Easy Organization & Time Management Skills
It’s much easier to organize your household, household chores and your life than you think. Making just a few small changes in your daily routine can make a difference in your life
Here are a few tips to help.
First of all, try to delegate when you can. Time is money, and sometimes it just makes better sense to hire someone to do the chores you (or, your spouse) don’t like to do. Hire a gardener and/or someone to clean your house if you can afford it. Neighborhood kids can be great to handle mowing the lawns and other simple gardening chores. Plus they’ll appreciate the extra money they make. Order your stamps by mail…have the newspaper delivered…check to see if you can get your dry cleaning picked up and delivered (perhaps at the office so someone is always there for easier drop off/pick up.) Split errands with a co-worker or neighbor. Give the kids some chores to do – it’s up to you and your spouse to decide if they should get paid for doing these chores.
Plan your weekly menus around your shopping list, and, the weekly specials at your nearby grocery stores. Remember, it usually doesn’t make sense to drive all over town to save a few cents on a couple of items. (I used to do that all the time.) However, if you work near, or drive by a store, with great specials, it’s worth a stop to occasionally pick up some items on sale.
Try to shop for groceries only once a week. When I worked in an office full time, I would find an early or late lunch would be a slow time at the grocery store and I could do my shopping pretty quickly. (Remember, when it’s hot, you’ll need a way to keep cold foods cold.) Keep a list on your refrigerator and add to it when you run out of items; take this list with you when you go grocery shopping. Keep a well-stocked pantry so you don’t have to run out for one or two items all the time. Stock up on basic items when they’re on sale to save time and money.
Program important phone numbers in your cell phone and set up the speed dial. If you need to check to see if that prescription is ready, you can easily call the drug store before you drive over there. If it’s “pizza night” you’ll have the phone number at your fingertips and you can order it and pick it up on your way home. (or, better yet, have it delivered, hopefully, for free.)
Create a “home information” binder. I actually have two – the one a friend set up for me when I moved into my first house – with a separate plastic page insert to hold each major appliance’s warranty and repair information. It stayed with the house when it was sold and I started another one for the home I’m in now. The second binder holds the additional information I need about vets and mis’c. data on my pets, the CCR’s and monthly newsletter from my homeowner’s association, and a list of neighbors and their contact information. If you have children, you may want an additional binder to keep information on their schools, and other pertinent data.
Take a little time to set up a good filing system for your paperwork. I love the one the lady who is an organizer by trade did for me. Instead of keeping folders for the water company, the utility company, bank statements, etc., she had me set up 12 folders, one for each month. Into each folder goes every bill when paid, and anything that pertains to that specific month. I added one extra folder for mis’c. items that I needed to keep track of (Ssh – please don’t let Jacqueline know this.) It’s many less folders and it’s very easy to look something up. At the end of the year, they get filed away and another set of 12 folders gets set up. I’ve been using it very successfully for about three years now.
At the time we set this up, I was self-employed so she had me split bills into four files folders, 1 per week so I could pay them weekly as money came in. If I didn’t have enough income one, week, some bills would get moved forward a week. Now I have them set up in two payment folders but because I am self-employed again, I’m thinking of going back to the 4-folder system. Either way, pick two times a month to pay bills, or once a week if you prefer to do it weekly. Keep extra envelopes and stamps nearby so they can be paid very quickly. When you get your bills, toss the extra inserts they always include, circle or highlight the due date and file in the folder at least a week before the payment is due. Once a bill has been paid, write the check number on the bill and file it in the month you pay it. If possible, save money by paying bills online; it’s very safe, quick to do and will save you a little money on postage. (Tip: Don’t pay through your bank’s websites – they charge, so go to the official website of your creditor and pay it there. The payment “arrives” almost immediately so it saves on possible fees for late payments.) You might also consider paying automatically with a credit card; just be sure to pay the cc bill in full every month to avoid paying interest on your card. Balance your checking account(s) monthly and file it in that month’s folder. Set up a file system to hold your receipts, pay stubs, etc. for easier year-end tax planning. This could be a folder for the entire year, or an envelope or file folder for each month
Get a day planner, or a calendar, learn to use it and keep it up faithfully. It’s really a type of “to-do” list and there are many various items out there you can use. I have a day runner and a master “to-do” list in my office. Every day, I transfer the projects I have for that day to my day runner and check them off as I do them. I have two calendars in my planner – an annual monthly calendar where I write down future appointments. At the end of every month, I move the upcoming appointments to the proper dates. Since I’m a salesperson, I also track my mileage each day and total it up at the end of the month. I also keep track of all the expenses I need to turn into my companies for reimbursement and what I need for my year-end taxes. I use a three-hole envelope for each month – the receipts go inside and the amounts get listed on the outside form. You can see a large variety of forms and calendars at any office supply (or big box) store.)
If it’s legal in your state, use a hands-free headset to make some calls while you’re driving in traffic (Tip: Please refrain from doing this in inclement weather or in heavy traffic and tough driving conditions.) If you have a long commute, you can use this time to make phone calls, check your voice mail, etc
You can also use a tape recorder to leave messages to yourself regarding chores you need to do, items you need to deliver or pick up, etc. (Tip: I actually use my cell phone to call my voice mail and leave message on things I need to do instead of a recorder)
Consider getting a GPS for your car. It will save you from having to spend time on the computer getting and printing out directions to your destinations and save you the time and frustration from getting lost. If your model car doesn’t have this option, you can also get them on PDA’s.
Organize your email. I was going crazy trying to find emails for various topics and the different companies I work for and the freelance projects I do on my own. So, I created several folders and organized them in my email by letter – A, then the first file I wanted, etc (Tip: Do this to avoid, the automatic alphabetization by your email system) and then I further refined it. (IE: For one of my sales jobs, I have AJR – rec’d from corporate, AJR – sent to corporate, sent to clients, rec’d. from clients. That allows me to quickly locate a post I either sent or received from my boss, and, just as easily located an email sent to a client/customer.)
Put your car on a routine. Depending on your mileage you’ll need to set up regular oil changes – I need to do this monthly because of my sales jobs and very high mileage every month. Then, try to stop and get gas on a regular basis and schedule a car wash (maybe free with that fill-up) or have a neighborhood teen-ager take care of this for you. Remember to schedule tune-ups, brake jobs and the major repairs once or twice a year or as needed. Doing these things will help keep your vehicle running well, and will ensure your car is always ready for a trip.
Try some of these things and see how simpler your life can be by using some simple routines daily, weekly or monthly.
