Multitasking Woes

For a long time the phrase multitasking has had a super hero like stigma.  The more you can do at once, the better, right?  Well it turns out that the more you do simultaneously, the less you actually get done.  That is not to say we should never multitask; it is OK to read while waiting in line or have a quick chat on the phone while you are unloading the dishwasher.   The idea of multitasking to simplify things usually backfires.  Your brain can only function on one activity at a time.  It usually will pause before moving on to the next task.  So if you are jumping between tasks, your brain actually will slow you down!  The best time management tip I can give is to focus and plan your activities.  So how do you do that you ask?  Here are some examples.

1.  Don’t just make a to-do list.  Use your calendar to actually schedule activities to be done at certain times.  Make sure you put the tougher challenges of your day (writing your proposal) at the time you are most productive.  Save things that are easy and quick for times you don’t move as fast (folding laundry).

2.  Slow down.  For those of us who are Type A this can be difficult.  We have a sense of urgency and tend to race the clock.  This only stirs up the stress levels and can eventually slow us down (we get sick, or worse, have major medical ailments).  Take the time to focus on each activity without checking the clock.  Set a timer and turn it away from you.  Take off your watch and remove your clocks.  Just be at one with your work and you will find you will be able to accomplish more with less stress.

3.  Set priorities.  Make a list of all the things you want/need to accomplish.  This is like a to do list, yet can also have more tasks that are larger goals.   If you have a larger task, below it list the tasks that need to be done for it.  From this list, put an A, B or C for each item on the list (or use colored dots, or any visual means that works for you).  For this I will use the A/B/C method.  A – high priority, must be done sooner rather than later.  B – medium priority, things that you have time to accomplish but still must get done.  C – those tasks that can wait or may not need to be done at all.  When you get all this out of your head and into a priority list, you can see how you will be able to accomplish everything.  Also, don’t hesitate to not do something on the list if if is low priority.   Why do something that you don’t enjoy or truly need to do.  Delegate those tasks that you can – even the little ones.  Involve your children, spouse, friends, co-workers and family (just don’t take advantage of this – everyone has a lot on their own plates).

4.  Remember to give yourself breaks.  Give a break in time and in expectation.  Allow breaks from what you are working on to gain more energy.  This doesn’t mean that you take a nap after replying to all your e-mails.  It can be as simple as sitting at your desk a taking a few deep breaths, going for a walk around the office, or folding a load of laundry.  This is not to say you are multitasking, you are taking a break from an activity to gain new perspective.  Your mind will easily come back to the task.  Also giving yourself a break on expectation is essential.  Perfectionism usually leads us to try and do more (or nothing at all if we feel we can’t do it to a certain unattainable level).  Evaluate your expectation of task at hand.   Does it really need to be a Martha Stewart reproduction?  Do your cupcakes need to be hours of work to look perfect, when the kids eating them only care about the flavor?  Who are you really trying to impress?  Your level of expectation may be too high, which means you are doing to much to get the job done.

If we slow down, prioritize and evaluate, our lives can be less complicated.  Less complicated means less stress, and who wouldn’t want that? 

It ain’t easy being green

Or is it?  It seems that “green”  is almost a fashion statement.  Going green is so popular you have to make sure that your efforts truly make an impact on the environment and not help increase profits in the marketplace.  According to NAPO, the Organizing Authority, “Green consumption aims to reduce or eliminate negative environmental effects, providing a more positive impact to the world environmentally, socially, and economically.”  In other words, we need to make wise choices in our purchases and how we discard any unwanted items.   But how does “green” and organizing relate? 

First, organizing helps you know what it is you have so you don’t make duplicate purchases.  Many times people can’t find what they are looking for in their clutter that they spend money purchasing the same item they know they own.  More often than not, they wind up finding what they were looking for.  Now they have two similar items and a smaller wallet.    Duplicate purchases contribute negatively to the environment by the production of and the disposal of yet another item.

