Your Time Archives - Page 7 of 8

4 Keys to the Perfect To-Do List

If you pick up your to-do list, does it cascade down toward your feet . . . and then keep unrolling all the way out of the room? If so, you likely have a “master to-do list” of which you are decidedly not the master.

The idea of a gigantic to-do list is to keep all of your tasks in one place. While that sounds good in theory, a master list quickly turns into a never-ending sequence of unconnected, disjointed tasks. Worse, those tasks eventually get lost in an ever-growing list.

Plus, how motivating is a gigantic list of things to do? How good do you really feel about tackling one item on a list of 50?

Throw out your confidence-crushing, massive list! Here are the 4 essentials to crafting a to-do list that gets things done! [Read more…]

Stop Hiding from Your To-Do List

Happy 4th of July!

With any luck, you’ve got yourself a cool three-day weekend with some extra time for relaxation! Maybe you finally plan to do that nagging item that’s been sitting on your to-do list for ages.

We’ve all got at least one thing on our to-do lists (or one scheduled activity on our time maps) that simply never gets done:

You always have eight items on your list but can never get through more than four.
You have 30 minutes blocked off in the morning for working out, but it never happens.
You have a backlog of years of family photos that you’ve been meaning to organize forever.
You can never find the time to meet up with your buddy to play basketball.

What’s holding you back from finally crossing that sticky task off your to-do list? [Read more…]

9 Valuable Tips for Negotiating Down to a Part-Time Schedule

Before our son was born, my husband and I took a hard look at our schedules.

We thrived as a couple holding down full-time jobs, but we wanted to carve out more time together as a family of three. We wanted to find more balance than our busy schedules allowed while still enjoying the personal and financial benefits of employment in our chosen fields.

After weighing our options, my husband and I made the decision for me to seek a part-time schedule.

According to an article on WorkOptions.com, the quickest (and arguably the most reliable) way to get that coveted part-time, professional schedule is to get that arrangement in your current place of employment. Making that dream a reality means convincing your company of the merits of your part-time plan.

Here are some tips for navigating that corporate road: [Read more…]

Quick Tip: Setting a Timer

List a handful of tasks you just hate to do — those things that you really can’t even bring yourself to start. Of course, the problem you run into is that those things never get done. Then they turn into larger, even less appealing tasks. It’s a vicious cycle.

The secret to tackling one of these tasks is just starting. If you can’t commit to finishing your chore, commit to focusing on it for even just a brief period of time. [Read more…]

Mistakes You’re Making With Your To-Do List

Morning dawns and the race to accomplish the host of tasks on your to-do list begins. Your list of must-do activities propels you through your day, but is it steering you in the right direction?

Streamline your life by eliminating these mistakes you might be making with your to-do list: [Read more…]

Getting Started With Time Management: Keep It Working

This post is part 5 in the series Getting Started with Time Management.

If you’re just tuning in, check out the previous four posts in this series.

By now you’ve put together a system for yourself:

You’ve taken stock of your goals and activities.
You’ve taken a hard look at how you currently spend your time.
You’ve built a time map based on how you spend your time and how you want to spend it.
You’ve picked a planner that complements the way you think.

Now, with wild enthusiasm, you go full speed ahead . . . until one of two things happens: [Read more…]

Save Time and Money with a Supermarket Pick-Up Service

Having someone else do your grocery shopping? It sounds like a major luxury . . . right?

Instead of spending time alone or with small children in the supermarket, a friendly person takes care of your whole order and even packs it neatly into your car when you arrive to pick it up.

Even if the idea is appealing, you may be reluctant to try out a service that sounds pricey. However, our family actually saves time and money by occasionally using our supermarket’s pick-up service.

Read the rest of my recently-published blog post on Money Saving Mom, one of the largest personal finance blogs and one I’ve been reading for years!

How to See Fast Results When Organizing

Organizing your home, office, or car can be daunting. Even when you get going, it can be hard to see the results you want any time soon. Get visible and oh-so-satisfying results for your efforts with these easy tips: [Read more…]

How to Jump-Start Your Morning Productivity

Do you look around in a daze by noon wondering where on earth your day has gone?

So much of having a productive morning is about setting yourself up for success the night before. Hit the ground running each day by incorporating these eight practices into your nighttime routine: [Read more…]

Getting Started with Time Management: Use a Planner

This post is part 2 in the series Getting Started with Time Management.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

If you are a planner person, then you don’t need to be convinced. Like me, your planner is probably one of the things you’d grab if your house were burning down around you.

If you’ve never used a planner — or if you’ve used the wrong planner — then you might be amazed by how much organization it can bring to your life.

I used to be a non-planner person. I thought planners were just portable calendars for business people with millions of meetings.

However, I eventually realized that I needed a planner so I could have a single, centralized method of organizing my time and making plans to reach my goals . . . and it worked. [Read more…]