Just as you can fit only so much into a closet or drawer, you can fit only so much into your waking hours.
—JULIE MORGENSTERN
Time Management from the Inside Out
Since managing time is the key to managing your life, it’s important to get the most ou each day. Each sunrise offers a new opportunity to rearrange your time, meet with interesting people, and schedule purposeful activities. But there is only so much you can fit into any one twenty-four-hour period, no matter what your aspirations are.
The goal to simplifying life includes finding better ways to choose what you want to do, looking for opportunities to reduce your stress, and ending the day with more things done than undone. As one of my favorite quotes says, “It is not the things we do that make us tired; it is the things left undone that wear us out.”
Putting together all the tasks in a woman’s day is like putting together a puzzle. When the goal is to get things done and still enjoy the day, we need to put our best foot forward.
Even with all our multitasking talents as women, we know that life can get complicated and crazy. Is there an easier way to do it? I believe there is, especially if you can acquire a new perspective to deal with each day.
After talking about managing our week horizontally in the last chapter, it’s time to look at managing each day vertically, from morning until night.
Sue’s Dilemma
I met Sue when I went to organize her office. Instead of starting on her paper piles, she poured out her most recent frustration—starting at home.
I’m not a morning person. Actually I dread mornings. That is when the chaos of my day begins.
Yesterday was especially bad when my daughter, Alyssa, asked me at breakfast where the three dozen cookies were that she was taking in for her teacher’s going-away party. I had totally forgotten to bake them, and I had a meeting with my boss at 8 A.M.
I was twenty minutes late.
Besides disappointing my daughter and my boss, my best friend’s birthday crept up on me. I even bought her card and present early, but I couldn’t find either of them. I felt as though I had failed again.
My son, Jimmy, needed his white shirt ironed for his first band concert. I couldn’t find time to iron it. On top of that, the house was a mess, and it frustrated me that I had to squeak out the last bit of toothpaste before bed the night before. I haven’t had time to get to the store.
I wanted to sit down and cry, but I didn’t even have time for that. So I grabbed the back of an envelope and scribbled out all the things I needed to remember. And I vowed that I would make some serious changes.
So here I am. What should I do?
Climbing Out of Chaos
Sue was in a definite time crunch, and by 7 A.M., her stress level had zoomed into high gear. Life had piled up around her. And she finally recognized it that morning. It was time for a change.
All her good intentions of being a good mom, a loyal friend, and a good employee were falling apart—over what? Over unbaked cookies, a misplaced birthday present, a late arrival at work, no toothpaste, and a shirt to iron!
Sue has organizational issues to conquer, not character flaws to sabotage her sense of well-being. To simplify her disorganized day, we started by restructuring her mornings.
Four Time-Management Lifestyles
Without realizing it, most women operate under one of four time-management methods. It is important that you understand which system you use most and be able to bring others into the mix when you need to ease your time stressors.
The four styles, described below, progress from simple to detail oriented. They work well for a variety of situations but fail us at others. Perhaps you will recognize where you are now and how you can move forward to more peace and order.
You don’t want your life to fall apart just because you forgot to buy toothpaste, just as you don’t want such a simple task to become the priority of your day. If enough loose ends are not handled at the right time, a minor “one more thing” could be your undoing.
A crisis is a signal to slow down and consciously choose a better system.
At any rate, let’s take a closer look at the four time-management styles:
1. The crisis and memory method: The crisis and memory method reacts to urgent items and relies on memory, two things that usually don’t work well together. The crisis and memory method is reactive, not proactive. It can work well if you have a great memory and can do immediately whatever crosses your mind. Many women, however, find this impulsive style frustrating because they change directions way too often since they haven’t planned ahead. This frustrates other family members as well.
That’s how Sue reacted when so many things came at her all at once. She ran into trouble when her memory failed under the stress of everything happening at once. Her life became a traffic jam of deadlines before she even left the house. Not a good situation.
2. The list and pile method: The list and pile system shows more preparation, but it depends on visual reminders such as items laid out on counters—plus lists, schedules, and appointment cards plastered to the refrigerator.
