Get Organized Now! Weblog

Scheduling in Time for the Unexpected

Yesterday, I had lots of tasks and projects on my To Do list that I was working on diligently, until 11:30 a.m. or so. That's when I got a call from my daughter's school telling me Amanda had a bad tummy ache. So, of course I dropped everything, drove to her school and ended up bringing her home with me, where I comforted her with a heating pad, a little club soda, and some plain crackers until she felt better. It turned out to be nothing serious, thankfully, and she's back in school today.

So today's list is basically double in size--all of today's work, plus yesterday's work that never was completed. But that's just how it goes sometimes, and flexibility is critical. For this very reason, I always keep my schedule on Fridays very light, with plenty of room for catch-up work.

When adding tasks and events to your schedule for the week, always pad with plenty of time for unexpected things that may come up. This way, you won't feel like you're drowning in work if you or another family member is feeling under the weather, or a situation arises, or if your computer decides to act up without warning.

A big part of being organized is preparing for times like these. If nothing occurs and you have lots of extra time, great! You can use that time to get a head start on next week's work, or to do something fun and relaxing. If something does come up, you'll be able to still get those things done without the pain.

Breaking Large Projects Down

I recently received this question from a reader and I decided to respond in a blog post so others would also benefit from it. Her question...

'I don't know HOW to break a large project down into tasks. When I read your comment about quilting and one of the first things you could learn to do was to thread your sewing machine, I was amazed! My idea of learning to quilt would be to go to the fabric store and get tons of books and the best fabric and all the tools any quilter could ever want. Then I would find a beautiful (but very difficult) pattern and start cutting. When things didn't fit I would just get fed up and quit--saying I couldn't quilt. Is there a formula to figure out what goes first and so on? My husband is a logical thinker and it's so easy for him to know where to begin. I usually just jump in with tons of enthusiasm that is quickly quenched. I usually end up crashing and burning. I don't want to live like this, but seem to be stuck. Can you help?'

Great question, because in my mind this is a huge part of the reason so many projects get started, but never completed. Looking at an entire project, as a whole, is very overwhelming. Breaking it up into smaller steps, mini-goals, is less stressful and each step is more likely to get accomplished.

First off, when a huge project comes your way, give yourself time to think about it BEFORE running out to the store and buying anything.

Perhaps a thought crosses your mind that you want to learn how to play guitar. Ok, ask yourself why. Do you want to entertain friends and family? Do you want to do a solo guitar performance somewhere? Do you want to simply learn a few songs to dazzle your spouse? Once you know what your purpose is, it's easier to break the project down, or even re-assess how badly you want to accomplish that particular project with the amount of extra time you have.

Once you know your purpose and decide this is something you truly want to do, write what you want to do and the purpose of the project on an index card.

Then, grab a bunch of index cards and on each write a task related to that purpose.

Let's say your project is to learn to bake bread and the purpose would be for you to give a loaf as a gift to your sister who loves home baked bread. One index card may say, 'Research bread making on the Internet.' Another may say, 'Determine type of bread my sister likes.' Yet another may say, 'Find a very basic bread recipe and try that first to see if I like baking bread' and so on.

Once you have a bunch of index cards made, shuffle them until they're in a somewhat logical order. Get someone to help if necessary.

Then, tackle each card one by one, and consider accomplishing that task a success and reward yourself for your effort.

Before you know it, you'll be handing your sister a fresh baked loaf of bread, or accomplishing any other project to which you apply this system.

15 Minutes Earlier Per Night

My 6-year old daughter, Amanda, has been having the time of her life this summer--going to bed around 10 at night, and sleeping in until around 9 in the morning. But, as they say, all good things must end. School is starting on September 1st, and her bed times and wake times need to be adjusted.

Now that we're one week prior to the first day of school, we'll be getting her to bed 15 minutes earlier, each night, until bedtime is back at 8:00.

