Is your “To Do” list overwhelming? Mine often is! Some days are just jam packed or special events crowd their way into my schedule. Those are the days I am so grateful I stumbled on this amazing time management tool!
If you are the kind of person who likes printable, well, here ya go!, but one of the things I love best about this approach to time management is that it doesn’t take a lot of time! In fact, where ever I am in my day I can stop and quickly organize everything I have left to do at any point and with only a few minutes. All you need is to list the hours (in whatever increments you like– half hour, 15 min) in reverse order down the side of a sheet of paper. I do, however, keep a supply of these in THE BINDER, just ’cause I like ’em ;-).
Then fill in any place to you have to be, such as soccer practice at 5:30. When do you need to leave? 5:00? 5:15? Write that down too. Figure out what MUST be done for you to walk out the door on time. Wash a jersey? How long will that take? Schedule that in with enough time to accomplish the task. Do you want dinner in the crock pot by noon or will you make sandwiches at 4:30? I use the boxes on the edge to make notes of all the things I MUST get done versus things I want to do. Then I pencil them into my day by priority.
The sample at the top is from the week before my daughter’s third birthday party. I don’t schedule everyday like this, but that week I made one for each day at the beginning of the week, making sure I made time for everything from cleaning each room to baking to decorating. Boy was I glad I used this tool because otherwise I would never have left myself enough time to run to town for supplies or finish her scrapbook so it could be on display at the big event! When I laid all the work out it was easy to see I wouldn’t have time to make the cookie pops I was on the fence about.
One more word of hard-learned advise, be realistic. If it usually takes you 30 minutes to clean the bathroom don’t schedule for 20. And make sure you leave room for the basics. Making lunch. Eating lunch. That kind of thing :-). Otherwise, enjoy your new, amazing time management tool!
Daddy's Tractor 