Second, scheduling your time and being prepared will help you make wise energy decisions.  Planning out your errands will save gas (see my last post). Being prepared by having your cloth bags in the car when you run your errands will make a significant environmental impact.  Planning when you do laundry so you do it during off peak hours and doing it when you have full loads will also make significant impacts environmentally. Planning and preparation not only helps the environment but also saves your precious time and money!

Third, being organized keeps you more aware of your time and money so you make wise purchases.  If you know how and where your money is spent you are more concious when you spend.  When you are making concious decisions, you are also able to be aware of the environmental impact from your purchases.  When you are organized you are paying your bills on time and saving money (no more late fees).  When you aware of how you spend your money you can see where you can cut back and where you can splurge!

Going paperless for your bills is a fourth way to be organized and environmentally friendly.  If you cut back on the statements and bills that come in and go out you are saving millions of trees.  If you have your bills on a schedule paying on-line can save you time and money (the costs of stamps is rising as fast as gas)!  Also, you can reduce the amount of junk mail that comes in to your home (and the trees that are used for it) by going on to the following websites:

• Catalogues – www.catalogchoice.org/signup
• Junk Mail – www.dmachoice.org/consumerassistance.php
• Credit Card Offers – www.optoutprescreen.com

While organizing you are reducing your clutter, saving money, and saving energy resources, but you also have to be concious of how you dispose of your unwanted/unnecessary items.  Before you discard an item, can you repurpose the item in a different area in the home?  But don’t hold on to an item just in case one day you may use it.  Live in the here and now.  Donate, sell, recycle and discard items appropriately.  There are many items that wind up in our trash that should be recycled, such as old cell phones, computers, paints, and medicines.  Check out your local recycling center for more information on what items they take, you may just be surprised!

For more information on going green check out the following sites:

• www.geenpages.org
• www.earth911.org
• www.thegreenguide.com
• www.worldwatch.org
• www.care2.com

If we all do our part Kermit will one day be singing a new tune, “It is easy being green”!

How can organizing save you gas?

With the prices of gas going up at an unbelievable rate, everyone is feeling their wallets shrinking.  How can organizing save your gas tank?  A benefit to being organized is saving money, which includes saving money at the gas pump!  If you take a moment to really plan out your day and week, you will be able to see how you can eliminate multiple trips.  Also, you will save time by not driving across town multiple times in the week. 

Look to see all the errands and activities that need to be accomplished in the week.  Think about where they are located and group errands that are geographically close to each other.  Grouping these errands on the same day will save time and gas (money!).  In addition, if you need to make cupcakes for the kindergarten class, bring bagels for your morning meeting, or bring an appetizer to a neighborhood party, you will have all these items on your grocery list or errand list and you will be prepared as you schedule your week.  No more last minute trips to the store!

Prepare the night before for the next day’s activities.  Having your deposits for the bank ready, the grocery list filled out, the dry cleaning in a bag, and library books to return set out by the door, in your purse or even better in the car the day before will have you prepared to run your errands more efficiently.  This way, you won’t forget to grab the dry cleaning and have to make an additional trip out!

Also, consider carpooling to as many events as possible.  Set up a carpool with your neighborhood to school, after-school activities, camps, and sports practices.  Even consider carpooling for going out to dinner with your friends and co-workers.  Consider paying for the appetizer in exchange for someone picking you up.  Even consider checking with a friend to see if you can carpool for errands.  Wouldn’t it be more fun to run those errands with a friend!

Now, the best way to save on gas would be to not use your car at all!  Can you walk to school, the coffee shop, dinner?  Can you ride your bike to the bank, the drug store, the library?  Dust off the bike and pump up those tires as you get the added benefit of exercise.  Not only will you save money, you eliminate car emissions and you save money!

One Day at a Time

For most of us, our lives revolve around the clock and calendar.  We have to know where to be and when.  We spend most of our days shuttling from one event to the next.  If it isn’t carpool and after-school activities, it is board meetings and conference calls.  There is no end to scheduling, but there can be an end to letting your schedule control your every move.

