In January and February 2011, I attended a two-part session on time management by Heartwork Organizing. Here’s a list of 25 strategies I obtained from that session with the ones I am working on in bold. Let me know three of the 25 strategies you think you could use.
Keep a weekly (not daily) to-do list.
Note 3 top priorities/projects/tasks to complete each day.
Using the 80/20 rule (only 20% of your tasks are most important), ensure the tasks in your 20% are the first ones you tackle.
Carry your planner everywhere, even to church, gym, and dates/appointments.
Be aware when you are making a commitment to yourself and others.
Make written appointments with yourself, and keep them as routinely as you would with your hairdresser.
Separate making your to-do list from accomplishing your to-do list.
Separate projects from tasks.
Schedule time on your calendar to work on projects.
Never check your email before __(insert customized time here)__.
When working on projects at your computer, don’t leave your email and browser programs open.
Use a sheet of paper as a “time container” and only write until full.
Use “sticky notes” as disposable containers, not permanent records.
Use “Prince/Princess time management” because you are a Son/Daughter of the King.
Keep your calendar free enough to entertain angels.
Beware of the latest electronic gadget as a time waster.
When spinning, ask “What is the next thing I have to do?” and do it.
Build in rewards for your efforts (e.g, I will get a snack after I finish this proposal).
Remove technical issues when they exist.
Ensure written goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.
Practice conscious breathing. Schedule it if necessary.
Decide if your tasks pass the five-year test. (What’s going to be important five years from now?)
Use a time to chunk out unpleasant/large tasks 15 minutes at a time.
Learn how to use your cell phone or microwave timer.
Prioritize people over things.
Not all of these are practical tips for me. For example, I wouldn’t check my email before 5:30 in the morning because I’m likely sleeping, but if I don’t check it before noon, I’m at work where I really can’t view it. It’s also the primary means of contacting me during the day.
In September, I was required to attend a course for determining my personality style. I’ve previously blogged on this topic before and determined that, of the four temperaments, I was melancholy sanguine. Well, the DiSC assessment is a bit different (although not by much). DiSC stands for: Dominance, influence, Conscientious, Steadiness. Responses can vary based on the environment. For example, I am an I at work (29) but not too far off from an S (28). This would probably change for my personal/home life. I found myself identifying with the steadiness category much more than the influence category, but I was borderline for each. Here’s an overview of the different DiSC styles. Click on the image to enlarge it or click here to download the PDF.
PersonalityStyle.com has a free DiSC assessment, but I’m sure it’s one of those assessments that won’t give you the results unless you give the site your email. I hope you will instead try to find your personality according to the overview above and tell me who you think you are.
In August, life handed me a job description for the important role I’ve been neglecting since I got married 6 years ago: Chief Home Operations Manager (CHOM).
Congratulations! Upon marriage, you filled a part-time position for Chief Home Operations Manager averaging 30 hours per week, including evening and weekend hours as needed. Schedule is flexible based on other pressing needs and hours required may fluctuate depending on life circumstances.
The apartment seeks an energetic, motivated individual who can work well alone, is adept at managing household duties, and does not mind delegating tasks to a significant other. Candidate is a self-starter who should function well in a quiet environment without children. Detail-oriented is a plus. Primary responsibilities of the position will be:
Image from realsimple.com
Caretaking of significant other as circumstances require
Cleaning the bathroom sink, toilet, and shower
Vacuuming the carpet
Swiffering the bathroom and kitchen tile floors
Washing dishes and putting clean ones away
Wiping down the kitchen countertops
Dusting
Taking out the trash and recycling
Overseeing the washing, drying, and folding of laundry
Organizing out-of-place items on surfaces or other disorganized items
Running errands outside of the household as required such as refilling stock of perishable and non-perishable groceries
Creating edible meals (original, appetizing, or enticing are optional)
Scheduling of appointments and other activities
Managing the household budget including balancing checkbooks, paying bills, overseeing responsible spending, and quarterly reviews
Administration of insurance and medical claims
Adept negotiation with vendors to secure lower costs on utilities, credit cards, or other other services
Sifting through postal mail to determine junk and distribute important documents
Occasional reorganization of closets and cabinets to make sure all items are accessible, active, and not expired
Maintaining an pictorial archive of memorable moments
High school degree desired. BA or BS preferred. MA or PhD is ideal. 18 years life experience required; compassionate emotions, computer skills, and driving ability essential. Prior experience accomplishing household chores, using a calendar, reconciling a checkbook, and interest in home organization a plus. Good photography skills optional; will train on the job.
