This final entry in the 2014 Graduation series are practical tips for adjusting to life on the other side of graduation and/or marriage. Having graduated twice and married once, I understand that just getting to your “big day” was a journey in itself. Now a new journey begins, and I hope these tips help you as you transition, be it from school to college, school to work, or “I” to “we.”

1.       Write thank you notes. There’s an ugly lie going around that thank you notes are out of fashion, and it’s exactly that – a lie. I believe it’s because many people mistakenly believe that graduation parties and wedding receptions are their way of thanking their guests for the gifts. Sorry folks, but they aren’t. Parties and receptions are your responsibility as a host for the event. Would you attend a 4th of July celebration with no food or entertainment? Just a bunch of people sitting in chairs? Of course not!

I’ve known many people that ignored wedding and baby shower invitations because they didn’t get a thank you note for a graduation or wedding gift, and they were grossly offended – and not all of them were old people, either. Folks, you’re about to learn that the 2 most precious resources in adult life are time and money, and when you send somebody a graduation or wedding invitation, you’re asking them to invest both in you. Be a decent human being. If you had the time to write an invitation, then make the time to write a thank you note to acknowledge that you received and appreciated the gift. Not a text, not a social media post, not an email – a handwritten note. Believe me, it will make a drastic difference in the responses you receive to your next invitations. 

2.       Mind your manners. Simply remembering to say “please” and “thank you” is another way to stand above the crowd and to look smarter, more saavy, and more sophisticated. It’s hard enough for young people to be taken seriously by those of us approaching middle age and beyond that are jaded by reality, but being courteous always gets the right kind of attention. Make the best first impression you can and act like a civilized human being. It’s another way you’ll stand out amongst the rest kicking and screaming to be heard in this crazy world.

3.       Always present your best self. I don’t mean to always dress up like you’re going to a formal event. I do mean you should never go to the gas station or Walmart in pajamas and curlers. As my grandmother used to say, you never know when you’ll run into somebody you know, or worse yet, when somebody will whip out a camera and start clicking (which is more of a threat now that we’re in the days of camera phones), so always look your best when you leave the house. Dress appropriately, keep clean and groomed, and ladies, consider wearing makeup. It doesn’t take that much time or effort, and you can do as much or as little as you like and it always helps.

4.       Read and follow the instructions, 100% of the time. I know I say it all the time, and I will keep saying it until people do it (which will likely be when hell freezes over, so I’ll say it forever). You look smarter. You seem capable and awesome and wonderful when you know what’s going on because you read and followed the instructions. You make fewer mistakes. Life is easier. It’s all good. 

5.       Take your stapler, put it in a dumpster, and never replace it. More places are digitizing files, and there’s no word in the English language to describe the devastating effect a small staple slipped on a paper can do when it runs through a scanner. Catastrophic is too small and mild to describe the damage. Staples are meant for things going into permanent filing that will no longer be used – ever. Considering how rare that is, it means that paper clips and binder clips are better investments than staples.

6.       If you go by your middle name or a nickname, always give your “real” birthname when conducting official business. And ladies, if you’ve had a name change within the past two years, give your maiden and married names. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had trouble remembering people, only for them to hem and haw about how I should know them, and then after 10 minutes say “oh, Bill is my middle name. My actual first name is Bocephus.” Or a woman says “you know, I got married/divorced and changed my name. Does that matter?” As I said, time is a precious resource to adults, and nobody’s got time for “the name game.” Know what version of your name you gave upon initial contact and use it every time.

7.       Put your brain on something for 5 full minutes before you pick up the telephone. People are too fast to jerk up the phone and start dialing, or pecking out an email or text when a question flies through their brain, and it’s gotten a million times worse with smartphones. I know, especially if you just graduated, that you’ve been told there’s no such thing as a stupid question. Well I’m sorry to break it to you, but in the real world there are lots of stupid questions. They’re the ones you ask when the answer is right in front of you. Stop. Take several deep breaths. Count to 20 slowly. Visualize a relaxing scene. Relax your mind. Shut out distractions and think for at least 5 minutes. Read the instructions. If you still have your question, find a way to articulate it accurately and THEN dial or type away.  This is the #1 way to avoid being the person that people say “what a dumb***!” about every time you walk away.