That means...

tonight, bedtime is 9:45P

Wednesday, bedtime is at 9:30P

Thursday, bedtime is at 9:15P

Friday, bedtime is at 9:00P

Saturday, bedtime is at 8:45P

Sunday, bedtime is at 8:30P

Monday, bedtime is at 8:15P

Tuesday, bedtime is at 8:00P

Of course, I'll help her get adjusted to her wake times as well in the same manner, each day getting up 15 minutes earlier.

Even if you don't have school-age children, this system works beautifully for any time adjustment you need, whether it's getting up earlier to get to work earlier, or going to bed at the time that will allow you to get enough restful sleep for a productive day tomorrow.

These incremental adjustments, rather than one that's more severe, help ease the body and the mind. It's a lot less stressful to adjust in baby steps.

Are You 'Waiting' Productively?

In each day, there are always stretches of waiting time, whether you're waiting in a doctor's office, waiting for a pot of water to boil, or waiting for your child's ballet classes to end.

As I'm writing this blog post today, I'm waiting for my daughter's 2-hour dance camp to end.

Sometimes when I'm waiting, I enjoy just sitting back and enjoying a few moments of quiet, rest and relaxation. Other times, like now, I'm using that 'free' time to get things accomplished.

No matter where I am, I always have tasks and projects on hand that I can work on whenever the opportunity arises.

Today, I'm updating my web site, newsletter and blog from Stone Creek Coffee, where they offer free Wi-Fi access. Using the Go To My PC service, I can work just as I would if I were sitting in front of my work computer.

I managed to find this Wi-Fi 'Hotspot' by searching for Wi-Fi Hotspots on Google. There were approximately 6 choices within 5 miles of my daughter's dance studio that were no charge.

In addition to my laptop, I also have my new Martha Stewart Food Magazine. If I finish my work tasks and still have time, I'll be able to browse that magazine for a recipe or two that I can make for dinner this week.

Another possibility is using my laptop, along with the Wi-Fi connection, to check posts on Facebook or Twitter. I can even access my email and respond accordingly.

In some instances, Wi-Fi access is not available. Sometimes, for example, when sitting in a doctor's office, I may use my laptop in offline mode to simply write a letter or draft a report.

If I'm not in the mood for computer work, I may write a thank you note (I keep several blanks in my waiting bag), or run some errands, catch up on some reading, or perhaps even call a friend or business associate if I'm in an area that won't be disturbing to others--like a public park.

Again, sometimes it's nice to just relax and do nothing. You certainly have that option if you wish. However, if you're the type of person that likes to be fairly productive, planning ahead for moments of waiting time will gain you hidden time throughout the day to get things done.

A Quick Way to Hull and Freeze Strawberries

A week ago, I went to Jelli's Market in Helenville with my friend, Sue, and my 6-year old daughter to pick strawberries. Jelli's supplied us with large cardboard boxes for holding the fruit and gave us a ride out to the rows of fresh strawberries. We spent an hour filling our box, taking tasty bites in between. By the time we got home, we had two boxes overflowing with ripe, red strawberries.

I immediately made strawberry muffins with some of my batch, put a supply aside for eating, and then froze the rest.

I like hulling my berries before freezing them. First, I pulled off the green leafy part. Then, using a sturdy plastic drinking straw, I held the strawberry in my hand stem-side up, poked the berry right where the stem was and pushed down all the way through. I flicked the hull out of the straw each time very easily. No need to run out and buy a special tool for this purpose.

Once the strawberries were all hulled, I placed them in single layers on cookie sheets, and froze the strawberries for 24 hours. The next day, I transferred the frozen berries to freezer bags and labeled the bags with the date.

Now we'll have delicious strawberries to use on pancakes, in recipes or over ice cream any time we desire.

By the way, while we were visiting Jelli's, I picked up a few fun facts about strawberries:

1) Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside!

2) Eight medium sized strawberries have more Vitamin C than an orange.

3) The strawberry is a member of the rose family.

4) Strawberry is the second most popular natural flavor. It is second only to chocolate.

Your Concentration Will Improve if You Surf the Web at Work

Yesterday, I was enjoying my most recent issue of Woman's Day Magazine, when I came across a statistic I'm sure many of you will like. I liked it, so much so that I did a bit more research on the subject.

