Today, June, 1st, I (Rachel of Rosey's) turn 30! I am filled with excitement as well as the dread that comes along with putting a 3 in front of your age for the next few years. In honor of my 30th birthday, I decided to detail 30 ways to manage your time. Below are some quick tips. Enjoy the first day of June. I know I will!
1.
Write it down. Making a master list of everything you need to do will de-clutter your mind and reduce your stress level. Each day, move a few of these items to your daily to-do list.
2.
Keep a running list of errands to do. Group them together by location and do everything at once.
3.
Delegate! Taking the time to teach someone else to complete a task for you will ultimately free up your time for more important things. For one week, analyze each thing you must do and ask yourself, Am I the person who must do this or should I find someone else to do it.
4.
Prioritize, Prioritize! It is better to accomplish three very important projects in a day than it is to finish 20 low priority tasks. Think about this as you plan your days.
5.
Keep a reading file. Place in it, letters, memos, reports, newspaper articles (cut out from the paper), magazine articles (removed from the magazine), etc. When you are stuck in traffic or sitting in a doctor's office, pull out your file and read something meaningful to pass the time.
6.
Do like tasks together. Make all your phone calls together. Run all your errands during lunch hour one day per week. Write thank you cards to customers once a week. Have a daily, 15-minute meeting with your assistant.
7.
Reduce interruptions. Have everyone in the company learn and use these time-saving tips. Some businesspeople put a flag on their door or their cubicle when they are not to be interrupted.
8.
Get organized! You can save an hour per day by de-cluttering and organizing your desk, your files and your paperwork.
9.
Keep or delete? If you use something every day leave it in your desk; if you use something once a week, you should be able to reach it from your chair; if you use something once a month keep it in your office or work area. If you use something less than once a month, keep it elsewhere.
10.
Keep your office supplies in one drawer. Keep only the supplies you use frequently in your desk. Do you really need 25 pens and 15 packages of salt
11.
Keep a file of quick tasks – catalogs to review, short articles to read, forms to sign – and take care of them while you wait for something to print or a meeting to begin.
12.
Sort through large paper piles efficiently. Sort them: priority mail, junk mail, magazines, bills, etc. before acting on any of it.
13.
Deal with paper as you receive it. On an everyday basis, go through your mail, in-box, e-mail, etc. and sort into the following files: trash/delete, to do, to file, to read and to
delegate/refer.
14.
Establish a place just for paperwork. Keep it accessible and free of clutter.
15.
Make a holding file. Use it to store information when you are awaiting follow- up from someone. If you need to follow-up with someone, mark the followup date and name in your calendar with an (H) after it.
16.
Schedule a certain amount of time everyday. To keep up with your ever-growing paper piles, set a time each day, without interruptions, to process.
17.
Use a master list. Get rid of those small slips of paper and sticky notes that accumulate on your desk, in your car, on your computer, and add all information to your master list. Review it daily.
18.
Utilize lists. Keep running lists in your planner or in a notebook of the following: gift ideas, i.d. numbers, books to read, clothing needs, web sites to review, general ideas, etc.
19.
Start each file heading with a noun. E.g., not "house insurance" but "insurance - house."
20.
Think about where you would look to find a certain piece of paper. That should be its file heading
21.
Keep any current project or work in progress in your standing vertical file. Out of sight many times means out of mind.
22.
Treat your computer files (especially e-mails) like paper files. Delete if possible or separate into "folders."
23.
Remember this rule: The important part is not how you file but being able to find what you want when you want it.
24.
Take some time out on Sunday. Make sure everyone in the family has five clean, pressed outfits for the week ahead. This will save many headaches during the week.
25.
Make a menu once a week. Then make a grocery list and go through your coupons. Go to the grocery store at an off-peak hour.
26.
Make each family member responsible. Have everyone put away their own clothes and belongings each night. Even a toddler can throw clothing in a hamper and help clean up toys.
27.
Store items where they will be used. Keep one extra set of sheets in each bedroom. Buy a pair of scissors for each room.
28.
Make a bill paying center. Buy a clean plastic shoe box and place in it your checkbook, a pen, address stamper, envelopes and stamps. Throw in bills as they arrive.
29.
Buy a small hook today. Screw it into the wall next to your door at home. Always place your keys on it when entering.
30.
Don't be afraid to get rid of things. If you don't love it or it's not useful on a regular basis, why keep it?
In Tuesay's New York Times there was an article on the new Organize Magazine that I have talked about recently. It is such an interesting article as it touches on Organize Magazine as an "independent" magazine and what goes along with it. I mean, I didn't know that 60 percent of new independent magazines fail after their first year, while only 16 percent to 18 percent survive four years.