8.       Never mail a check or payment without attaching back up documentation. I can’t believe how many people will drop a check in the mail to a company or agency and not tell them what the payment is for. Computers are good, folks, but we all work with a lot of people and nobody’s memory is good enough to recall every single person they interact with over the course of a day, a week, or a month. Mailing a payment without some sort of payment slip, back up invoice, reference or account number, or something to clearly identify who you are and what you’re paying for is playing roulette with money. At best, they’ll mail it back with a what the heck note. At worst (and more likely), they’ll misapply it and you’ll have a heck of a mess to untangle. Skip this adventure. Always send back up documentation with money.

9.       Admit when your wrong and do what you can to correct things. We all make mistakes – it’s unavoidable. The true test of character is how you handle them. Do you panic and try to hide and cover it up, or do you humbly admit it, do your best to correct it, learn, and move on? It might hurt, but swallowing your pride and learning from mistakes is how you gain trust and respect. And that’s worth more than popularity.

10.   Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Cliques are everywhere and I’m afraid that you didn’t leave stereotypes behind when you graduated. But the thing is, you aren’t required to fall in line with them. Now if being popular and falling in with the in crowd is your thing, that’s well and fine and you should go for it – but if not, there’s nothing wrong with saying heck with it. You’re an adult, so be free to be yourself. Don’t let other people pressure you into things you don’t believe in or want in your life, or into being something you aren’t. Weird isn’t a bad world. Truth is, people are usually more fascinated and admire those that stand alone than the ones that fall right in the mold, whether they admit it or not. So don’t be afraid to be yourself, because it’s what you do best, and all you can really be anyway. In fact, I’d encourage you to spend some time alone on a regular basis to unplug from the pressure of others/society and stay “in touch” with your authentic self.

This is no different in marriage. Marriage is a union of two individuals that complement each other and agree to share their lives together. Yes, you create a new family, but you don’t stop being you – nor should you, because that’s the person your spouse fell in love with. In all you do to support the marriage and your home and family, be sure you have some time to know and take care of yourself and your spiritual needs as well.

In closing, I’d like to congratulate you on your achievements. Graduating and getting married are exciting times, and I encourage you to enjoy this season of celebration. Good luck making the transition to the next stage of life. Godspeed, and best of luck to you in the future.

I hope you enjoyed this series. We’ll get back to my regular fun and shenanagins next entry. Stay tuned – you never know what may pop up in this rabbit hole. See, grads, brides and grooms? Life beyond school and nuptials is still fun and full of adventure!

That’s all. Have a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

The truth is, there are lots of money saving tips out there. Browse Amazon or any ebook or regular bookstore, and you’ll find countless books with advice on how to save money and make it grow. There’s no way I can compete with that, but what I do offer in this entry are practical tips that we’ve applied, and that worked for keeping money in the bank. The key is realizing what you’re paying for, and analyzing if it’s worth it. For example:

1.       Cut back on disposable products. I know a lot of people that like to have fancy, scented hand soaps and lotions in the kitchen and every bathroom. Frankly, I have a problem spending $8 - $10 on something that’s going down the drain. Instead, I bought soap dispensers and buy the large $6 refill container. It’s the same with other things that are doing down the drain or in the trash can, like tissues, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, dishwashing liquid soap, saline solution, laundry detergent, and garbage bags. Why spend a fortune on something that’s designed to clean or get thing out of your house? Unless you have allergy issues with certain products, don’t go big on disposable items.

2.       Cut the land line. We got rid of ours two and a half years ago and never missed it. Why pay 2 phone bills? Plus, we each get a phone, so there’s no waiting for the other person to finish, or worrying about answering machines. Consider whether you really need that land line.