According to a University of Melbourne study, people who surf the Web at work have better concentration and are 9% more productive than those who don't.

Dr Brent Coker, from the Department of Management and Marketing. says, 'People who do surf the Internet for fun at work--within a reasonable limit of less than 20% of their total time in the office--are more productive by about 9% than those who don't. Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that's not always the case.'

Apparantly, the increased productivity has to do with one's need to occasionally 'zone out' enabeling one's mind to take a rest.

But beware, you're advised to surf the Internet at work in moderation. Too much surfing can actually have the opposite effect. And, be sure it's OK with your boss. If it's not, you're next surf session may be for another job.

School is Right Around the Corner

As usual, the summer just flew right by -- whoosh! Our daughter, Amanda, is starting school right after Labor Day. She's looking forward to it. Although I loved having her at home all summer, it will be nice for her to be back with her teachers and friends, and I'll be able to get some very focused work done.

To start the school year off on an organized foot, I've done 3 things . . .

1) I already purchased all of Amanda's school supplies and school clothes. Since she's only 4, everything is labeled with her name to make it easier for Amanda, and her teachers, to identify what is hers.

2) I made a list of projects I will be working on during those quiet school hours and I'm looking forward to tackling them one by one.

3) My husband and I already designated a quiet place and a scheduled hour for after-school projects, signing permission slips, reading school mail, etc. and we'll switch between the both of us to assist her as needed.

This weekend, I plan to come up with a list of 10 quick breakfast ideas, so we can get out of the house and off to school in the morning in a snap!

Think Productivity--AND Enjoyment

One of the ways I get through my day and get tons of stuff done is by doing little things I really enjoy in between my tasks.

Let's take this past Monday, for example. I woke up at 7:00am, showered and dressed, and got my daughter, Amanda, ready for the day.

Instead of going right to work, I sat down at the kitchen table with my husband and my daughter and we all enjoyed breakfast together--scrambled eggs, toast and fruit. I even managed to do a crossword puzzle.

Then, I went to work, getting my newsletter and web site updated for this coming Sunday. My 3-year old played quietly at this time, right by my side.

That took me to around 11:00am, at which time I drove my daughter to her music class. While there, I was able to enjoy some great conversation with a few of the other moms while the kids were in class.

After class, I took my daughter out for a quick lunch, picked up a few items at the grocery store, and then back home to work at about 2:00P. Amanda's friend came over to play.

I went through all of my email messages, responding to each one that was in my inbox, deleting those I did not need and moving those I did need into email folders.

Afterwards, I enjoyed some sugar snap peas with bacon dip, while reading a chapter of the book I'm currently reading (Night by Elie Wiesel--it's an amazing book by the way!).

That took me to about 3:00PM, at which time I worked on a writing project I'm in the middle of. At 4:00P, I did a few media interviews, that ended at about 4:45P.

I turned off my computer, did a quick office clean up, and then started some laundry. Then, dinner. I made baked haddock, red potatoes and green beans. While dinner was cooking, I did some quick cleaning around the house. We started eating dinner around 5:45 or so and cleaned up directly afterwards.

Joe and I then took Amanda to the park for awhile. When we returned, we played some games with her. Then it was bathtime and bedtime.

Once Amanda was asleep, I did a little bit of scrapbooking and then watched some TV with Joe before going to bed.

In summary, I managed to:

WORK
1. Update next week's newsletter and web site
2. Respond to, file and/or delete all my email messages
3. Finish a nice chunk of my writing project
4. Do two media interviews

HOUSE
1. Get myself, and my daughter, ready for the day
2. Cook
3. Clean
4. Do Laundry
5. Get my daughter bathed and ready for bed

FUN
1. Eat 3 square meals, with a snack in between.
2. Spend quality time with my husband and Amanda.
3. Talk with my friends.
4. Do a crossword puzzle.
5. Read some of my book.
6. Scrapbook.
7. Watch TV.

And that's only one day of my 5 day workweek! I know once I look back at the end of the week, I will be looking back at a very productive week--but also one in which I managed to truly enjoy myself each day.

