View Comments I love it when multiple organizing tips come together.
Here is an enhancement to the 5 Minute File that I mentioned last month…I hope you are all using this one and a recent post on Batching Tasks.
This video gives you a visual on both concepts…..Enjoy!
I have been asked this month to be a part of Janey Barclay’s Professional Organizer Blog Carnival . This carnival is a collection of Blog Posts written by professional organizers. This is a huge honor to be in such esteemed company and for you this is an awesome collection of resources to help you get and stay organized.
This months theme in “Time Management”. 
The Dictionary says that management is…the act or manner of managing; handling, direction, or control.
….yes I have said it out loud. Let the controversy begin….What I do believe is that we can manage, direct, handle or control how we use our “Valuable Time” and how we manage, direct, handle or control how to fill the “Valuable Minutes” in our day.
I am not talking about cookie baking here I am talking “Tasks”….you know the stuff that fills our day and uses up our Valuable Time.
“Batching Tasks “ is quite simple….you take similar tasks that require the same thinking process or have similar activities attached to the tasks and you do them at the same time.
Here are some real life examples of how you can use “Batching Tasks” to increase productivity and save Valuable Time for other activities.
I am sure that there are many more examples but these are the most common, you will certainly find ways to Batch your own tasks as you maneuver through your activity filled days.
I challenge you right now to take 15 minutes to gather up all the bits of paper currently cluttering your desk, floor, chair…etc, and put it aside…together…in a folder…to work on at a time that is more convenient. By convenient I mean when you can take some uninterrupted time to Git-R-Done!
This gathering of the papers does not include client files or projects…they are THE most important things that you are working on right now…the things that you determined in your annual planning add to the bottom line.
I mean the notes, bills, receipts, invoices, and non-urgent mail…now, are you getting my drift! Take it all right now and stuff it in a folder. Go do it…what are you waiting for.
Welcome back…feels good to have that control! 
By doing this one simple task you will save yourself some VALUABLE TIME in the long run, you would be less DISTRACTED by all the unimportant things that are messing up your workspace…the crappy stuff that you really don’t like to do, that really doesn’t get done often enough.
If you did it today it would make you more effective and productive in your Home Office. You would feel in control of all that paper that is laying around. Gosh darn it you would be using basic Time Management and Productivity principles.
I always like to try these new ideas out first before sharing, so at the start of the month I created my own “5 Minute File”. A very plain white folder with a label that reads “5 Minute File”. I gathered all the loose papers that did not relate to important client stuff and filed it away….and totally forget about it…that is not the intention of this file. My first mistake was to file it away in my side desk drawer.
So the tweaking began…I am an out of sight out of mind kinda gal….Yes I am “Visual” I need to see what I have on the go. So the file has now moved from the desk drawer to the table behind my desk with all my current files.
Gathering and creating the folder was just the first part. Getting to the task at hand is another issue. I have scheduled a time slot in my week to tackle the “5 Minute File”, it will be on a day that I am focusing on non client related stuff and I am giving myself a reward for completing this CRAPPY task…because to be honest I would rather do anything else than do this paperwork stuff…so believe me you are not alone. What I do know is that not doing it is not an option. So by batching all these quick 5 Minute Tasks into one session I am using my VALUABLE time more effectively and I am Gittin-R- Done.
I hope this “5 Minute File” works for you as well as it has been working for me.
Why is it that some people accomplish so much and still have free time to play and have fun while others are always struggling to get something done…anything done?
I know why, you also know why.
It all happens so innocently.
• You raise your hand to volunteer one more time…even though you know that you are already overcommitted.
• You sit down in front of the television and get sucked into the vortex of mindless viewing.
• You spend hours with needy clients that drain you of your energy.
• Family members call or drop by unannounced because they know you will be there…of course you will be there…you work from home!
• You answer the telephone every time it rings.
• The sound of the e-mails as they arrive in your inbox are like a beacon to come to the party.
• You start to do some research for an upcoming workshop and you get sucked into the web of the internet, realizing 3 hours later that you had not finished the research that you intended to do.
