Tips on Keeping Track of Your Family’s Schedule

Here are some tips for keeping track of your family's schedule:

1. Use a calendar: Use a physical or digital calendar to keep track of appointments, activities, and other events. You can also use a calendar app on your phone or computer for easy access.

2. Make a to-do list: Create a to-do list for each day or week to help you stay organized and on top of tasks and responsibilities.

3. Set reminders: Set reminders on your phone or computer for important events and deadlines. This can help you stay on track and avoid forgetting important tasks.

4. Communicate with your family: Make sure to communicate with your family members about their schedules and any changes or updates. This can help everyone stay on the same page and avoid conflicts.

5. Plan ahead: Try to plan as far in advance as possible to give you time to prepare and avoid last-minute rushing.

6. Be flexible: Sometimes things come up and schedules change. Try to be flexible and adjust your schedule as needed to accommodate unexpected events.

7. Take breaks: Don't over schedule  yourself or your family. Make sure to allow time for relaxation and rest to avoid feeling overwhelmed. 

20 Positive Tips To Help You Avoid Procrastination

Here are some tips to help you avoid procrastination: 

1. Set clear goals and priorities for the day.

2. Break tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks.

3. Use a planner or calendar to keep track of tasks and deadlines.

4. Set deadlines for tasks, even if they are self-imposed.

5. Eliminate distractions or find a quiet place to work.

6. Use tools like timers and alarms to stay on track.

7. Make a commitment to yourself to start working on a task and set a specific time to do it.

8. Use positive self-talk to motivate yourself to get started.

9. Seek out accountability, such as by telling a friend or family member about your goals.

10. Find ways to make the task more enjoyable, such as by listening to music or finding a fun way to approach the task.

11. Consider the consequences of not completing the task and use that as motivation to get started.

12. Try the "5-minute rule" where you commit to working on a task for just 5 minutes, then reassess and decide whether to continue.

13. Use rewards or incentives to motivate yourself to get started and complete the task.

14. Seek out professional help, such as talking to a therapist or coach, if you have persistent problems with procrastination.

15. Find a role model or mentor who is able to effectively manage their time and ask for advice.

16. Try the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for short bursts of time followed by short breaks.

17. Set achievable goals and celebrate your progress. 

18. Practice mindfulness and focus on the present moment to help reduce avoidance behaviors.

19. Use visualization techniques to imagine yourself successfully completing the task.

20. Remind yourself of the benefits of completing the task and the consequences of not doing so. 

My Organize Your House Planner

I really enjoy writing about home organizing and also my faith. Today I wanted to mention a book that I published a little while ago. My book includes cleaning and organizing tips for the following areas of your home: entryway, kitchen, dining room, living/family room, bedroom, closets, bathroom, laundry room, basement and garage. The book includes helpful motivation for decluttering projects and organizing goals. You can also write your own lists of individualized chores/tasks. This title is available on the Bookemon site or at Amazon. 

Helpful Time Management Tips

Are you an individual who just feels as if you can never catch up?  Do you feel like you can’t get everything that you need to do done?  If so, it is important that you take steps to correct the problem.  Poor time management is often associated with the workplace, but did you know that your personal life can be negatively impacted as well?  It can be.  As for how poor time management can have a negative impact on your personal life, you may be surprised just what it can do.  

For example, if you have a poor sense of time you may find that your relationship with your spouse, family, or friends may suffer.  Those who have a poor sense of time are often stressed, frustrated, and unorganized.  This is likely to put a significant strain on otherwise healthy relationships.

Despite the fact that time management can have a negative impact on your personal life, there is good news.  That good news is that there are ways that you can prevent your poor use of time from becoming too much of a problem.  The biggest way to prevent this from happening involves learning how to make better use of your time.  To help you get started, a number of personal time management tips are outlined below.

An easy way to learn how to make better use of your time involves creating and relying on to do lists.  If you have everyday tasks that have become a part of your routine, like getting your kids ready for school or going to work, you do not necessarily have to include these items on your list.  With that said, other non-daily tasks should be added.  These tasks may include running an errand before work, attending a child’s sporting event, helping your child with an important school project, going for a medical appointment, and so forth.