Time management is based on how to manage your time.  We all have 24 hours in a day.  Why does it seem some people get so much more done in a day than others?  Why does it seem some people can enjoy their time more than others?  These are questions that we must all look at to make the most of our time spent here on earth. 

First, do not fill up every time slot in your calendar.  If you are always shuttling your kids from place to place or signing up for committees and volunteer work, when do you have time for fun?  Leave blank spaces on everyday of your calendar to make sure you have time for spontaneity. This doesn’t have to be scheduled for the same time every day, just when you see there could be an open area.  This allows you to have a date night with your significant other, take your kids to the park, or even be able to meet a friend for lunch.  With open times in your calendar, you will find the breathing room you need to not feel so overwhelmed with tasks.

Second, figure out your procrastination triggers.  If you are pushing something off on your to-do list for weeks, see if you really need to do it at all or to what level.  Perfectionism and procrastination go hand in hand.  Sometimes you want to do something so well, you put off doing it until you can make it perfect.  Or, you put something off because it is so tedious and boring.  But when you go to actually do it, it has become an overwhelming task (filing is high up there on most people’s procrastination list).  Procrastination wastes so much of your precious time.  Work through your procrastination triggers and you will feel as if you found more time in your day.

Third, delegate as much as possible.  Sometimes you may feel as if you can do a better job than the person you delegated to (your husband may not fold the laundry as well as you do), but if you are always trying to do it all then you will never have free time.  If it is at work or at home, make each task a team effort so you aren’t left carrying the load.

Forth, prioritize and spread out your to do list.  What truly needs to be done now or what can wait (or even be dropped)?.  If you know company is coming next weekend, figure all that needs to be done to prepare, and then pace yourself throughout the week so all the prep work isn’t overwhelming.  But also, see what really needs to be done and what can slide.  Breaking down tasks will help to make tasks less tedious and overwhelming.  Preparation is a huge time saver, so before you just start a task, think it over and then figure out the best approach to the task at hand.

We will never find a 25th hour, nor should we forgo our sleep to get just a few more things done.  Figure out your priorities and get them on your calendar to make sure they are accomplished.  Just don’t forget to allow yourself some breathing room! 

Summer is near!

Now that summer is approaching rapidly, schools are getting out for their long breaks.  This means major schedule changes in a family’s life.  For the most part, we welcome the new relaxed schedule (a break from carpool, lunches, homework), but what to do with the free time your kids have gained?  This is a perfect opportunity to get your kids involved in organizing! 

Teaching children of all ages the value of household responsibilities including chores, property maintenance and organizing gives them the foundation for staying organized and financially savvy in their adult lives.  This allows them to make good decisions on how they want to spend their time to achieve their dreams.  In addition, this allows them to learn how to properly care for their “property” to prolong its life. If a new bike is left in the driveway so a car could back over it, it can be a very expensive mistake.

The value of household responsibilities is not just for girls, but boys too.  Not only will your children’s future roommates and employers thank you, but their spouses as well.  It is often easier to do chores around the house ourselves, and the job may be done better, but having the children be involved in age appropriate chores will benefit the family down the line.  How many teenagers go off to college not knowing how to do their own laundry or even pick up after themselves?  How many children never learn responsibilty if their parents are always doing things for them?  If your child forgot their lunch, that is their responsibility.  If they have to buy lunch at school because of this mistake, make them pay for the purchased lunch.  If a child forgets their homework, do not bring it to them.  Allow them to face the consequences so they learn not to do it the next time.  As an adult, if employees forget their presentation, their mother is not there to run it to them, and they pay dearly for their mistake. 

To start at an early age is the most beneficial way to ingrain this into your child.  But that is not to say that it is too late to teach older teenagers the benefit and value of organizing and household responsibilities.  Better to learn before they are off at school or in the work force than to never have learned it at all.  Set a good example for your children by practicing what you preach.  If you can never find your keys, or miss appointments, your children will think of you as a hypocrite.  If you have organizational challenges, let the children know how this affects your daily life.  Be honest with them and have them help hold you accountable as you hold them accountable.