This year has been rather challenging for me. First, I got a book deal. Then I spent a few months taking care of my grandson. Then life just started exploding with blessings and opportunities that I had to learn to make room for in my life. There are no complaints – I’ve had the most fulfilling year I’ve ever had professionally and personally. But, to make room for all of the wonderful blessings that were brought my way, I had to learn some time management skills in order to make the most of every moment.
In all of that rearranging and time management, I learned the essentials that became 10 ways to declutter your day.
1) Pull the plug on computer time. When I began carefully watching where my day was going, I realized I would easily waste six hours a day online. I tried to trick myself into believing that I was working, but hanging out on Facebook chatting with friends isn’t really working. So I decided to try something new: I plug up my laptop at night, then only use one full battery’s worth a day. My battery lasts about two hours, so I get two hours a day to do all my work that has to be done on the computer. I found SO much more time with this one thing I could have stopped there. (This didn’t apply to my book writing time, however I did unplug my wi-fi during writing hours to eliminate distractions.)
2) Find the main drain. I am a phone talker – and I always have been. Since I have very few local friends, I keep in touch with all of my friends who are scattered all over the country by talking to them on the phone. One day I realized I had caught up with all of my buddies, but hadn’t accomplished anything other than wasting an entire day on the phone. Now I allow myself one long conversation a day. Other than that, I have 15 minutes to get on and off a call – but I try to do most of my communicating through texts when possible. Now I keep up with my friends, and have plenty of time to enjoy the conversations because I’m not bombarded by them.
Your vice may not be talking on the phone… it might be Candy Crush, or online shopping, or perfecting your disco dance moves. Whatever the major time drain is, find it and tame that beast. I’m not saying to eliminate it, just tone it down (in my very best Ross Gellar voice.)
3) Set iPhone reminders for everything. From twice daily “reboot the laundry” to “go for a walk” – everything that needs a daily nudge goes into my phone. No more forgetting if my phone lets me know! It was easy to wander around trying to think of what to do, now I know what needs to be done and just do it.
4) Get my sweat on. I know it may seem counter-productive to add something new in, but I find once I’ve walked for only 20 minutes, my mind is clearer and I seem to have more energy to tackle the things that need to be accomplished each day.
5) Run all errands one day a week. Most weeks I only leave my house one day a week. I know, I’m a hermit. Partially it’s because I want to hide from the world, but when it takes over an hour just to drive to town and back, I can save a ton of time just grouping things into one major trip and be done with it. That’s it. If I forget something, both my husband and daughter drive by multiple stores daily, so it’s not a big deal. I pay most of my bills online (like most of the world these days), and I grocery/supply shop all on one day. Saves gas, saves money, saves time. Triple win – yay!
6) Keep a calendar. Writing down appointments, school functions, party/shower invites, everything all in one place, helps me to know what day to run those errands. If I can work it around other things, it makes my life easier. If I have nothing on the calendar that week (because we don’t do sports, etc.) means I can choose my day depending on the weather or whatever needs to dictate my schedule.
7) Plan a menu. Each week I plan out my menu and do all my shopping so that I’m prepared to feed my family without standing in the kitchen wondering what in the world to do. When I have a plan, my life seems to go easier. Spending those 30 minutes once a week to plan my menu and shopping list helps me get in and out of the grocery store in no time, saving me even more time.
8) Get organized. I cannot even begin to explain how much of my life I have spent looking for lost items. Way too much. This past summer I got myself organized – totally, completely, thoroughly organized. Best decision ever. Now I know where stuff is, I’m not spending mass amounts of time cleaning/organizing/decluttering stuff I don’t need. It transforms your life in more ways than you will ever understand until you actually do it.
9) Clean 20 minutes, daily. Getting organized brought to light a fairly new habit at our house – gimme 20 minutes. Every day when my girls get home from school we crank up the music and clean for 20 minutes. You’d be amazed at how clean you can keep a house in only 20 minutes a day. No more days full of cleaning – no more yelling at them to pick up their things. And the music helps to make it fun. If we spend those 20 minutes cleaning, then we have the rest of the afternoon (or day) to spend together doing things we enjoy. And bonus – most days we’re done in less than 15 minutes!
10)Schedule in down time. Every day I read a book – I allow myself plenty of time to let my mind chill out, stop thinking so hard, and just relax. Usually I do it at night, but if I’m seriously stressed I will do it in the middle of the day. Some days I even use the time to take a nap or catch up on my favorite shows on DVR. Whatever it is, taking time to relax makes me better all the way around.
What’s your best time management tip? I’m always looking for more ways to declutter my day.