You are a victim of “Time Hijackers”!
people on clock
Volunteering, TV, Needy Clients, Family Members, telephone, e-mails, the internet…..Blah…Blah…Blah….the list is never ending.
When you allow others to manipulate your time you are allowing someone else to determine what is important for YOU!
What will it take for you to put a STOP to the hijacking of your time…your life?
First you need to be aware that you are letting these people and events take your precious time and then you need to be aware of how you want to spend your valuable time.
Think of your time as money and you have a whole $24.00 each day to spend. After you take away the $7 or $8 for much needed sleep…you are left with a precious $16 to spend on your family, your friends, your business and yourself.
There has never been a more exciting time than the time we are living in right now.
We live in a Time of Choice.
We can choose how to spend our Valuable Time.
We get to choose how we fit people and events into our schedules.
…and believe it or not
We have the POWER to CHOOSE our total experience.
Planning day for 2010 has been a few days in the making. The Skipper is off at sea and the children are at the Grandparents in the country decorating and having a great visit. I am now home alone with my flip-chart, markers, labels and a head full of possibilities.
Now comes the tricky part… taking all my ideas, possibilities and dreams for 2010 and Organizing them into a plan for the New Year. For this to happen I have a system I am going to use to keep me on track and focused. To be honest this focus stuff is why most people say they want to do planning but can’t… you need to stay focused.
I am breaking my next 2 days up into segments where I will focus on 5 key areas of my life… and thanks to James Ray and his book Harminic Wealth… The Secret of Attracting the life you want I have a great template for this first step.
James refers to the 5 pillars of your life as;
I question and challenge myself in all of these areas and how I am showing up in all these areas of my life. During this questioning I use another resource from a mentor of mine. Michael Losier from my hometown of Saint John NB Canada is the How To Expert on the Law Of Attraction. His Contrast through Clarity worksheet is always the basis I use for doing this check-up.
Although I have 2 full days to work on this amazing process I will probably spend the whole month of December tweaking my Vision for 2010.
Tonight after I have all the ideas on paper and out of my head…. sometimes I have so much in there it hurts, I will create a vision… Thanks to Tracey for helping me with this part. I will close my eyes and imagine it is December 31st 2010 and I am reviewing the past year. Savouring all the wonderful moments I have shared with my family, belly laughs I have shared with close friends and recalling the excitement of successes I have enjoyed in my life’s work.
As Stephen Covey says in his second habit, you “Need to begin with the End in Mind”.
As the time nears 10:00 am I am ready to start my planning, I challenge you today to join me and create your own plan for a ROCKIN 2010!
I have to say that with a busy family that is running off to an activity almost every night our biggest stress… or I should say my biggest stress is around grocery shopping, meal planning and getting healthy nutritious food on the table every night. That may seem like a big commitment but I have a plan, sometimes we hit it and sometimes we don’t… however, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.
When the 3 Muskateers were younger this whole part of my life was easier, we weren’t on the go so much and the kids were actually home at mealtime. Now with a teen and pre-teen and one who thinks he is 30 something I have my work cut out for me.
As someone who loves routine and structure I am always looking for tools to help me save time, money and reduce stress. Here is my latest find… a new Meal Planning Tool… oh and the story of how I found it… I love telling stories.
This Tuesday while on twitter and participating in gno (girls night out) I had the pleasure of meeting Dawn from @mealplanningmom. She DM’d me and said ” Treat yourself to a free week of recipes @menufortheweek.com”. I quickly made my way to her website http://www.menufortheweek.com/ to find a solution to the meal issues in my home. I have always worked from a menu so this concept is not new for us but really… I am so bored with our menu’s. Variety is the spice of life and I am looking for variety. Dawn is also sharing time saving money saving secrets. She boasts that the meal plan for a family of 4 will cost on average $12 per meal… I am excited about that alone!
Family Meal Time
My plan for next week is to follow the free meal plan provided and see how that works with our budget, dietary needs (we have a peanut allergy and a dairy allergy.
I hope you all find this site useful and I would love for you to report back on your findings.
Panorama theme by Themocracy