Learning how to prioritize is another important component of being able to properly manage your time.  It is important to remember that the day and its time is limited.  If you have a family and a fulltime job, you may find it difficult or downright impossible to get everything done.  If that is the case, be sure to prioritize.  You can leave the lesser important tasks, such as dusting your house as opposed to doing laundry for later or the following day.

The use of time management tools is another easy way that you can go about making better use of your time.  There are a number of tools that you can use to your advantage.  A to do list was sited as an example above.  Other tools that you may be able to benefit from the use of include alarm clocks and daily or weekly planners. There are also wonderful time managements apps. Since most time management tools are affordable, already in your home, or free to create, you should use them to your advantage.

One of the many reasons why people end up wasting time is because they are easily distracted.  If you feel this the main source of your time management problem, you will want to determine what your biggest distractions are.  For example, do you spend too much time socializing with coworkers after work or with the neighbors?  If so, you don’t have to completely eliminate this contact, but try to limit it.  The same can be said with television and internet use.

Coordinating Your Busy Family’s Schedule

If you have a busy family that seems to be traveling in different directions constantly, you know how challenging it can be to coordinate everyone’s schedules. Between projects and deadlines at the office, meetings with your children’s teachers, after school activities like soccer practice and troop meetings, not to mention the household chores, it can be a confusing task. 

But if each family member is committed and communicates effectively, the task of creating a combined family schedule is a manageable one for you. The first step is to commit to weekly family meetings. Make it essential that each family member is there so that the schedule can be discussed and organized. This should also double as a great opportunity to schedule quality family time together, so make sure it’s held at a time when everyone is able to attend. 

Next, design a schedule that can be easily accessed by all family members, so that everyone knows where everyone else should be at any given time. This can be done by designing one yourself using materials such as poster board, markers, pushpins and index cards that can be pinned to the schedule, allowing for changes that can occur from week to week. 

It could also be designed on your family computer and saved onto the desktop, so each family member can readily access it and make changes if necessary. Have family members get into the habit of indicating on the schedule specific addresses or contact telephone numbers if the activity is new or changes from week to week. 

Be sure that care providers for your children such as grandparents and babysitters are familiar with your scheduling system and know how to use it. Again, with a commitment from each family member and open lines of communication, the family schedule can be a useful tool for everyone.

Time Management Tips For Success

Are you a person who finds it difficult to stay focused and to stay on task?  Are you regularly late for important events or do you turn in projects or homework after the deadline?  If you do, you may need to improve your time management.  The good news is that there are a number of tips that can help you do so.  A few of these tips are outlined below for your convenience.

One of the first things that you will want to do is create time management goals for yourself.  These goals can be for different things.  For example, you can set a main goal of improving your time management in a specific period of time, like two weeks or a month.  You can also set individual goals for yourself, like arriving to parties, social events, work, or important business meetings on time.  No matter what goals you choose to set for yourself, they are important, as goals work to provide motivation.

Another way to improve your time management is to determine where you have the most problems.  What exactly is it that causes you to waste time?  Chances are you already know.  If not, do a little test.  Walk though a normal day and record what times you get distracted the most and what you are doing at those times.  Do you find yourself wasting time when socializing with friends, using the internet, or watching television?  If so, reduce or completely eliminate those distractions.

It is also important to note that there a number of time management tools available for your use as well.  These tools should not be relied on daily, but they can be used to help you establish a routine.  As for what time management tools you can use, you may be surprised with all of your options.  To do lists, daily planners, and alarm clocks are all great ideas.  Many modern computers and cell phones also come with time management tools, including alarm clocks, calendars, calendar alerts, and so forth.

As previously stated, a to do list is a time management tool that you can benefit from using.  As helpful as a to do list can be, it is important to also prioritize.  You will want to list your items in order of importance.  For example, if your list focuses on tasks to do at home is it more important for you to do laundry, vacuum the house, or wash dishes?  The order of your lists should all depend on importance and urgency.

One of the best ways to properly manage your time is to stay organized.  In fact, poor organization is the leading cause of wasted time.  If you are employed, be sure to keep your office desk clean and clutter free.  When doing so, you are able to stay focused and on task better.  You should be able to get more work done, as you should spend less time searching for misplaced or lost documents.  Organization is not only important in the workplace, but other areas that you frequent, such as your home or your car.