Wage begins at $0, regardless of experience. No reimbursement for travel. However, many hugs, kisses, and thanks are offered daily for a reward.
Note: This post is extremely long after the jump. I’ve broken it out into sections. It’s a compilation of thoughts after losing a dear friend to late-detected, aggressive liver cancer. She’s the first friend (non-family member) I’ve ever lost to death.
This week has been a rather trying week. On the same day that my husband was admitted to the hospital for a nasty Staph infection, I learned that my friend and talented hairstylist Stephanie was in the process of dying and by the afternoon, had passed away.
I’m very much in shock over learning of her death as it was only last week that she called me and weakly told me that they had just released her from the hospital and that she’d get better soon. Never did I think that would be the last time I would speak to her. I just figured I’d text her again this week to see how she’s doing. Although Steph had beaten breast cancer earlier this year in February, she developed liver cancer that went undetected in the interim—and it rapidly progressed to the point where there was nothing the doctors could do.
Sometimes, death is so sudden and comes without a warning. One part of my brain has accepted the news of her death as a fact. The other part of my brain (or perhaps, my heart, really) keeps saying, “No way. Nope. She’s not dead. This is all just an illusion and she’s at home and she’ll be fine. She’ll bounce back. That’s what she did before and it’s what she’ll do again. In no time, I’ll be sitting in her chair and we’ll be chatting up the latest movies and music.”
I think of all the close people in my life who have passed away: my uncle, my father, my husband’s grandfather, and now my dear friend. In each instance, I either saw or spoke to the person shortly before the person died. In one of those instances, I prepped myself, but I was still young and the news came to me as a shock regardless.
Believe it or not, my favorite verse in dealing with death is John 11:35 in which the Bible says, “Jesus wept.” Two simple words. How can they be so powerful?
I am reminded that even though Jesus knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead in a matter of minutes, in his humanity, Jesus felt the pain of death at that moment. The irreversible effects of the Fall may have weighed heavily on Jesus as he reflected that death isn’t the natural order of things. Death isn’t supposed to happen. The god-man knew that death was never what God originally intended for man to experience. Because while death takes the life of loved ones, death on this side of heaven doesn’t have the most impact on the person dying; death has the most impact on the people who are left behind as a result of the person’s passing.
Death is a cruel thing to wrestle with. One minute a person is here in our lives, impacting us, shaping us, affecting us; the next moment, the person is gone, life extinguished from the body, never to speak, embrace, or breathe again.
Think of major catastrophic events that have occurred throughout U.S. history: September 11, the 2011 occurrence of devastating tornadoes in the Midwest (namely Missouri), Pearl Harbor, Oklahoma City, Hurricane Katrina, even the 1989 World Series Earthquake. All of these pretty much came out of the blue with little to no warning. Even with hurricane warnings for Katrina, no one could have foreseen the impact that it would have had on the levees that broke. One minute people were fine. The next, they were not; some were injured, some were homeless, and some had died. While I don’t have any scientific proof, human brains tend to process things gradually. That’s why we like “transitions.” It provides an appropriate smooth shift from one thing to another in which without that shift, the change in events would be jarring.
Death is its own form of personal catastrophe to the people it impacts. Each and every single time. It is not natural and it shouldn’t happen. Jesus knew this. That’s why he cried before he raised Lazarus from the dead. I used to think it was merely an example from Jesus giving humans permission to grieve over a loved one. The older I get, the more I realize “Jesus wept” for real. That hurt was real and deep. Jesus raised Lazarus as an example, but Jesus also knew that this was temporary. Lazarus would die again. And his death would be much more semi-permanent.
This Journey Is My Own 