You have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. Your son has soccer practice three days this week. Company is coming this weekend and you haven’t finished painting the den. There is always grocery shopping, cleaning and work. You would like to find time to sew. How in the world do you get everything done.?
Plan your week in 4 steps. It may take time in the beginning but you will get more done each week. What a great feeling knowing nothing important is missed. Plus you are on your way to getting your projects done.
Every week find an hour to sit down and plan your week. You may feel that you don’t have an hour to just sit and plan. But it will save you so much time in the long run.
TO-DO LISTS
- Get your to-do lists together.
- Make a list of all you want and need to do the following week.
- Plot out how much time you think each item on your list will take.
- Add 15 min. to each item to account for interruptions, delays or emergencies.
DOWNTIME
- Plan 30 to 40% of downtime, to do the things you like to do.
- read a book
- work on a sewing project
- spend time with family and friends
- whatever you enjoy doing
EXERCISE
- Plan time for exercise or a physical activity of some sort each day. Much easier to get what you need to get done if you are in shape.
Total up all your time. If your total is more time than you have available, you need to start reducing your list.
WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR TO-DO LIST
- Determine what is non-negotiable, such as doctor appointments, kids practice or paying a bill that is due.
- Decide if there is anything you can push into next week.
- Find things you can reduce the size of in order to shave off minutes.
Say you sew. You plan on sewing an entire outfit next week. After going over the time you have available next week. You find you don’t have much time available to sew. How do you find time to complete your outfit.
- When do you need the completed outfit? Can you move it to next week?
- How about breaking the project into several steps? If it’s a dress, you could complete the bodice this week. Finish the skirt next week. Put the whole thing together the following week.
You’ve completed your list. Moved tasks to the following week. Broke projects down to a manageable size. Next step is to block time on your calendar.
BLOCKS OF TIME
Are you a morning person? Do you try to get up and get your day going around 6 AM? Do you sometimes fail and for whatever reason, don’t get up and going until around 7 AM? Perhaps you couldn’t fall asleep until late. Maybe you woke up in the middle of the night. You didn’t get back to sleep for a couple of hours. Whatever the reason you ended up sleeping a bit later.
Reduce your frustration and start your calendar day at 7 AM and end it at say 9 PM. 9 PM for the same reason as 7 AM, it gives you leeway. Perhaps you like to read before you go to sleep. Plan it from 8:30 to 9 pm. If you fall asleep at 9 pm, you have completed your goal of reading before bed. If you stay awake a bit longer, read more even more of your book and be that much further ahead.
- Fill in Your Calendar
- Fill in the blocks of time that are firm.
- appointments plus commute time, 15 minutes added for possible delays
- work plus commute time to and from, 15 minutes added going to and coming home
- aerobics class plus commute time, 15 minutes added never know you may stop and talk to one of your workout buddies
- Mornings
- Block out time to get ready for work.
- showering
- breakfast
- dressing and makeup
- feeding the pets
Anything you can do the night before will speed up your morning.
Evenings
In the afternoon and evening, I set aside a block of time for fixing dinner and cleaning up, putting in my work for the day and getting ready for the next day.
Remainder of Day
The rest of the day block out time for other tasks, exercising and social activities.
Summertime
In the summertime, schedule inside activities in the early evening while it is still hot outside, such as sewing. It is also a good time to go to the gym and lift weights or attend an aerobics class.
As the evening cools down a bit, go outside and work in your yard or play with your kids.
Wintertime
In the wintertime, flop that around. In the early evening work outside, cleaning up the garden, winterize the pipes or even taking a walk. When it gets colder, head indoors and do indoor activities.
LESS STRESS
One of the most enjoyable things about planning your time is knowing you’re getting done what needs to be done. Part of the planning process is knowing what is coming up and being prepared, That way you are able to enjoy activities, events or do other things without worrying that you are missing something.
Try planning your time next week and let me know how it works for you.