These are fantastic tips, Gina — and ones that anyone can adapt to their lifestyle! EVERYone has SOMEthing that they waste time on — or things they can do better at. This was a great reminder. Thanks for sharing. p.s. I, too, am a homebody — especially in the winter. I needed to get better at meal planning during these upcoming winter months to save going out so much!
Have a great day! ~Sally @DrinkingFromMySaucer
Thanks! The meal planning was huge – not only for time but for my weight loss as well 🙂
excellent, excellent, excellent!! these are awesome tips! I am a very scheduled person, also. the phone was my biggest time glut, I noticed more time when I changed that habit, also. those are some excellent ideas!
Phone talkers unite! We should chat 😉
Thanks Gina! I really needed to see this post today and am going to take some of your suggestions! Doing all my online work at night until the battery in my laptop dies in genius! Please share this post tomorrow at Stylish Friday Finds! I know my readers would really benefit from it! Thanks again 🙂
Karen
http://www.astylishinterior.com
When you’re up against that draining battery (like I am right now) you’ve gotta make the most of every minute. You’ll be surprised how much you can get done!
Gina- wonderful, practical time management tips from a lady who has a lot going on! Somedays I feel time spiralling out of control, but with a short nap or a time to unwind and reset, I can usually get things back on track 🙂
it’s amazing how a little nap can transform your day, huh?
Hey Gina,
Such great helps here. I can relate in so many ways!! I too would rather be home than anywhere else and I too am guilty of spending too much time “crusin’ the computer.” But what I can’t believe is that you have a grandson!!! You look waaaaayyyyy to young for that!!! Happy Day and keep writing to us!! Love it!!
Yeah, he’s my step-daughter’s son…. I am a little too young to have one, though! 😉
These are great tips Gina!! All very practical but great reminders! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love (and do) all of these! The exercise part is SO important. I’m even trying to teach my daughters this. If your body feels good and you get that boost of endorphins, you will feel like you can do anything and that feeling goes a long way! Women are so motivated by how we feel so why not try to feel good about everything you’re doing?
Thanks so much for sharing!
Ashley Rane Sparks
Amen, sista!
These are great tips! I’m needing to get organized – that is my main problem.
It was a beast – but I did my entire house in one month. Best time spent ever.
Gina, Did you blog about this one-month-organizing venture? I would love to read about it (and learn and be inspired, I’m sure)!
Do tell how did you get organized… in one month? I think I would have to burn the house down…
I agree, Plese share this tip!!!
Great tips! My favorite is the phone reminder. Especially for the laundry! LOL! I always forget to move the wet clothes over to the dryer. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Laundry was always a big challenge for me – that one trick keeps me pretty caught up, though. I’m not going to lie, it still gets out of hand if I’m not home when the reminder goes off and I forget to do it for a day or two!
You got a book deal? How exciting is that? Congratulations! Thanks for the great tips.
Excellent tips. I do a lot of these already, but I really need to work on that exercise thing.
I absolutely LOVED these tips! I need to seriously wean my addiction of being on the computer too much. I have been trying to stay off it at nights, but sometimes I need to finish blogging… which leads to Pinning… and FBing. I know that it would help me be more efficient if I decluttered my daily schedule. Hope to implement some of them soon! (Oh, and I totally set my alarm for the laundry… it’s the only way I’ll remember it at all!) ~M.
http://redesignedbym.wordpress.com/
What a great list of time management tips! I love the tip to have your phone nudge you to go for a walk and such. I would have to add one more to the list, and that would be to put things away immediately. I’m good at getting organized, but I’m terrible about staying organized. Whether it’s pantry stuff, office supplies, winter scarves… you name it, once I take something out, it seems to stay out and then the piles begin all over again. So I’m working on putting things back right away. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Gina these are awesome tips! I LOVE the idea of limiting your computer time to the life of the battery and your ‘gimme 20 minutes’ with your girls and music is such a great ritual to anchor your day. Thanks for sharing.
I do the 20 minutes a day cleaning routine and it is AMAZING.
And if you miss a day………. no big deal.
I love having a clean house at all times! I don’t miss those wasted days of cleaning.
Great post!! Definitely some tips that I need to keep in mind… especially unplugging the computer 🙂
I just discovered you and your blog today on Pinterest and I have to say…. you have a new FAN! Thanks for the tips – all helpful. Loved the laptop battery idea. One of my favorite tools has been to make a list of 6 things that I want to accomplish each day and list them in order of importance. Start with 1 and stay with it until it is completed and then go to 2, ect . Another is to have a “do it now” phrase running in my head. Like, when I hesitate to wipe up a spill or pick up a little something, I think “do it now”…. and little piles don’t turn into big ones.