Sue could actually have benefited from this method by having a “launching spot” each night where she and the family lined up fresh-baked cookies, backpacks filled with homework and schoolbooks, and an ironed band outfit from left to right in order of the next day’s events.
The list and pile method works if there are only one to three items lined up in order of the day’s events, but it fails when the items sit there for more than a day.
A Word about Lists
I asked Sue to write out a to-do list for that morning. While making a list is a step in the right direction, it only gets you halfway there. So let’s examine Sue’s list and see if she could have done better:
• First, write out a list (this would be a 50 percent improvement).
Bake three dozen cookies for Alyssa s teacher
Drop off Diane s birthday present
Wash and iron Jimmy s band shirt
Buy toothpaste
Jimmy s first band concert
Clean the family room and kitchen
• Next, insert times and rearrange the list in time sequence (this would be an 80 percent improvement).
Sue would be better off adding times to her to-do list, stating her action steps in a few words, and beginning each action step with an action verb. Under normal circumstances, she could have a Plan A list, but in times of crisis, she’d need to create a Plan B as illustrated below.
Plan A: Reasonable Plan
Evening before: bake or buy cookies
Evening before: wash Jimmy s band shirt
7:25 A.M.: drop kids and cookies at school
Noon: take Diane s birthday present
4:30 P.M.: buy toothpaste
6:45 P.M.: attend Jimmy s concert
Saturday: clean the family room and kitchen
Plan B: Crisis Mode Plan
7:00 A.M.: buy at grocery store:
1. cookies
2. toothpaste
3. birthday card for Diane
4. Starbucks gift card for Diane
7:20 A.M.: drive kids and cookies to school
7:25 A.M.: take Jimmy s shirt to dry cleaners
7:50 A.M.: arrive at work for meeting
11:45 A.M.: Diane s lunch at Olive Garden
5:40 P.M.: pick up shirt at dry cleaners
6:00 P.M.: dinner of leftovers
6:45 P.M.: Jimmy s first band concert
Saturday: clean the family room and kitchen
• Now live it (resulting in 100 percent success)!
With practice, this system will become second nature as Sue writes tasks down in a logical time sequence. She won’t have to recopy anything. And she will learn what activities work best at certain times of the day. A good time manager learns and guards these time slots.
3. The calendar method: Difficulties arise when the only organization system used is a family wall calendar, a small one in a purse, or a desk blotter with telephone numbers and notes scribbled in the margins.
With the calendar method, you may be able to write down all your appointments, but you will miss errands, self-initiated tasks, and phone calls because they’re scribbled on the margin of the calendar or on the refrigerator that you can’t take with you.
That’s why women should consider using the next method.
4. The planner method: A planner is a book with sections to organize your activities and lists. It is basically everything you need to stay organized all in one place. It is a system for people who have numerous details to attend to or who never have the same day twice.
Whether it is a program on your computer, an electronic PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a calendar-type book you take with you, a personal planner has significantly improved the lives of many busy women.
ALIST + WORKABLE TIME FRAMES
= THINGS GETTING DONE
Add a cushion of 25 percent more time if you tend to run late. Anticipate obstacles and plan around them, whether they be people interruptions or traffic.
SUE’S DAY IN A PLANNER
Fill in the Night Before:
1 
TIME EVENTS
2 CALLS
3 ERRANDS
4 PRIORITY PROJECTS
TO-DO LIST (10 items):
Take 3 doz. cookies (school)
Diane’s birthday today!
Work/Activities 8–3
Drive to soccer (4–5)
Dinner (5:30)
Sale: Toothpaste/Scope
Reschedule meeting (6 people)
Wash whites!!!
Jimmy’s 1st band concert
RSVP Sat. dinner
A planner is like having a personal assistant always with you. Nothing is missed because everything is in one spot. Priorities are written down in the right place, and life’s details are simplified.
My rule of thumb is that if everything won’t fit on one page in your planner, then you can’t live it all out in one day.