3.       Cut back or cut out satellite and/or cable. This was a bigger moneysaver than losing the landline, and we’re surprised we don’t miss it either. The truth is that you can watch most things online or buy a season of a TV show for cheaper than a month’s satellite bill (you can buy seasons of TV shows in progress through iTunes and access the new episodes the next day). And for the few things we don’t get, friends have helped us with. Check your TV watching habits and consider if you watch enough to spend that kind of money on. And the time you gain from cutting the TV habit is incredible!

4.       Consider services for hobbies you like. For $10, one person can go to the movies once, or your family can watch unlimited movies and TV shows through Netflix. I’ve heard there are similar services for video games and “checking out” ebooks. Look into these and see if they’re cheaper than buying.

5.       Invest in your home. Sometimes, you do save money by spending money. Apple TV has been a great investment for us – it cost $100, but we can stream so much through our TV that it’s worth it. Entertaining at home is cheaper than going out, so consider cooking more meals at home on weekends, DVD or streaming video nights at home instead of the movies, or a game night on the game system or with a Board game instead of tickets or admission prices to venues. Go out less, and you may find that you can afford to do better things when you do decide to go out.

6.       Consider your tech. I know it’s tempting to buy the latest and greatest gadgets when everybody’s flashing them all over the place, but consider whether you really need it. Computers, tablets, and smartphones are expensive, and unless you can trade in or trade up, that can really set you back. What do you really need to take care of your day to day tasks at home and work? Don’t give in to the temptation to buy the latest phone or tablet unless the one you have isn’t working and the “new thing” is something you feel would be a worthy investment in helping with your life. Believe me, a new version is just around the corner, and it will be outdated before you know it.

7.       Streamline your “going.” Gas is expensive, so streamline your going out to make sure a tank gets you as far. Don’t go to 2 stores if there’s 1 that has all you need, and try to do all of your shopping and entertaining in the same area. Staying closer to home can save you big bucks at the pump, which seems to be where more and more of our money is going.

8.       Set up auto payments on your bills. Whether it’s through your bank or directly with each vendor, set up as many of your bills as possible on regular auto payments. This is great for several reasons: you don’t have to worry about your bill or payment being delayed or tampered with in the mail, you have peace of mind knowing that they get paid on time, and you eliminate the possibility of late fees (because if they take it after the agreed upon date, it’s on them and they can’t penalize you for it). Set your reminder app on your phone to show when the payments come out so you can keep your checkbook balanced and your finances in order.

9.       Capitalize on gift giving holidays.  If there’s something that you know you want, ask for money or gift cards for gift giving holidays to buy it. Rick and I got a lot of things for our home this way that we otherwise couldn’t afford to splurge on for ourselves.

10.   Check your debit and credit cards for rewards. The ones with cash back advantages are great, because you can use your points to get things you want, or “cash” them in for money put back in your account. They usually expire, so be sure to keep an eye on them so you don’t lose good money!

No doubt, there are many other (and better) tips for saving money, but this is a blog, not a dissertation. These are a few things we do that keep our account a little fatter and our lives a lot happier. I hope you find some inspiration and ideas in them.

I hope you’re enjoying this mini-blog series. The final entry in the Graduation 2014 series will be General Tips. Look for that next time.  

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.

Bye!

This entry in the 2014 Graduation Blog series is on Time Saving Tips. Saving time really boils down to 2 things: organization, and good time management. If you’re good at these things, it shouldn’t be a problem to find ways to get things done faster and easier. If not, it may take a bit of effort to get into a flow. But it can be done and once you get the hang of it, it’s easier to see ways of getting things done more efficiently.