Don't forget about enjoying yourself each day. You can still get stuff done, but it will be so much better if you can also say you did a bunch of nice things for yourself and your family too!

An Easy Tool to Help You Make Decisions

For the past few weeks, I've been researching preschools in my area, as my daughter will be attending classes soon. I called each school, and set up appointments to simply observe a class in session. Last week, we visited two schools, and will be visiting two more this week. Once we're done, we'll need to make a decision that will determine the school Amanda will attend.

Whenever there is a situation in which there are various criteria to consider, I always make myself a Pro/Con table.

In this scenario, the 4 possible schools are listed down the left column of a sheet of paper. Under each school are the criteria we're considering, such as ratio of children to teachers and assistants, percentage of learning time versus playing time, safety issues, classroom atmosphere, and so on.

Across the top of the paper are columns for Pros and Cons.

As I visit each school, I jot down any notes, indicating them under the proper column--Pros column (obviously things I liked) and Cons column (things I didn't like so much.)

Once this evaluation period is over, I'll be able to more easily make an educated decision based on my Pro/Con table.

This 'visual' tool can be used in various decision-making situations, such as when making a computer purchase, making a job decision, making a business decision and so much more!

Festa Italiana

Last night, Joe and I went to Festa Italiana together with two of our good friends, Tammy and Jesse. This event is an annual 4-day celebration held in Milwaukee, WI. We always enjoy the Italian culinary treats, unique attractions, and the ethnic music. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this event has been going on for about 30 years now.

If you ever plan to visit Milwaukee around this time of the year, don't miss this fun celebration. Here is the official link: Festa

Ever since I moved from the east coast, it's not easy to get a good sausage and peppers sandwich, or a plate of fried calamari--my husband doesn't understand why I like this stuff so much! I told him, "You just have to be Italian to understand." At Festa, I can always indulge myself. It brings back memories of my childhood growing up in New Jersey, and often visiting Hoboken, NJ where I was first introduced to Italian festivals.

* Tip: Save time and money carpooling:

Our friends carpooled down to the grounds with us--this saved a few bucks in parking, plus it gave us the opportunity to spend more time together.

* Tip: Find out what's going on, when, and where:

When we first arrived on the grounds, we picked up a brochure, listing all the food vendors and the schedule of events. We then walked up and down the festival grounds to get a feel for the layout, find out where the restrooms were, etc.

* Tip: Don't forget to spend some time just relaxing:

We then found a table in the shade. Us ladies got our food first, and then the men found what they wanted to eat. We enjoyed a relaxing, fun meal together.

* Tip: Don't try to see 'everything'. Decide on the things you really want to do:

Afterwards, we headed over to one of the stages for the opening ceremonies. During this time, we were treated to both the American and Italian National Anthems--sung beautifully by an opera singer.

Following that, we headed over to the sky ride which allowed us to relax and see all of the sights, lights and many colors from up high. I was a bit concerned that my backless sandals were going to fall off, but luckily, they stayed on my feet.

We then did a little bit of shopping at il Mercato--the Italian market--which was set up in individual tents. I bought myself some fancy soap made from olive oil.

Shortly after, we attended the flag throwing show. If you've never seen flag throwing before, and you ever have the opportunity, it is well worth it. This particular team was direct from the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy--the Sbandieratori Casventum, a world-renowned group of flag throwers, drummers and buglers. The throwers, who wore costumes that resemble those worn by 14th century soldiers, presented a variety of intricate maneuvers, waving their very large flags, and tossing them high in the air, while other throwers caught them.

Finally, we found a quiet table under the stars and ended the evening with some wonderful Italian desserts.

* Tip: Get a sitter sometimes, so you have some adult time:

We didn't stick around for the spectacular fireworks show this year. A friend was babysitting Amanda for us and we didn't want to get home too late. But we've seen it in prior years, and we know it would have been amazing.

It was a fantastic evening, and we're glad we shared this time with our friends. What a nice way to spend a Thursday night, and it was a spur of the moment decision to even go in the first place. Summer is going by so quickly, so be sure you enjoy a few local events going on in, or around, your own town.