It Takes Time to Make Time – Tip #1

Business owners have long heard it takes money to make money.  The thought being you have to invest in your business to get ahead.  The same rings true for our time.  It truly takes time to make time.  You have to be willing to invest a little up front to get more out of your time.  Time management has always been a hard pill for most to swallow.  How can you manage something that isn’t tangible?    I look at it more along the lines of there are portions of the day when I wish the time would slow down (late for pick up at school and I am begging the clock not to tick away) or when it seems to go by so slowly (when I arrive early for pick up without something to read or do).  How can we manage ourselves to make sure our time is used wisely?

My next few posts will deal with how to take time to make time.  These aren’t time management tips per se but more organizing ideas will help you to find more time in the long run.

Tip #1  Clean Out Your Closet

We all know, fashion diva or not, what it is like to be in a hurry to get dressed.  It seems like when you are pressed for time nothing looks good, fits or is clean!  Mornings are hard enough, and it seems as though the minutes we have in the morning tick more like seconds.  Having your closet organized can be a great way to find more time in your day.  If you take the time to sort out your clothes, purge what you no longer wear (or fit into) and group the clothes you have left into categories, you will:

• Easily find what you are looking for
• Have clothes that fit and look good ready to put together
• Know what you have and what you need

Who doesn’t want to look good when they walk out the door?  Getting dressed should not occupy that much time in our day, but if you have ever stood in front of your closet and thought, “I have nothing to wear”, you know how fast time can be sucked away.  For ease and convenience, it is important to find clothes that are easy to mix and match.  Think staples and uniforms.

• Choose bottoms and tops that can easily be put together to create a whole new look.  Beware of the hard to match tops and bottoms…you wind up with lots of unworn clothing.
• Choose what you like to wear.  You will always have “go-to” outfits that will be quick and easy to throw on.  These become a “uniform” of sorts.   A child who wears a uniform to school doesn’t have to think before they get dressed!  Why do you think they still exist in schools? – ease and convenience.
• Choose clothing that fits.  Tailor items which almost fit, but need a little adjustment.  If the clothes don’t fit, you won’t wear them!

I also want to include accessories in this tip.  A boring white shirt can be brought back to life with a fabulous necklace.  A plain black dress can look different if you wear different accessories with it every time.  Shoes can transform an outfit from OK to WOW in no time flat.  (no shoe pun intended!)  The same as organizing your clothes, organize your accessories and shoes.  The easier it is to see what you have, the more likely you will wear it.

For more ideas of organizing your closet and accessories check out my other posts:

http://afreshstartblog.wordpress.com/category/closet-organizing/

http://afreshstartblog.wordpress.com/category/jewelry-organizing/

Organizing your closet will free up many minutes on a daily basis.  A little hard work upfront will go a long way.  But remember it is an on going process.  A closet is a boundary.  You must limit what goes in.  The one-in-one-out rule is very important to remember when shopping!

I want you all to know that every tip given here is not the only solution to an organizing dilemma.  They are suggestions to help you get started on a path to organization.  No two people are alike and no two spaces are alike.  If you have tried something I have suggested and it doesn’t seem to be a good fit, write a comment and I will try to offer another solution.  By all means, I want you all to have the Fresh Start feeling that organizing gives you.  I am here to help!

Homework Haven – Organizing Your Homework Station

OK, I can’t really say I understand why teachers give so much homework.  I don’t see why children are in school all day long and then are given 2 hours of homework a night.  I guess this is all in preparation for the real world when we take work home with us and are attached to our PDA’s.  None-the-less, I still detest homework, just like I did when I was in school.  Maybe it is my own memories of hours of homework that just make me cringe when I sit my kids down to do theirs.

I have to be honest.  My oldest son will be entering 5th grade and the school he attends starts homework at this grade level.  I know, don’t hate me, but I am freaking out!  My son hated doing his easy reading homework the past two years and his occasional book report threw him over the edge.  This year I am going to be aimed and ready for battling helping him.

First and foremost, I know a good study area is important to keeping the focus on the work assigned.  You may be thinking, she is just starting homework with her son, so what does she know…long story short, we have moved numerous times and we have attended schools that assigned heaps of homework.  His kindergarten had 12 worksheets a week with coloring on each page, enough to send a 5 year old into tears.  I have talked with my son to find where he thinks studying will be best.  He has chosen his room at his desk.  I asked him because I value his input and want him to take ownership in his work.  Whether you have a desk in your child’s room, a place a the kitchen table, a place in the family room or a desk set aside in your office, a space designated for homework is key.  (Hey, I did well laying on my bed, although my wrist suffered from the numerous leaning sessions!)

Once you have found the best location for homework to take place, make sure it is free of clutter and distractions.  Don’t have piles of papers on the kitchen table and expect your child to have great focus.  Also, if working in a room, make sure the toys are kept away from the study area.  Kids will be distracted easily and you can’t expect them to want to do homework when they are surrounded by things they would rather be doing!

After you have cleared the space, stock your study area with the tools they need to get the job done.  Don’t have all your school supplies away from the area, or they will have to get up to get what they need and will lose focus.  If they will need a ruler for homework, keep one in arms reach.  Do they need additional paper, pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, glue, or calculators? When setting up their work area, keep these in stock.  If your child will work in a transitional area (kitchen table) then keep these supplies in a caddy or box so they can bring it with them to work and put it away when they are finished.

Finding the best time to get the homework done is a must in getting the job done efficiently.  If you wait until 8 pm to get started, the kids will be tired and it will be hard for them to focus.  I have found that if you get them right when they get home, they are still in school mode and you can reward them with play time.  This works for me, but may not work for you.  Have your children help decide what is the best time for them to get it done, because if they have ownership in the decision, they will have ownership in the results.  Take into consideration practice schedules and when their neighborhood friends are playing.  If their friends are outside playing while they are working, you will never get your child to focus on their work.  Talk to the neighborhood moms to see if they have a set schedule for homework.

Finally, make sure the area they are work in is comfortable.  Would you want to sit on a hard chair for two hours?  Also, don’t forget they need adequate lighting.  How would you want to be working?  Make sure they are well fed for the energy they need to accomplish their work.  A cranky, hungry child will take longer to get the job done!

I still wish there was no homework assigned, but since I will not have my wish granted this year, I am going to have a great attitude with my child.  I am determined to make it as great an experience as I can so he will not go in with a bad attitude (OK, the bad attitude will be there, but I will try and curb it as best as possible!).