Here are a few tips to help you get started, whether you’re off to college, off to work, or off to get that new apartment or home set up:

1.       Set your priorities and schedule according to what matters most. There are only so many hours in the day, and endless possibilities on how to spend it. Obviously, work and/or school are first, and those are not multiple choices. But there are countless “distractions” out there and people are always pressuring you to do this or try that. It’s literally impossible to do it all. In fact, the reason why there are many seasons of life is so you have a chance to do more over time – but you can’t do it all at once. Decide what you like best and make that a priority for your free time. Other things can be tried on a “when I have time” or “on the back burner” basis. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day for you to do everything that even you want. You have to make decisions based on what’s in your heart, not on what others would really like for you to do.

As a side note on this; it’s alright to be non-negotiable on one or two things. For example, my Bible reading time and my writing are absolutely not up for negotiation – period. I can be flexible with social time, reading, volunteer work, and even housecleaning, chores and errands, but those two things are not “back burner” eligible. Everybody needs one or two things that are theirs and theirs alone.

2.       Don’t be afraid to say “no.” Believe me, others aren’t afraid to say no to you. If this scares you, get over that. The only way to keep balance in your life is to set acceptable boundaries and stick to them. It may make people mad for a little while, but soon enough they’ll get over it, and they’ll better understand and respect how you spend your time and energy.

3.       Give up things that aren’t working for you. If a certain activity, hobby, club or organization isn’t working out for you the way it used to, don’t be afraid to let it go. Don’t invest in something that isn’t paying off for you in some way, be it spiritually, emotionally, or financially. I’ll tell you how this can be a money saving tip as well in my next blog entry.

4.       Set up an organization system and keep it daily. I’ve often been accused of being excessively (or rather, obsessively) organized, but in reality it doesn’t take that much to make this work. It takes an investment of time, but if you establish a system of organization that works for you and maintain it daily, it’s well worth it. It takes a lot less time to find that bill if you take 2 minutes to file your paperwork at the end of the day, or to find your keys if you take a second to put them in the same place every time you’re done with them. 

5.       Utilize spot cleaning. I’m a master at this. You can spruce up your house in less than an hour with Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bathroom, a feather duster around the house, bleach in the toilets, a broom and Swiffer mop on the floors, and a vacuum in rooms that are used daily. And if you clean up messes as they happen and check around once every other week, it can go faster. I only deep clean my house once every 6-8 weeks. In between, I spot clean as needed. 

6.       Schedule your week. I do an exercise every Sunday that I call “Mapping My Week.” I check my calendar for meetings or other obligations, check around the house for things that need to be done, and come up with a schedule to get things accomplished. I also plan my outfits and the meals I want to cook each day. This can take as little as 5 minutes, and it’s well worth it. Now for those of you who say “that’s anal,” bear in mind that this schedule is flexible. If I schedule cage cleaning for Tuesday and that doesn’t work, then I can switch my Tuesday plans with Wednesday or Thursday. The point is to take time to plan an even distribution for getting things done so the week goes smoother.  And , of course, I schedule “down time” as well. I always have 1 or 2 nights that I leave free for flex time if I get off schedule, or for stuff I enjoy if I don’t need that flex time. This is really effective time management, and with calendar apps on smartphones it’s really easy to keep up with dates, deadlines, and all you need to do. Use those apps and take the time to work with them at least once a week. I learned it my freshman year in college, and it continues to serve me well, even 17 years after graduating.

7.       Take care of your health. Take your medications. You’re awesome, but you aren’t so charming and fabulous that you can go off the meds. Your doctor gave them to you so you can feel good and have a healthy life every day with less illness, so take advantage of modern medicine and pop that pill every day if your doctor told you to. Eat right and exercise. Drink plenty of water. Get enough sleep. Take care of your body, and it will stand a lot better to whatever life may bring.

