it under control. This works if you are truly dedicated to your cause and are willing to block out the time to accomplish your goal. The second option is to find a family member or friend to help with the elimination process. The key to this solution is that your family member or friend can’t be an enabler. They must understand that it is your goal to downsize and eliminate clutter and they are not allowed to help you find a “reason” to keep anything. The third option is to hire a Professional Organizer to work with you to reduce the clutter. They will assist you in every decision that you must make but will not allow you to make excuses as to “why” items should be kept. A Professional Organizer is affordable and valuable to the reduction of your stress level and will change your life. No matter what option you choose, remember to eliminate items that you truly don’t need or want (or can’t remember the last time that you used them), downsize and get back to the basics.
Remember, DON’T AGONIZE-ORGANIZE

Health and Clutter - Are They Related?

Health and Clutter – Are they related?
The answer is Absolutely! You know how it feels when you look at the room and see the clutter day after day after day. STRESS!!! It is a known fact that Clutter leads to stress which leads to Health issues and concerns. Therefore, it is relatively safe to say that Clutter greatly affects your health. Stress is directly related to heart attacks, high blood pressure, muscle disorders and headaches just to name a few medical concerns. We’d like to share just a few tips that you can use on a daily basis to help begin the process of reducing your clutter and stress to improve your health.
First – Our steadfast home rule is that if something can be completed with just a few minutes (2-3) then DO IT NOW! An example is putting the dishes into the dishwasher or wiping off the counter, immediately taking out the trash when it is full, putting items back into the refrigerator when you are done with them, . Take just a few minutes to do it while you are right there at that time and in that moment. You WON’T regret it.
Second – Don’t use the floor as the drop point for anything!! You can avoid an extra step by putting everything in its place Instead of the floor – that is what you bought those dressers for, right? Your hips will eventually get tired of bending over and picking it up! Save a step…just put it away immediately.
Third – Do a clean sweep of your living space prior to going to bed. Make sure that the sink is clean and empty, dishes are put away, clothes are put away and anything else that you will immediately have to look at first thing in the morning that will cause you stress. It is very relaxing and begins your day the “right way” when you don't have to look at “yesterday’s” mess first thing in the morning.
These are just a few things that you can do on a daily basis to ease your stress and ultimately improve your health. The old saying…when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy, well I promise you that if you follow these three simple steps you will be happier and healthier. The key is consistency! Keep it up. I know that you can do it.

Your Family - Working Together to Eliminate Stress

Have you ever wondered how it would be to come home from a long day at the office and be stress free. Does your arrival at home normally leave you feeling immediately stressed out, wishing that you could get back into the car and even go back to work where at least there isn’t arguing and chaos. If you have a family with school age children you may never think that is possible ever again. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is….

This will be the first two steps of our series that you can take in order to avoid stress and chaos upon your return home from work at the end of the day.
These tips are for families that have school age children that are capable to assist with daily activities.

First: Everyone needs to know the weekly schedule (who is scheduled to be where and what time). I would recommend a family meeting at the beginning of the week – Sunday evening – to go over the schedule. This should be posted on a calendar on the refrigerator for everyone to see as a reminder. This will also give children the opportunity to remind you of events that they may have forgotten to tell you about earlier and it will avoid the mass rush of trying to figure out who needs to be picked up when and most importantly, if you will need assistance from a friend or neighbor in the delivery and pickup of your children from their events. This gives you and your spouse (or significant other) the opportunity to share responsibility of the children and their activities.

Second: Everything that can be prepared in the evening for the next day should be done prior to going to bed. This could be preparing lunches or setting out lunch money, laying out clothes to be worn the next day, defrosting meat that can be put into the crockpot for the next evening’s meal, ironing, loading of backpacks, school forms signed, checks made out and anything else that you can think of. Being prepared for the next day will allow you to get a better night’s rest, wake-up without stress and begin the day with a positive attitude (which will set the tone for your entire day). The morning attitude and behavior sets the tone for their entire school day….why not make it as positive as possible?

These are two simple things that you can do to develop family routines that will help you avoid stress. Remember, it takes 21 days to form a habit and your children are looking at you to set the example so it is extremely important that you make a commitment to these changes.

Beginning to develop systems is also the beginning of your Home Organization and the avoidance of clutter.