by Susie Glennan
The Busy Woman's Daily
Planner®
Keep a list of the things you need to accomplish and prioritize them. This
should include work from your job, volunteering, and family obligations.
Budget your time -- A time budget is a schedule or assignment of time to
specific tasks and activities.
* Your time account only contains 24 hours. You have to budget your time to be
sure you do not run out.
* It should include time for work, eating, sleeping, leisure time, etc..
* FIRST: fill in the things that are beyond your control (work, commute time,
etc..)
* SECOND: fill in the other things you have to do (chores, eating, etc..)
* Remember to allow leisure and private time.
* Use a calendar, but you do not have to fill in every minute. That is over-
scheduling which can make it difficult to succeed with your schedule.
Create a realistic schedule. A realistic schedule, plans more accurate time for
each thing that must be done. It is part of your time budget. It is a block of
time devoted strictly to each task and project. Remember that one tip for better
time organization is to schedule your tasks and projects before you begin.
* FIRST: determine how many hours a week you will need to do your work
satisfactorily. This will vary with your abilities and the difficulty of your
projects or tasks. Most of the time you are given a set schedule at work and
then given deadlines. At home, most often you can set your own deadlines.
* Keep in mind that you work better at certain times than at others. Are you a
morning person? A night owl? When do you do your best work? I cannot tell you
how many hours a week you should be setting aside for each project or to-do, but
make sure the task is appropriate to your body clock. Example: I write better at
night or early in the morning when everything is dead quiet. So most often I try
to schedule writing early enough in the morning but not so early that I'd be too
tired to get up, or not too late at night that my eyes are closing while I type.
* It is best to establish a certain period of time that is devoted specifically
to one task. We talk about this in our article, "Blocking Time For More
Productivity" listed on our website: http://www.thebusywoman.com/
under articles. You are then giving your work or specific task the priority it
deserves. This is much better than letting things pile up. It's when we don't
plan ahead and use our time productively that we become over-burdened with more
to do than there are hours to do them.
* Before you begin, jot down what you need to
accomplish.
* Study your weak areas first while you are at your freshest. Use your
high-energy time for important projects and low energy time for more mundane
tasks.
* Leave Sunday out of the schedule, however, do schedule a brief amount of time
(15-30 minutes) on Sunday night to organize yourself for the upcoming week.
* Remember that sometimes, especially before major projects, your allotted time
may not be enough. You may have to cut into your leisure time to have enough
time to get larger projects or tasks completed.
* If your projects or tasks don't take all of your scheduled time, use the extra
time to work on other things you've been putting off, you enjoy doing, or you
can gain a head start on.
* At the end of the day, make a quick evaluation of how you did, adjusting your
schedule if necessary. Did you allow enough time for each task or project? Were
you procrastinating?
As well as organizing your time, you should also take care to organize your work
area. Be sure that the area in which you do most of your work is well stocked
with supplies. You don't want to be getting up and down searching for the
supplies when you need them. Furthermore, choose an area that is well away from
distractions so that you can stay focused once you get into the rhythm.
Most importantly, get a good night's sleep and eat healthy food!
Copyright © 2004 Susie Glennan
Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to 3, and is a Home
Maker, Nurturer, Teacher, Author, Professional Speaker, Toastmaster, President
of The Busy Woman, Inc., DBA - The Busy Woman's Daily Planner®. She teaches
time management seminars, offers FREE consultations with your order, and will
help you set up a schedule that's right for you.
You can reach Susie at mailto:susie@thebusywoman.com
or 800-848-7715. Visit her website for great organizing products at: http://www.thebusywoman.com
This article provided by the Family Content Archives at: http://www.Family-Content.com
