DeDe Does...Time Management

How to get everything done in a day!
I haven’t cornered the market on a time clock or anything crazy like that, but I do believe in total efficiency. People are always asking me how I manage to do so much in one day. The answer is simple… I may not always succeed and there are things that do get left behind, but for the most part I manage my time wisely and plan ahead! Some of you are already groaning… I can hear it, but I don’t have time to listen to that, so I’ll move along… LOL
I sat down and thought about how and what I do daily and weekly and here are my top ten time saving tips. While some of these might send you over the edge if you aren’t the “structured” type, hopefully there is at least one thing on this list that you can embrace and adopt as your own new found time saver! Maybe you have some ideas of your own?!?! If so, please comment and share. We’d love to know what you do to save time and streamline your day!
1) Make a list and set priorities – decide what absolutely has to get done and what can probably wait until tomorrow. Anything not completed by the end of the day needs to go to the top of the list the following day! And be realistic. If you aren’t feeling well or have several outside errands to run, then you aren’t going to get much done in-house for the day. I actually plan my week out… things I hope to get done on Mon,Tues, etc. and usually by Friday… I feel I have gotten most things accomplished and can relax over the weekend! If not, then I know Saturday morning is going to be spent finishing up a few tasks. (of course relaxing on the weekend is certainly my motivation for getting it all done by Friday!!)
2) Get started right away – the longer you wait to get started, the harder it is to get moving and then the day is finished and you haven’t accomplished anything. That can be frustrating, so no hesitating or procrastinating! Just DO IT and DO IT NOW!!
3) Remain focused – wait…what?!—exactly! I am easily side-tracked, so having the list keeps me focused so when I walk into a room and can’t remember why I’m there… I go back to the list!
4) Be efficient – multi-task when you can! Some things do not require your undivided attention the entire time, like laundry or baking, so find little projects you can complete while you wait for the next load or the oven timer to go off. Maybe clean off a spot on your counter or organize a junk drawer that’s gotten out of hand! It’s also a good time to make appointments or return any phone calls.
5) If you start it… finish it – A huge pet-peeve of mine around my house is unfinished chores. If anyone dares to leave a load of clothes in the dryer they will hear about it for WEEKS! Same thing with the dish drainer… if it’s dry… put it away! And, if you are putting dishes away, take the extra 2 seconds and stack and organize everything as you work. Cabinets get out of control quickly if you are always just stacking stuff on top of each other and not paying attention to the organization part. Laundry should be folded or hung immediately as the dryer is done. No waiting! If you hesitate, you’ll forget about it, so just do it and put everything away right now!
6) Keep your bags packed and ready!

1. If you happen to be in the diaper bag stage, then as soon as you get home… restock it! This saves a huge amount of time for the next time you are ready to head out the door. You know you are going to be late simply because you are “in the diaper bag stage”. It’s just a fact of life! However, if you restock upon arrival, then you don’t ever have to think about what’s missing from the bag! You usually know what you used or didn’t use when you get back home, but tomorrow… you won’t remember why or if you even left the house the day before! True story!! ;)
2. School backpacks—as soon as my kids walk through the door, they unpack their bags and lunchboxes. Papers go on my desk for me to review and sign (if necessary) and anything that needs to be replaced (snack) or supplied for the next day (library books) go in immediately. No thinking about it in the morning when it’s too early to think! The boys have followed this routine since they started preschool and now that they are in Kindergarten, they do it without prompting.

7) Use your time wisely – if you are sitting in a pick-up line at school, what is one small thing you can bring with you to take care of? Clean out your car console? Bring your junk mail to weed out? Organize your coupons in a small binder? I find that I can knock those tedious things out while I sit and wait so they don’t become overwhelming and take up precious family time later!
8) Speaking of vehicle… if you bring it to the car today, then bring it out of the car today! I know everyone has a ton of clutter in their car and it can be hard to control it if you let it accumulate rather than unloading everything each trip. Now, I will say that there are some items that need to remain. We leave T-ball gloves in the back during the season, but they do come out once we are done! Reusable shopping bags and of course with kids, you need the “emergency bag” to stay in there. Those are necessary items, but all the other junk, clutter, food papers, etc. have to go now! In fact, keep a few small plastic grocery bags tucked in the glove box and while you are sitting in the school pick-up line, you can clean out all the junk off the floors and toss it when you arrive home! J
9) Double duty today will save time tomorrow – anything that you can do twice and save yourself some time later… DO! Especially with cooking. If I’m going to take the time to make things like mashed potatoes, pancakes, cookies, etc. I double the batch and freeze half for later. If I’m going to take the time to peel potatoes, I might as well peel the whole bag! I can mash them and freeze what I’m not going to use right now! Next week when we want mashed potatoes, I just have to defrost them.
10) Plan ahead – combine trips and save steps! If I have errands to run, then I consider where I need to go and what needs to be done first and last. Can my trip be planned out to make a looped route that brings me back home when I’m done? Consider the best plan of action before leaving the house and write it down. If I’m going to the grocery store, I take the time to write my list out according to the items along the aisles or areas of the store. This saves me a huge amount of time because I’m not back-tracking for one item at the bottom of the list that I didn’t think to pick up while I was near that area.
Now… think about one thing in your daily (or weekly) routine that you can make more efficient and start there! When you mastered that one… find another. You’ll feel better about completing many tasks and managing your “free time”. Just don’t forget to save some “down-time” for yourself… maybe schedule brunch with a friend! Those things are important priorities for all of us!