8.       Take care of your stuff. Keep up maintenance on your home and your car. It’s a lot easier ,less time consuming, and less embarrassing to have a low tire plugged than to find your car with a flat tire when you’re trying to leave work one day. If it doesn’t seem to be working as well as it used to, have it checked out. I learned this the hard way with our dishwasher a few months ago. It wasn’t running like it usually did, but it was the holidays, and we were busy. Rick had just been sick, I got the flu, and our parakeet was ill with what turned out to be a terminal illness.  We were overwhelmed with life and  thought “we’ll look at it later,” until it flooded our kitchen floor one day in late February and we had to order a new one, right when the parakeet’s health took a turn for the worse and we had to have him put to sleep. Putting that dishwasher problem off didn’t save us a thing. In fact caused it to come to a head at a worse time! We would have been better off being put to the trouble sooner rather than later. Don’t wait for it to die before you pay attention to it. It take less time to maintain and troubleshoot than to repair and replace.

9.       Multitask with discernment. Multitasking is a popular thing right now, but it’s not always the best way to get more done in less time. In fact, sometimes it can take longer, or result in mistakes that could have been avoided if you had focused 100% of your attention on that task alone. It’s one thing to clean the house while a load of laundry is running. It’s quite another to try to balance finances and watch television. Know yourself, your responsibilities, and what you do well enough to know what you can multitask and what needs your full attention. Doing it right the first time is always more efficient than having to go back and make corrections later.

10.   Read the instructions, all the way through, all the time, and follow them. Perhaps this should have been first, because it’s the tip people miss the most. Instructions are provided so you can get the most common questions answered and so things can get done correctly and as quickly as possible. Assuming that you’re too smart for that or that you know a better way is stupid. They exist for a reason, and it would behoove you to read and follow them. Plus, since so few people actually do it, you can appear incredibly intelligent when you know the right answer without fiddling, fumbling and farting around trying to guess it because you were too good to read a few paragraphs that said how to do it right the first time.

I hope these tips are helpful to you, whether you’re starting a new chapter of life or just need some advice on how to fine tune the life you have. Maybe you’ve made some of these discoveries yourself, or maybe this will help you fine tune the way you’re doing things. Either way, I hope it’s helpful it streamlining your life and finding ways to do things faster, easier, and more effectively so you can have more free time to enjoy.

I hope you’re enjoying this mini blog series. The next entry will be Money Saving Tips, and the final entry in this series will be General Tips.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

As we enter the 2013 holiday season, I’d like to urge you to be aware of a few things:

1.  Drive carefully. In January, I heard a highway patrolman say that the State of South Carolina averaged 2 fatal car accidents between Thanksgiving 2012 and New Year’s Day 2013. “That was two families we had to call every day to tell them their loved ones were never coming home. It was awful,” he said. I wish you could have heard his voice, because it would have gotten the message through to you loud and clear. When you drive this holiday season, lay aside all distractions and fully focus on operating your vehicle. The text, call, clock, and to-do list can wait. Life isn’t a video game. Dead is dead forever. So please, drive carefully. 

2.  Be patient, and plan more time for everything. Everybody crawls out of their hole, gets in the car, and goes this time of year. It’s more traffic, more crowds, more lines, and more waits. What took 10 minutes in October can very likely take 30 minutes or longer now. You need a pound of patience to get through the holiday rush, and unfortunately most of us don’t have that much. So plan ahead, be practical, and understand that things are going to take longer to get done for the next six weeks. 

3.  With that being said, I also urge you to be mindful of deadlines. Strange but true: the world is still operating and there’s still plenty to be done in the coming weeks. Don’t let deadlines sneak up on you. If you’re have a goal to get something done before the end of the year, get started (you really should have started in early November) and look for deadlines. Remember that this is peak season for many businesses as they close out for the calendar year – it’s not limited to retail. Sit down with your calendar today to make your goals, figure out deadlines, and find out how to get things done without the last minute OMG attacking you right when you don’t need it most. 

