Donna's Place For Everything

“If you are on time, you are late”  is a motto I live by.  It shows respect for other people’s time. If you start work at 2:00pm and you arrive at 2:00pm, you are late.  By the time you greet everyone, put your things away, perhaps even take a trip to the restroom, it could be 10 minutes until you are settled and ready to begin your day.  Now it is 2:10pm, and you are late.  I will never understand the statement, “I am always late.”  How is that possible?  If you know you are ALWAYS late, then why not push everything back 30 minutes and be on time? Everyone feels anxiety rushing to the airport hoping to make their flight, or the panic knowing your child is waiting alone on the curb while you are late picking them up. Being late and being on time have one thing in common…Time Management.  And time management is all about being organized. The heck with the New Year’s Resolution to lose 10lbs, go to the gym everyday or drink less alcohol.  Make a realistic resolution to Be Early.  Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1.  Plan your whole day.  Look at your day and assign a time to everything you have going on.  For example, if you have to be at work at 12:00pm, figure out what time you have to leave to be there by 11:45am.  Then figure out what time you have to get in shower to allow time to get ready to be there by that time.  What time to eat breakfast, walk the dog, make the beds and pick up the house. You may have to get up a tad earlier  to get everything done, but trust me, you will not be late.

2.  Check the weather and plan your outfit the night before. Install a hook inside your closet or on your wall to hang your outfit for the next day.  Make sure it is ironed and all accessories and shoes are ready to go. This is a 5 minute process at night before you go to bed vs a daunting stressful process in the morning when you are tired and have 10 other things to do.

3.  Look at your week and set a plan.  Schedule a time in your calendar to get gas, stop by the bank, grocery shop, do laundry and run miscellaneous errands.  If you schedule the time into your days you can get everything done. What is not done can be easily rescheduled into the week.

4.  Plan your meals on Sunday.  Look at your family’s schedule for the week and figure out what days you will all be home to eat together, what meals will be on the go, etc.  Make a menu of meals and record on your calendar.  Schedule a time to go shopping to have all ingredients ready to prepare.

5.  Take inventory, and know your inventory.  Don’t wait until the night before your daughter needs her uniform washed for tomorrow to realize you are out of detergent. Don’t realize you are out of eggs when you have 30 minutes to make cupcakes for the school bake sale.  When you are running low on items, start a list.  Keep the list in a common area so all family members can add to it as needed.  This ensures you have what you need when you need it.

6.  Wear a watch and look at it!

Happy New Year!  Enjoy your new Time Management skills and cheers to being On Time!!