First, let me say the obvious, there is no more time. We have twenty four hours in each day, no more and no less. Therefore, what we do in that time may need evaluating.
What takes up your day? Do you often miss appointments and have to reschedule them? How much time is spent searching for some needed item? Do you simply reshuffle unending stacks of papers?
Are you absolutely overwhelmed and far too busy to organize? After you care for your loved one, your family, and yourself, there is neither time nor energy left for any project.
I have a simple solution for you and you can do it. Carefully read through the following helps and choose one item you will work on-just one! Try this for a week and I promise you will feel less stressed and more productive.
1. Declutter. Start small; do not take on an entire room! Each day choose one table or one drawer to clean out. Be sure to have a trash bag handy and use it! Bonus: by doing only one area at a time, you can return items to their proper place as you sort. Do you hear that? Do not make another stack somewhere!
2. Calendar Everything. Everything. Hang a very large calendar in a highly visible area, preferably near a telephone. Thumbtack a string to the wall with a pencil attached. We all know that pencils have a mind of their own and walk off when you aren’t looking.
3. Keep a to-do list. Each night make a list for the next day. Very important: keep this list short and do-able. There will be unavoidable interruptions—it’s the law of the land—allow for them as you make your list.
4. Do it now. As much as possible, tend to menial tasks immediately. Mail is a good example; it accumulates quickly while you are busy caring for others. Set aside five or ten minutes each day to deal with the mail (with our faithful trash sack handy).
5. Identify your personal time-robbers. In looking at my own schedule and applying these tips, I discovered the appeal of a new sales flyer or magazine kept me mesmerized for way too long. What to do? If I lay them aside for later I add to my “stacks of stuff”. I am learning to choose–you know this one–my faithful trash sack!
Trusting you enjoy all God’s blessings as you learn to wisely use the precious time He has given each of us.
Hugs,
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