4.   Be mindful of your finances and get organized. With so many Christmas presents to buy, it’s easy to lose track of what you’ve bought, how much you’ve spent, and what you’ve missed. After you figure out the deadlines in #3 above, make another list of people you need to buy presents for and take an inventory of what you need to put Christmas on this year. Save that list in your smartphone and update it daily if you must. There are lots of ploys and traps to part you from your money this time of year, so be smart and be aware. Do you really need that giggling penguin with its foot smooshed in a cupcake? Do you really want it? If you think about it a little longer, I’ll bet you’ll actually find it quite disturbing. 

5.  Watch what you eat. By this, I mean that goodies are everywhere. Before you eat something, ask yourself if you’re really hungry. It’s easy to mindlessly munch (especially if you work in an office), and then hit a midday slump or reach for the TUMS without realizing you did your own self in. So be mindful of your noshing in the days ahead.  

6.  Take some breaks. The holidays can be a fun time of year, but it’s easy to get “Christmas overload.” I know you want to enjoy the season and all the fun that you only get once a year, but turning off the holiday carols for a day, foregoing a holiday movie in lieu of a sci-fi movie, or leaving one room undecorated doesn’t make you a Grinch. It makes you a well balanced human being. 

7.    Plan some time to yourself. It’s also easy to get social overload with the constant bombardment of celebrating with family and friends. Yes, it’s good to see everybody, but you also need some time to yourself to rest and restore your balance, and you need to take care of yourself. Again, skipping an event here or a party there doesn’t make you a Grinch. It makes you a savvy entrepreneur of your time. Face it; nobody can do it all during the holiday season. Pick what you like best and do that. The holidays will always come back around, and you can catch a few things you missed next year. 

8.   Realize that how others act is a 100% reflection on them and a 0% reflection on your or anybody else. We naturally deal with more people this time of year, and as such the emotions will flare up. Human beings have a complex yet not really sophisticated array of defense mechanisms to deflect the responsibility of their behavior to others, but the wise among us realize these tricks and know that each is responsible for himself alone. You simply can’t take everything people say or do to heart. I wrote an entire blog entry on this last holiday season called “Don’t Flinch,” and that’s exactly what I remind you to do again. People will certainly, get emotional and have fits of their some variety at some point in the coming weeks. Say no to the drama. Don’t cave into that. As my brother once told me, you don’t have to take other peoples’ problems just because they want you to, and you shouldn’t. Let them keep that crap. Take the higher ground. Stand firm in what you know is right. And Godsake, don’t flinch.  

9.    Be aware of what’s going on around you. It’s easy to get sucked into our own little world with such long to-do lists this time of year. It’s also dangerous. Diversion and inattentiveness are why so many people get attacked and robbed this time of hear. Be aware of your surrounds and the people around you, and take proper precautions to secure yourself and your stuff. It really isn’t as hard as it seems. Just pay attention.

10.  Have fun. I think this is the biggest thing we forget. We keep saying “as soon as I get this done, I’ll relax,” or “as soon as that event/date/get-together is here, I’ll be ok.” Don’t defer your joy. There are things to enjoy in every day, holiday related or not. Find them. Enjoy them. Give thanks for all the blessings you have. And be grateful that we have a fun holiday season in these dark days of approaching winter, because it really gives light to a time of year that would be blah, boring, and depressing otherwise. 

That’s all today. I wish all of you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful weekend. 

Bye!

It was recently suggested that I should occasionally blog about tips and tricks to help people out with their lives. I’ve seen this advice before, but it’s usually geared toward non-fiction writers. Frankly, I didn’t think that my readers would be very interested in this kind of thing, as the purpose of this blog is to show how my reality feeds my writing. But what the heck, I thought. Maybe there’s something I’ve discovered along the way that would be helpful to people.

 One thing I’ve frequently been complimented on is time management skills. I was fortunate to receive good training on this my first semester in college, and now that I’m juggling a full time job and a building writing career, it’s invaluable. So today, I’d like to share some time saver tricks I’ve learned over the years. Hopefully, this will allow you to spend less time doing what must be done and more time doing what you want to do. 

