Time Management Tips: 5 Simple Organizational Skills
How many times have you heard someone say, “There just isn’t enough time?” How often have you made similar comments while trying to meet yet another deadline?
We all know that there is no such thing as more time. We have exactly twenty-four hours each day and no one can give us more. What we must do has to be done in those hours or leave it for another day. Perhaps it is what we do with that time that needs to be evaluated.
Do you find yourself constantly rummaging through endless stacks of papers looking for something? Do you often miss appointments and have to reschedule? Do you realize that after taking care of your loved ones and yourself, there is no time or energy left for any project? Does the idea of organizing overwhelm you?
I have some simple solutions for you to improve your organizational skills and make you feel good about your accomplishments. Let’s look at five areas you may need to organize to make the most of the time you have.
At the bottom of the list, I’ll give you some safe advice on how you can make this happen in your home.
#1. Identify your personal time thieves. Take a few minutes and think about your day. What seems to hold you back from the task at hand? Looking at my own schedule, I found that the lure of a new sales brochure or magazine kept me mesmerized for far too long. Realizing this didn’t mean I’d never look at a sales brochure again (oh, God forbid!) If I were to put it off for later, it would be added to my “stuff piles.” I could allow myself a certain amount of time to read magazines and brochures or I could throw the less important ones into the waiting bin.
#2. Keep a list of daily tasks. Regardless of how careful you are with this list, there will be inevitable interruptions; allow those. Each night list the tasks for the next day in order of importance. It is extremely necessary to keep this list short and doable. Be practical but precise. Are there items on that list that I could get help with? Call and make an appointment to have someone at your home at a certain time to help you with your work.
#3. Calendar everything. DO NOT keep pieces of paper to write notes when someone calls; they are lost too easily. Put a large calendar by the phone, perhaps on the wall. Attach a thumbtack to the wall with a pencil attached and you’re done. This is not only a good date spot, it’s a great place to put reminders of shopping needs. If you go shopping on Monday, use the Monday space to list the items that come to mind during the day.
#4. Get rid of the clutter. Very important: START SMALL. Don’t tackle an entire room at once. Find a table, shelf, or small cabinet and start there. Prepare a garbage bag and throw away what you don’t need. As you sort, take the time to put the items back. This is the value of starting small; you don’t need to make another stack elsewhere.
#5. Do it now. Start a new tradition: If possible, take care of chores right away. For example, spend five or ten minutes a day taking care of the mail. Keep your trash can handy and go through each item: bills in the bill drawer, magazines in the magazine rack, letters read and filed to be answered, etc.
Well, reading these five tips already tired you? I can almost hear you, “Do you have to be kidding? I don’t have time right now to do my work and now you’ve added five more things to my list!” You said that, didn’t you? I would have too.
Here’s the final promised piece of advice: Don’t tackle the entire list at once. Read the helps carefully again and choose one, just one, that you will work on this week. Try this for a week and you will feel less stressed and more productive. When you feel comfortable with one change, move on to another. You can do it, I promise you.
Trusting that you enjoy all of God’s blessings as you learn to use wisely the precious time He has given each of us.