FOUR TIME-MANAGEMENT METHODS
From basic to more complete:
1. Crisis and memory method A lifestyle based on urgency and remembered items for action.
2. List and pile method Counts on lists and piles to visually stimulate activity.
3. Calendar method Keeps life organized by appointments on a monthly calendar.
4. Planner method
A personalized book organizing your personal life, work, and details by day, month, and year.
Choices Even in Chaos
For Sue, simplifying her days comes down to adjusting her systems. I showed her that she could do better than running her life from the back of an envelope. She agreed to get a planner and place a pad of paper by each telephone at home so she could at least organize her thoughts on something better than the back of an envelope.
That night she was on her way to a smoother morning the next day when
• the whole family relaxed and celebrated Jimmy’s first concert with ice cream afterward;
• together they laid out items for the next day;
• Sue took the time to itemize tomorrow’s to-dos, phone calls, and errands;
• Sue rearranged the next day in time order on paper before falling asleep.
Sue’s list is like any woman’s list these days. We all have similar things that need to get done: urgent, necessary, and postponable. Deciding what must get done and strategically doing it at the best time keeps us moving forward in life. Personal organization comes down to deciding which method to use to make all the strategic details of life happen.
Personal Evaluation
1. Right now I use the following methods (check):
Crisis and memory method
List and pile method
Calendar method
Planner method
2. I could really improve if __________________________________
The palest ink is better than the best memory.
—CHINESE PROVERB
CHOOSING A PLANNER
You can keep your monthly calendar and daily to-do lists in a planner or electronic organizer. Choose it as carefully as you would an important everyday accessory, like a watch or purse. Remember these tips:
1. Choose a planner that is right for you. The three basic sizes include
• Portable size (3 x 6 inches)
• Half-sheet size (5 x 8 inches)
• Large folio (8 x 11 inches)
Choose a style and color that best suits your personality. Keep in mind that a leather cover looks professional, and a canvas cover is casual. Buy the one you can picture yourself using every day.
If you decide to use an electronic version of a planner—the handheld PDA—get one that you’ve previewed and that suits your needs.
2. Include these items to simplify your time and life.
• Monthly calendar. Separated by tabs, each month should lie across one or two pages. These monthly calendars provide the big picture of your life for the whole year.
• Daily pages. The daily page gives you the space to list appointments chronologically, record tasks, and make notes to capture all your plans for the day in an orderly fashion.
• Address and phone section. This is a key for saving enormous amounts of time because all your addresses, home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, and even store hours and directions are in one place.
• Attach a pen and pencil. Use a pencil to write down appointments and meetings on your monthly calendar and a pen to write everything else.
Keep your personal planner propped open on your counter at home or on your desk at work, and list all the action items mulling around in your mind. Read it often. Check off completed items, and feel free to rearrange your time on paper to get the most out of your day.
If you want to know what day it is, any calendar will do. But if you want to gain control of your time, schedule priority tasks, and gain a reputation for getting things done, use a planner!
—HAROLD TAYLOR, Making Time Work for You
Test Your Organizational Skills
Sometimes taking an honest look at our activities and lifestyle gives us clues for saving time and reducing stress. In this exercise, write “yes” or “no” next to each question to pinpoint certain stressful areas:
______ 1. Do you know how long it takes you and your family to get up and out the door each morning?
______ 2. Do you lower your stress by arriving on time or early for your appointments?
______ 3. Do you stay current by returning calls and e-mails the same day?
______ 4. Have your bills and credit cards been paid on time for the past six months?
______ 5. Do you know how much money you have in your purse and bank accounts?
______ 6. Do you know how much gas you have in the tank? Is your car clutter free?
______ 7. Are all clean clothes put away and all the dirty clothes in the hamper?
______ 8. Do you know what’s for dinner and how long it will take to make it?
______ 9. Would people say you are organized?
______10. Do you feel organized?
Bonus question:
________ Did you organize and simplify something in your life in the last three weeks?
Score: 10 points for each “yes” response, plus five points for the bonus question.
Results:
• 90 points or higher. Congratulations! You have excellent organization skills, and you could be giving seminars on this topic.
• 70–80 points. You’re a generally well-organized person who has things together.
• 50–60 points. You’re a little organized, and that’s what I’m afraid of—you’re just a little organized.