Tip #1 -  Schedule similar tasks together. This is also called “block scheduling,” and it’s the habit that saves me the most time of all. In fact, when done properly, I believe this is what the term “multi-tasking” refers to. Group tasks together that require similar resources to complete. For example, at work I’ll work on Board meeting items, and then I’ll work on outstanding disciplinary issues, because they frequently cross over into Board items. Once I get the paper off my desk, I’ll check email and telephone messages for other items related to this and respond to them before moving on to the next group of tasks. Or at home, I’ll clean bird cages on nights when Rick cooks and I clean the kitchen, because I’ll have all of the cleaning stuff out already, and be ready to sweep the floor and take out one big bag of trash when I get both done.  And doing all of your “going” together (running errands away from home) not only saves you time by visiting every place you need to go in an area, but it saves gas in making one trip to do it all. 

Tip #2 – Map your week. Every Sunday night, I do an exercise I call “mapping my week.” I look at my schedule for the next week and plan what I’ll wear to work each day, what meals I plan to cook on my nights to cook, and when I can do chores, errands, or work on my writing. Some people think this is “anal,” but the truth is that it’s extremely helpful because you avoid unpleasant surprises, like finding out that the shirt you want to wear today is dirty because you wore it to church Sunday and you haven’t done laundry yet this week. Plus, you can work flexibility into your “mapping.” For example, let’s say you schedule laundry for Tuesday and cage cleaning for Wednesday, but find out that garbage pick up is a day early this week. No problem - you can switch your Tuesday and Wednesday chores, and it still works out. Mapping your week isn’t so much about when it gets done as it is about planning how to get it done. It divides things that need your attention over the next 6 days evenly so you can be sure you have what you need to get the tasks done, and prevents you from stressing out or wearing out by week’s end. And by the way: don’t forget to schedule some “down time” in your weekly mapping too.  


Tip #3 – Utilize your lunch hour. It might not seem like much, but that’s 5 hours over a week. I’ve taken my laptop to the office with me to work on my writing, taken my tennis shoes to the office to take my walk around the complex, run errands, and caught up on personal calls and/or emails during those hours – and that’s time I didn’t have to spend doing it before or after work. And when it comes to writing, consider this: on a typical work night, I can get in 2 hours of work without clashing with housework or other chores and/or errands. So taking my laptop to work on 2 days gives me an extra night’s worth of work during the week. That’s one night I can spend with Rick and the birds. So brown bag your lunch and use those 60 minutes to knock some things off the “to do” list. 

Tip #4 – Use your calendar and reminder apps. They don’t call them smart phones because they’re smarter than you – they call them smart phones because they make you look smarter. Even basic cell phones come with a calendar feature, so learn how to use it and put in appointments and events with reminders long enough ahead of time to get a good start on preparing for what you need to do, or to remind you of repeating tasks. And be sure to check these features often. Let technology help you!
 
Tip #5 – Work your assigned hours. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I’ve known people that reasoned that they could take an extra long lunch and work a bit later, or come in on Saturday, or take work home and do it Sunday afternoon. While that might be necessary every once in a while, I’d caution against making it a habit because it turns into a time waster and lends to disorganization. Work loads are supposed to be assigned based on core work hours, so work the hours you’re assigned and you’ll be more productive. Think about it: you aren’t likely to get a response from somebody if you leave them a phone or email message after hours or on the weekend – and what if they “put you on the back burner” and you need quick follow up? Or the system is down because they’re doing maintenance during that time, and it never delivers? Or you need to check with a colleague on something, and you don’t have their cell phone number (and would they answer a work related call on a weekend if you did have it)? Deferring your work has the potential to increase your workload by adding steps. So work your assigned hours and save your personal time for you, your home, and your family. 

