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Using Small Bits of Time Effectively
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Using Small Bits of Time Effectively
by Ronda Asta - rondaquilts@bellsouth.net
Description: Tips for organizing your time for maximum effectiveness.
Saving money little by little eventually leads to having a
good amount
saved. Step by step, week after week it begins to add up. We can
do the
same things with our time. When we use those small spaces of time
to our
advantage, little by little we can soon look back and see we've
gotten
some things accomplished without too much effort. This month I'm
going
to research my vast library of books on this subject and provide
you with
some ways to do just that. Get things done with the time we
usually let
slide by unproductively.
With an extra five minutes you can: - Make that appointment
you've been
meaning to get around to - Drop a note card to a friend you've
meant to
contact - Water the plants - File your nails.
Double the time and see what you can accomplish - ten minutes
- Sort
your mail (don't forget to toss that junk mail without reading it
- it
saves time down the road) - Dust a room - Pick out a card from
the collection
you have sorted and organized at home from those you bought on
sale. I
pick up cards once in awhile I know I can use later and have them
filed
in plain manila folders labeled by category: birthday, sympathy,
wedding/anniversary;
get well, friendship etc. - Make a to do list of things you want
to get
done is larger time segments - Plan a weekly dinner menu - Write
out your
grocery list - Sort through your coupons.
Thirty minutes used effectively - Organize your dresser
drawers - Sort
through backed up reading material and pull out the pages you
really want
to read and toss the rest. What a difference when that big pile
disappears,
but want you want to read is still there for another 30 minutes
free.
With today's portable phones you can do two things at once.
While you're
talking you can - Iron while making plans with a friend - Catch
up on next
weeks meeting agenda while loading the dishwasher - Sort and
throw in a
load of clothes or fold some fresh from the drier - Wipe down the
kitchen
counter.
Just sitting and watching TV sometimes make me feel
unproductive (though
sometimes we need to do nothing but veg in front of that TV).
Here are
some suggestions for while your sitting there - Shell and chop
fresh nuts
for baking and freezing - Sort thought those pictures you've been
wanting
to organize - Work on a craft project - my favorite is cross
stitching
(yes I can't always see the picture while I'm focusing on my work
but I
can still follow the story with just the words).
These are just a few ideas to get you started. One idea
usually leads
to another and another. Now consider what you might do with those
few extra
minutes you have before its time to dash out the e-mail box every Friday for
an
appointment
or work.
Reprinted with permission.
Related articles:
Evaluating My Schedule
Managing Multiple Priorities
Procrastination Pointers