The above mentioned time management tips should be able to help you better manage your time on your own.  With that said, it is important to remember that sometimes help is needed.  The last thing that you want to do is be overloaded, whether it be at work or at home.  If you need to outsource some of your work to a coworker or if you need to hire the services of a professional housecleaner, go ahead and do so.  Once you are caught back up, you can begin to properly manage your time.  As much as we all want to complete our responsibilities on our own, it is important to remember that sometimes help is needed.

By taking the above mentioned points into consideration, you may be able to better improve the use of your time.  There are a number of benefits to having effective time management both at home and at the workplace.

Time Management and Organization

Would you like to improve your time management?  If you find yourself easily distracted, missing important deadlines, or showing up to important events late, improving your time management may be a good idea.  Unfortunately, many individuals do not realize just how much trouble poor time management can cause them.

When it comes to improving time management, many individuals are surprised with all of the options that they have.  One of those options is using time management tools to your advantage.  If this sounds like an approach that you would like to take, please continue reading on.  A number of helpful and successful time management tools that you can benefit from using are outlined below for your convenience.

An alarm clock is a simple, yet effective time management tool that you can and should use.  What is nice about alarm clocks, is that most of us already have them in our homes.  Be sure to set your alarm clock to get up in the morning.  Consider resetting it five minutes before you must walk out to door to work, set it for when you want to start preparing dinner, and so forth.  Although we often associate alarm clocks with getting up in the morning, they can actually be used for so much more.

A task list, also commonly referred to as a to do list, is another time management tool that you can and should use to your advantage.  What nice about task lists is that they are free and easy to do.  All you need is a piece of a paper and pencil.  Outlining everything that you must do for the day is a great way to make sure that you stay focused and on task, which is an important component of managing your time.  If you must, keep separate lists for home and work.

Daily, weekly, and monthly planners are other time management tools that can be used.  The type of planner that you will use will all depend on your own personal preferences.  With that said, many individuals prefer daily planners better, as they often leave more space to create a to do list or at least a spot to write down important dates and times.  If you do use a daily, weekly, or monthly planner, be sure to keep it with you at all times.  

Calendar alert programs are other time management tools that come highly rated and recommended.  Calendar alert programs are so much more than just a traditional wall calendar.  For the most part, these time management alert tools are found on computers and cell phones.  What you will need to do is enter in an important date and time.  When that date and time arrives, you should receive a message on your computer screen or cell phone screen.  Text message and emails may also be sent.  These types of programs are often used to remember birthdays, but they can be used on a wide range of other events, projects, and activities.

Finally, another tool that you will want to consider using is that of a time management training seminar.  In addition to attending a physical class, you may be able to purchase a seminar in video format.  Although some individuals do not consider receiving training a tool, it is an important tool.  There are professionals out there who can share time management tips with you, as well as help you improve your organizational skills.

Listing Your Way To Efficiency

 

Checklists are the greatest way to get organized for any occasion. Most of us make a grocery list before going to the store, why not make a list for everything else in life? The benefits greatly outweigh the time that it may take to make one. The more checklists that you make, the quicker you will get at it. Following are some general ideas for checklists:

Checklist for everyday: Start your mornings by making a list of all the things that you need to accomplish each day. Carry it with you and mark each item off when completed. This will give a great feeling of accomplishment and closure.

Household maintenance: Develop a household maintenance list divided into months. Check the list a few months in advance to see if you need to schedule specific maintenance people to do a job for you. 

Weekly cleaning list: A weekly cleaning list should be developed and hung on the wall for everyone to see. Beside each job include the person's name that is accountable for the job that week. Make sure they mark off the job when completed. 

Car Maintenance checklist: Schedule times when you need to make appointments for an oil change and general car maintenance. 

Developing checklists for your life will go a long way in reducing stress. Having a list will also make it easier to assign tasks to other people in your household. The great thing about these checklists is they can all be stored on your computer and printed out as needed. Or if you prefer, create a special binder for all of your checklists. Once you start making checklists, you will wonder how you ever lived without them.