Tip #6 – Maintain your health. I know a lot of people that postpone going to the doctor until “their schedule settles,” or won’t get medicine because they’re waiting for payday. This is a dangerous game. Your health is the foundation of everything, and you can’t perform your best if you’re sick or injured. Take care of yourself and make time to go to the doctor. Take your medication every day. If you have trouble paying for it, talk to your doctor about affordable options. If getting by the pharmacy is a pain (as it can be), sign up for a mail order pharmacy that you can order medicine through with a few clicks and have it delivered to your door. Make time to take care of your health. Because without proper self care, you aren’t going to effectively manage anything in life. 

Tip #7 – Don’t skimp on sleep. I know we’ve all pulled “all nighters” or late nights to get things done, but the older you get, the more of a detrimental effect this has on you. It’s not a habit to get into. Map out your week so you can “wind down” in time to rest for at least 30 – 60 minutes before bedtime and get 8 hours of sleep each night. Don’t even try to work every minute of every day. You aren’t as productive if you’re tired and making mistakes, so stop before you wear out. 

Tip #8 – Delegate. I know a lot of people roll their eyes at this, but I’ve learned why leaders do this through months of staff shortages. Nobody can do it all, nor should they try. Utilize other peoples’ talents and engage them in cooperative efforts to keep things going. Let people know what you need before the buck stops with you, and consider “hiring out” on occasion. I know money is tight in this economy, but sometimes time is more valuable than money and it’s worth spending a few dollars to get a helping hand. We occasionally call a lawn service that works for many families in our area to cut our grass when we’ve been sick or overscheduled. I also hired a  graphic artist to do a cover for Move, and asked her if she’s mind being “on call” form me for future self-published projects. Both do great work, are dependable, and are reasonably prices so their services are a true blessing to me when the going gets hectic. 

Tip #9 – Keep at least 1 “quick meal” on hand at your home. We all have those days that are unexpectedly busy, and find the unpleasant surprise that, on top of struggling to 5:00, we have to put a meal on the table. Or how about the email or text from the spouse saying “working late, be home whenever?” This can make fixing dinner a challenge, and make picking up fast food awfully tempting. I suggest keeping at least one or two “quick meals” in your house that you can make with as little time and effort as possible. Heat and serve pizzas are the most obvious solution to this problem, but there are other options like sloppy joes, soups, salads, or those Stouffers meals that you can microwave in 18-20 minutes. And if you know you have a tough day coming up, consider a crock pot meal that you can put in the pot before work and have done when you walk in the door.  

Tip #10 – Keep your house, office, and car organized. This might take a one time investment of time, but it’s well worth it. Digging around to look for things wastes more time that you realize, and you can save precious minutes if you know where to find what you need when you need it. That being said, the level of organization you choose to have is up to you, as long as you can find things quickly and with little effort. Filing cabinets or piles of paper on the floor? Or get rid of the paper and go digital? It’s up to you, as long as you know where it is. 

Tip #11 – Arrange your schedule to line up with your priorities. We all have a tendency to take on too much, and it’s beneficial to take stock of life every now and then to ask what fits and what doesn’t. Sometimes, this may require giving up some things that we like in order to make room for things that we like better or that line up more with our priorities. For example, I had to give up volunteer work at my church when my job because more demanding and my writing started to build and require more time. It wasn’t an easy choice to make, but my life filled up and I couldn’t dedicate the time and attention to it that I had before things changed in these two areas. I also had to limit my cross stitching to small projects during “slower” seasons with my writing, but  I know I’ll have to “shelve” this hobby when Splinter is released in November to make time for the promotional work I’ll need to do. There’s only so much time in a day and we only have so much energy, and sometimes that requires that we make hard decisions. Fortunately, life is ever changing, and there’s always the possibility that a season will come when there’s time for volunteering and cross stitching again. 

I hope these tips are helpful in getting your own time management system established, or perhaps working better than the one you have. Of course, feel free to comment with any other tips that you’ve discovered to save precious minutes in each and every day. 

That’s all today. Have a great week. 

Bye!