• 10–40 points. Uh-oh. Life’s getting the best of you. You are going to be a big hit with your improvements.
Twenty-One Times to a New Lifestyle
We must continue to refine our systems so everything works for us and not against us each day. New habits need to be done at least twenty-one times the new way before they become a habit. It may take you longer than twenty-one days to make a new habit, but it’s worth the effort. If you are committed to simplifying your life, polish your good habits and overcome your lazy ones.
Ten Timesaving Habits to Simplify Your Day
The faster the pace of your life, the more organized you need to be. Simplify your life by mastering these ten timesaving habits.
1. Make your bed and make your day. It takes only two minutes to give you sixteen hours of order. Besides, a room is 50–70 percent clean when the bed is made.
2. Practice the “two-minute pick-up” every time you leave a room or your desk. Before you leave a room, turn around and quickly put away everything for two minutes. The more you put away before you leave, the smoother your transition when you return.
3. Learn to love clean counters. Cluttered counters represent undone actions. Significant amounts of time and energy are lost if dishes, mail, children’s papers, and clutter are not dealt with or neatly put away.
4. Cut your work in half by putting things away now. One of the biggest time wasters is saying, “I’ll deal with that later.” Put everything away now.
5. Set the pace for your day by arriving early, or at least on time, at your first event. Your arrival time at the first event often sets the pace for the rest of your day. Stress less by arriving on time.
6. Be sure dinner is on time and regular. Late dinners throw everyone out of whack—late baths, late homework, and late chores. Have dinner at a time that still gives you plenty of day left to get things done and plan for tomorrow.
7. Solve the problem of “I forgot . . .” Don’t clutter your mind with things to remember. Write them down in your planner and review it frequently.
8. Assign to-do items to the three days you have most control over: today, tomorrow, and the next day. Life has a way of filling up quickly, so try to do each item promptly. Also, limit your lists to ten items so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
9. Strive to focus your day’s events on things you enjoy. You will enjoy the things you like to do a lot more if you get other things done in a timely and orderly fashion.
10. Congratulate yourself daily for your accomplishments. Use positive self-talk during the day. And if you go through your day with a smile and a good attitude, you get bonus points for brightening up the world.
| Sue | •Conquer the morning routine. | •Get a planner and get ahead each night. | •List to-dos in a time sequence. •Combine down time and family time each evening. |
•End each day planning the next day. •Lay out items the night before. |
| •You | •Decide what time habits are hindering you regularly. | •Change the most frustrating times in your day. | •Set out to improve one habit for one entire month. | •Get better each day at accomplishing what you intend to do. |
Personal Reflection
If you are happy and productive, that is good. But if your days leave you flat and frustrated, then you need a new approach. Why is that? You’ve fallen into routine patterns, and you’re running through your daily maze the same old way.
But there is hope. If you are always late, rushed, or behind on things, there are ways to get organized, become productive, and feel peaceful about your day. There is an art to getting things done and still enjoying what you want to.
Answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions as you think about your own life.
______ 1. Do you run out of time before your day is over?
______ 2. Were any of your stresses in recent days caused by transition time from one event to another?
______ 3. Are you living your days predominantly vertically or horizontally?
______ 4. Can you think of any way to adjust your schedule to make life easier?
Well-Managed Days
Since time is not flexible, the first step in creating smoother days is to control your calendar in a more purposeful manner. Plan ahead from morning until night (vertically) for each day and pace yourself for the week and month ahead (horizontally). Conquer your problem areas and celebrate your improvements.
A Simple Prayer for Wisdom
Dear God, sometimes my life is so fast paced that I can’t get off the treadmill of busyness. Other times life is slow and I feel bored and lonely. Help me to be wise and balance each day better than the day before. And thank You that I do have more choices than I think I do. Amen.
We must always uncover the “time bandits” and the “time robbers” that we are allowing to cheat us out of our valuable minutes. Then, once they are identified, we must guard against them because they can so easily seize our minutes and sap us of our precious life!
—ELIZABETH GEORGE, Life Management for Busy Women