Setting Priorities for Managing Your Time

One of the hardest parts of time management is learning how to set priorities. Sometimes it can feel like every last thing you need to do is an emergency. But the truth is, there are ways to organize your time and manage the tasks that you need to do so that you get them finished right when they need to be done without feeling overwhelmed or rushed.

Thankfully Stephen Covey’s time management grid is here to save us from ourselves. It looks like this:

 

 Use the grid to help create your daily to-do list by prioritizing the importance and urgency of each item you have to pick from. It can be as simple as doing the purple things first, then the green, next pink, and finally the light green items. But, if you do it this way you might miss out on something important you can learn from the time management grid.

Eliminate Urgency from Your Life

By focusing on green you can eventually lessen the purple items on your list. By learning to say no to others you can virtually eliminate the pink things, too. Finally, by getting your schedule under control the light green will eliminate itself because you won’t feel the need to procrastinate anymore.

Learn to Say No

As children we are taught to not say no. Unfortunately, this transfers over to adulthood in a bad way, especially for females. If you determine something is in the pink or light green area, you can use that to determine whether or not you should say no. If it’s something that your client wants that takes five minutes, but it’s not that important, you can do it. If it’s something you just like to do, you can always do it after you’ve done three purple or green tasks.

Assess Your Time Expenditures Now

Now that you have Dr. Covey’s time management chart, you can go back and re-evaluate the things you are currently doing each day to find out what color they are. Knowing their color will help you label each thing that you do throughout the days, weeks and months ahead so that you can prioritize them.

Finally, when you are assessing any task, make sure you label it, then ask yourself if it fits in with your core values and goals. If it does, it’s going to be in either the purple square or the green square. If it doesn’t, it’s probably in one of the other squares. As you learn to use this system it will start becoming more automatic so that you can say yes or no faster and put your time management on auto drive.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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Time and Priorities

Time is something that we can't control.  I know.  I've tried.  I keep saying "if only I had a few more hours in the day....".

But, then what? You could cram more things into your life?  Step back and take a look at what's important. Do you really have to do all of the things that you try to do? Really?  Are you being honest with yourself?  Or are you just trying to impress all of the people around you with how much you can cram into your day and your life?

I remember when the kids were little and one of my neighbors had her kids in gymnastics, ballet, basketball, piano lessons.....and on and on.  I was exhausted just listening to her. I know that they didn't really have the money for all of the activities but it seemed like it was "expected" of the parents. Give the kids everything. But at what price?

Doing too much costs you time, money and your sanity.  Let's be honest!

Kids get tired just like adults. They need "down time". They should be allowed to run outside and play, without being dragged from one "activity" to the next.

And adults...... same thing goes for you. Are you involved in too many activities that you don't have enough time for yourself?  Or your family?

Are you on too many committees and trying to impress too many people with how busy and exhausted you are?

Step back and re-think your priorities. Family should come first. That doesn't mean that you drag them to every possible event. It means that you give them your time. Your undivided attention. That is more precious than everything else in their life.

Time.....   It goes by too quickly!

Re-examine your priorities.  Yes, you can have activities.....but don't go overboard. Do what feels right for you.... not everyone else.  You don't need to impress your neighbors with how busy you are.

Have a great week and remember.....   Less Clutter in your Life makes for a happier you !


 
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Kids, Clothes & Charity - How Are They Connected ?

I know that most people don't want to think about the summer coming to a close and everything that it entails, but being organized means thinking ahead.

The end of summer means the start of the next school year.

The start of the new school year means new clothes for the kids.

And that means that you will be taking their old clothes (and I mean clothes that don't fit, not tattered clothes) to Goodwill or another charity that could use them.

Kids outgrow things. Sometimes too quickly. You turn around and the next thing you know they are 4 inches taller than when they got out of school in June. It happens! So you have to buy them new clothes.

But before you just randomly go to the store and buy everything in sight you need to go through their closet and drawers and take an inventory of what they really need, not just want they want. BUT, you need to get them involved in the process.

This is not always fun for the kids and they will probably fight you on this, because they have better things to do than go through their clothes, things like playing outside or being with their friends. But as a parent this is a "teaching" moment. You are teaching them how to make decisions, how to organize their closet and drawers, how to recognize when clothes don't fit and the biggest lesson of all is why it's important to donate things that you no longer need to a worthwhile cause. And of course you know that you get a tax write-off.

Once you have gone through their closet and had them try on all of their clothes and put them into piles of "keep", "donate" or "trash" (because they were too worn out to donate) it's time to make a list of exactly what items they will need.

Making a list is very important because it will save you time and money at the store. You won't remember how many socks they had and they will try to get you to buy things that they don't really need.

Once you have the "needed items" (socks, underwear, pants...) you can look at "extras" but try and keep it in perspective. They don't need twenty pairs of jeans or twenty new pairs of shoes. Kids outgrow things very quickly.

By starting when they are young and helping them understand the concepts of "moderation", buying only what they really need and also buying only what they have room for, you are teaching them skills they will use their entire life.

Get into the habit of going through their closets at least once a season, especially when they are young and growing like weeds. And by the way, why don't you clear out your closet at the same time. You would be setting a great example!

Happy Closet Organizing!


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Organizing Your Life - Preparing of the Unexpected

Listen to internet radio with The Joyful Organizer on Blog Talk Radio

Being prepared for the unexpected is something that most people don't want to think about. But it's something that everyone needs to do. Having all of your legal, medical & health information documented and having someone know where to find it.... in case of an emergency, illness or death .... is critical.

Listen to this Radio Show and start getting yourself organized today.
It's crucial.

ORGANIZE YOUR PRIORITIES

Having a big house and new clothes and being able to do whatever you want is great. But at what price?

If you have to work at a job that you hate and work fifty (50) or sixty (60) hours a week and rarely get to see your spouse and kids, is it worth it?

For some people the answer is yes. They are all about materialistic things.

For others they just want to be comfortable and their priority is their family.

But for some people they have to work at a job they don’t like and work long hours because that is the only way to make ends meet.

The bottom line is “what are your priorities?”

In today’s society it seems to be all about “things”. People don’t spend time together as a family. They don’t eat together or play together. Everything is about “instant gratification.

It’s sad. And it won’t be until the adults are older and the kids are gone and don’t have time for them and don’t participate in their lives that the reality of the situation will sink it.

So…. change it!

Organize your priorities!

Don’t waste your time or money on “keeping up with the neighbors”. Keep up with your family. Spend time with your family. Have family dinners. Have family “time” (games, talking, activities….).

Yes, the kids will whine and complain. So what! They will get over it. But if you don’t start acting as a family now you will turn around and your ten year old will be going off to college and you wonder what happened to those lost years. Years that you can never get back.

So cut out the texting and being a zombie in front of the computer and video games and go back to the old fashioned way of actually talking to one another and interacting.

Stop shopping and buying their love. Stop filling your home with “things”. Fill your home with your family.

Make your family your priority. Don’t lose that precious time that you have with your kids. They will be gone before you know it.


Less Clutter = Less Stress (sm) ….. in your home, your business and your life.


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com