Juggling Your Schedule

We're all busy and now with the holidays it's about to get busier. My system for getting things done has got to be simple and convenient or I won't stick to it.

Here are four easy tips to help manage your time.

Write it Down:
The older I get and the busier I get, the more I forget. I keep a small spiral notebook with me and I keep it simple. Having scraps of paper here and there gets lost, so this keep everything in one spot. Because if I don't write it down when I think of it...I'll forget. Plus it feels good to cross off those to-do's. I keep sections: "HBG" (HollyByGollie), "Grocery Shopping", "Notes", "Ideas", "Everything Else". It travels with me in my purse, to my day job and sits on my beading table so I can jot down what supplies I need to reorder.  If it can wait, put it at the bottom of the list.


Cooking:
The Crock-Pot is my best friend. It is probably one of the best investments I've made in my kitchen. I'm up at 4:30 during the week and before I leave for my day job, that night's dinner goes into the crock-pot. There are thousands of recipes on the internet. When it comes to my lunch, I eat the same thing each day... pretty much. On Monday I take my lunch for the entire week in a lunch sack. I bring a bag or two of salad, tomatoes, avocados, dressing and a bag of frozen precooked chicken I keep in the office fridge/freezer. I assemble my salad each day and I don't have to scramble each morning to figure out what I'm going take for lunch. I also keep a few cans of soup and crackers at the office.

Cleaning:
I hate cleaning, who doesn't? My house is not spotless or well organized. We have busy lives and I do the best I can. But I like the house to look at least half way decent. I've discovered it's easier to clean as I go rather than doing it all on Saturday. I keep a small refillable spray bottle full of Windex Multipurpose cleaner. Each morning when I'm done in the bathroom I spray down the counter and sink and wipe it down with the washcloth I used earlier then throw it in the hamper. I also keep a bottle in the kitchen. Speaking of the kitchen, if there are dishes in the sink I will wash whatever I have time to do before I leave for work and finish up later. Every little bit helps.

Email:
Some experts say only check email twice a day, morning and afternoon. That doesn't work for me. Email is my primary communication. However, things that can wait but do need to be addressed I mark with a red star (depending on your email program) or mark as "unread".  Stop saving those emails that you won't use within the next two weeks: Offers, updates, etc. Experts will also tell you to save emails you want to read for a later date. I find if I haven't read it within two weeks, I'm probably not going to.

These are just four areas of our lives, there are many many more, but this is a good start.