Where does all the time go? Many would argue there isn’t enough time in the day to squeeze in everything they need to accomplish. Words such as “busy” and “no time” slip out as easily as “please” and “thank you.” It is an inarguable fact that there are only twenty-four hours in the day. What you do with those hours makes all the difference. With a few simple techniques, you can rediscover the days when you had all the time in the world.

Prioritize

Many of us have become master jugglers. We throw parties, climb the corporate ladder, arrange for playdates, vacuum out the car, and powerwash the house. A lot of these tasks overlap or require our attention virtually simultaneously. Is it really necessary for our children to be active every minute of the day? Does it matter if the backseat has crushed pretzels on the floor? Do you truly have to cook a six-course meal for thirty people? The answer in most cases is “no.” Setting priorities will clear your plate and help you see the light. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What would happen if I did not do X,Y,Z today?
• Which project is most important to me/my family/my boss?
• Which items can I scratch off my list altogether?
• How many projects can I comfortably handle at one time?

View your life like a china plate. How many things can you juggle at once? When do you start to see fissures in the surface of your china plate? If you have too many things on your plate, chances are you’re ineffective in at least one area. What can you avoid? You can eliminate competing priorities by effectively managing your schedule.

Grab a Calendar

Visualize your to-do list. Better yet, write all the tasks you must handle in one day on a wall calendar. Purchase one large enough to record your daily activities. If you can’t find one big enough, that’s telling you something right there. You are most likely overstretching yourself. In that case, brainstorm what you think you must do today on a sheet of paper. Ask yourself the questions listed above to reprioritze your day. Then move to the next step.

Getting a visual of your tasks helps you gain a sense of how your time must be divided. Determine how much time you require for each task. Be realistic. Cleaning the entire house will take more than twenty minutes, for instance. Record things such as library book due dates, vet appointments, and doctors’ visits. Keep the calendar in a conspicuous place.

Take Five

Studies have shown that napping regularly leads to a more productive workforce. According to Bill and Camille Anthony, co-authors of The Art of Napping at the Workplace, more than fifty percent of Americans are sleep-deprived. In fact, the second highest cause of automobile accidents in the United States is sleepiness. Scheduling down time throughout the week is an effective use of time. Your periods of wakefulness will be filled with productivity.

Designate Days For Routine Tasks

Repetitive tasks such as grocery shopping or picking up the dry-cleaning should be scheduled on particular days. That way you are clear what you need to do when, and it eliminates unnecessary scrambling. For instance, designate one or two days per week as your grocery shopping day. Cull your recipes for ingredients you require, then make a shopping list during the week. Stick to the list when you get to the store. The fewer extraneous items you purchase, the more money you save. Never shop when you’re hungry, too. Otherwise, that extra bag of potato chips may find its way into your cart after all!

Pick one day for your miscellaneous errands. Try to lump your activities together to save on gas. If your dry cleaner’s is next to the library, return your library books the same day you pick up the dry cleaning. Refer to your calendar to see when your library books are due.

Bookkeeping Tips

How many hours have you spent searching for important documents you just knew were lying next to the phone or on your desk? Create a folder system for your official documents and recurring bills. Mark each color-coded folder with a clear heading. For example, place all bills in blue-colored folders. You should have one each for your electric, phone, and heating bills.

Tax time can be a particularly stressful time of year. To head off last-minute scrambling, create a folder called “taxes.” Include the year. Place inside any tax-related documents such as business receipts, bills of sale, charity donations made throughout the year, etc. To prevent receipts from getting lost, carry a zippered plastic bag in your briefcase or purse. Whenever you make a business-related purchase, place the receipt in the bag. Occasionally empty the contents of the bag in your tax folder. It is best to highlight your tax-related purchases on your credit card statements as you receive them, instead of waiting until April. Chances are you will make fewer mistakes.

Affordable software such as Quicken can help you manage your finances. It acts like a carbon copy of your bank accounts and helps you track where and how much you spend. The downside is it requires that you keep meticulous records of your purchases and deposits. This option is best for detail-oriented people with a love for numbers.

Consider online banking. You can pay your monthly bills at the click of a mouse or even set up automatic transfers for hassle-free payment. No stamps, no quick trips to the post office, and no envelope licking!

Design Your Entranceway to Meet Your Needs

The best place to start with your new time management plan is your foyer. Imagine the time you will save by placing a key hook next to the front door. No more searching for your car keys before that important meeting. Hang a bulletin board with event reminders and a mailrack for those thank-you notes you want to mail to your relatives.

Place a shoe rack in the entrance way for easy access to whichever pair you want to wear. The same applies to a coat rack or closet. Put a few wicker baskets on a nearby table to act as a catch-all for hats, scarves, and gloves.

A little organization can help you squeeze hours out of the many minutes wasted looking for misplaced items.

Measure Your Success

It can be overwhelming to develop a time management regime, especially if you are not used to it. Maintaining a success sheet will give you a sense of accomplishment and boost your self-esteem. Placing all the accomplished goals in one place serves as a reminder of what you have achieved in a set time.

Use an Excel spreadsheet format or hand-written grid. Note all the things on your list that you have completed. Transfer the incomplete items to the next day’s tasks. At the end of the week, tally up what you have finished. Celebrate your success!