Again, loved your thoughts today – I look forward to reading more that you have written! Best Regards, Kathryn
Could you give some specifics on getting organized? I work an online job, have an antique booth, and refurbish furniture, salvage wood and repurpose items. This is only a few things….I recently purchased an 8 x 12 building to use for tools and large projects and other storage because I have no garage and live in a small home. I have stuff tucked every where and understand what you mean when you say you were spending too much time. Thanks for sharing this info.
Sure! Sounds like a great future post 🙂
Love all of these tips! I find that for number 9), even 10 minutes gets the job done with my kiddos. We set the ladybug timer for 10 minutes and every other day hit the bedrooms and playrooms to get all toys back in their bins, clothes out from under the bed and into the hamper and stuffies back to their baskets. Thanks, Gina! I recently discovered you on Pinterest and really appreciate your POV.
Excellent tips.
As I deliver my service online, your first tip would not work for me on most days. I could certainly do it one or two days per week though. Also, there are many of my clients for whom it would definitely work.
When it comes to organising tasks I use a Google spreadsheet, as I can access it on my phone as well as my PC. I have a sheet for each differnt type of task e.g ‘at desk tasks’, ‘at phone tasks’, ‘in town tasks’ etc. Whenever I find myself with a few minutes to spare at my desk, phone, or in town, I open the relevant sheet and start tackling one task at a time. I only schedule tasks which absolutely have to be scheduled.
Great tips!!! I am new to your site from Money Saving Mom. I look forward to reading more posts! 🙂
Great tips!
But if I know me… That mug would make me super irritated first thing in the morning. lol. Don’t tell me what to do MUG. Just be a vessel for my lifeblood and shut the hell up MUG.
Then my phone reminder sounds off: Stop bitching at your coffee mug and smile. It’s a beautiful day. Go on a walk.
Then I’d probably consider smashing my phone but then not go through with it at the last minute because I’d remember that all my virtual friends live inside of it.
Then of course the walk would go something like this: get 3 tiny people and myself prepared to battle the elements outdoors. Put tiny people and myself in the car. 2 hours later, too tired to pull out the giant double stroller out of the giant SUV, run through Chick-fil-a, go home and blog–or rather intend to blog, think it’s hopeless, my last post was months ago!–read blogs and chit chat on facebook wondering what it’s like to be able to chit chat on the phone!! 😉
No really–great tips. We will see how they go.
I’m laughing so hard I’m in tears. You are hilarious!
Oh and love the Friends reference. 🙂
Two favorite tips are #9 & #10. Love the idea of cranking up the music and having the whole family clean!
So many great tips! I need to do better on nearly all of these, perhaps every single one of them! Thanks! Definitely will be referring back to this again!
Great tips! I particularly love #9 and plan to implement it starting today. 🙂
Tip #1 changed my life yesterday!!! Very helpful as a work-from-home mom. WOW. Thank you!!!
Excellent Gina I needed this! Lisa sent me over a a blessing she did! I am moving to a smaller home, so you know what that means! All of your thoughts are every important though!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Gina! Such a smart and informative post. LOVE the idea of setting reminders on the phone! Brilliant!
Wonderful! And aside from the fact that I seem to have a lot more kids running around, our days seem to parallel. I end up going to town way too much, and find that when I schedule in a trip to the grocery store after my sons’ Monday night activity I can do all my shopping at night with no crowds at a store I am usually nowhere near!
fifteen minutes is too long for me to talk, but I will cut back a few 15 minute calls to get in one 30 minute call to my best friend who is far away. Great article! Blessings, Laurie
great tips for sure!
Hi Gina,
I found this post through Pinterest. THANK YOU for these time and sanity savers. I am currently working on daily exercise and down time. We forget, especially women, how important those are to our health and wellbeing
With a grateful heart,
Kristin.
Along with meal planning I also precook some items the night before or on the weekend. Last night I cooked 1 lb. of ground beef to use in tonight’s dish so my meal prep will go so much faster and dinner will be on the table quicker!
you rock! love your tips! you are on the right track my friend!
Hi Gina! I found this on Pinterest and wanted to let you know that I am featuring it on my Weekly PINspirations this week. Please come by and check it out! Thanks for sharing. These are amazing ideas!
This is so impressive and something I wish I could do and really NEED to figure out.
Seeing that I don’t even know how to set an iPhone reminder, I’m a bit worried.
Saving this post!
I just wanted to tell you that I loved this post! Such awesome advice. While doing some researching for my first blog post of the year, I came across this post and though its points and advice was so spot on I shared your info on my blog.
Thank you and I look forward to staying connected to your journey.
http://www.bowlfullofblessings.com
I found your blog via Pinterest and I love these tips! The first one is brilliant, totally gonna try that. I love your blog and started following you on Instagram. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for sharing your ideas. Will be implenting first thing tomorrow. I’ve got to start somewhere
Good for you Jan!
Do you have any video of that? I’d care to find out some additional information.