Well, I personally hate advices on Managing your Time, Life/Self Improvement.. Prioritizing blah blah… this piece of writing was actually meant only for self reference but as all other good & bad things I couldn’t help but share this one as well ;) :)
I am habituated with self retrospection. And that’s why, very often the need to improvise my habits comes from the aftermath of a disaster! :) So I trust my own bad experiences to teach me well rather than any counseling from my elders [mom included] ;) :)
Sad, but true … I guess was born a rebel :)
This is especially for those “newly weds” or “previously lead a careless life & suddenly bogged down by duties kind of people!! ;) “ or even those who just love to read stuff in their spare time and forget it as quickly as a mediocre Bollywood film (I generally tend to remember the worst & the best :) ) All others may find that they already practice most things but maybe a point or two maybe worth a try..
The list can obviously go on endlessly, but preferred to keep it at an optimum - not necessarily meaning SHORT :)
Time Savers for the Responsible Homemakers – No Gender BIAS Please :)
1: Sticking to a Schedule:
Try to follow a routine of getting up and sleeping at the same time. Maybe between 6-6:30 AM and 11-11:30 PM. Now with 7 hours of sleep and a 17 hour long day determine and divide your home and office time. If you spend 9 hours in office and maybe an hr commuting back and forth, you are still left with 7 hours for personal and home care combined.
How you plan these 7 hours is really the key to staying happy. So just as you have a schedule for the office, have one for the home as well.
2: Having a Personal Calendar:
Set aside time on your calendar for activities with the people who are important to you or for events you want to attend. Once these events or activities have been scheduled you will have to schedule other responsibilities around them. Once your calendar is full, you will have to turn down other requests.
Saying no will make sure you keep your schedule open for the activities that are important to you. It sets boundaries for people who would otherwise take advantage of you and your time. This also ensures that you make “Yourself” a priority in your Life. If you disregard your needs frequently to meet the needs of others, chances are that your aren’t looking after yourself too well and that isn’t going to keep you or others around you too Happy.
3: Keep a Track of Things:
Keep a track of the last time you got yourself a pedicure, you had you teeth polished or got your Eyes inspected. This way you know when is it next that you need to visit the beautician/the dentist/the eye specialist. Mark that date/time on this calendar and make sure you keep those appointments.
4: Organizing your Wardrobe/Closet:
When you know you are to attend a Marriage Reception this Thursday evening or a go on a Trek this Saturday don’t hunt your wardrobe last minute.
Make sure the saree you want to appropriately wear for the occasion isn’t lying in the laundry or the blouse is still fitting you well. You have accessories to match in place. That your favourite perfume or your lip liner is not over. Landing home from office on Thursday evening only to find that you have to wear a different saree and aren’t equipped with appropriate accessories or cosmetics isn’t going to leave you looking too good and neither feeling great!
Also make sure your apparel to wear to office the next day is kept ready the previous night. You don’t have to stare at your wardrobe every morning wondering what to drape to office today and loose out on time. 5 minutes spent deciding and keeping your clothes, accessories, makeup ready the previous night saves you about 10 mins of the time the next day morning.
5: Organizing the Kitchen:
Planning your meals [breakfast, lunch/dinner] a week in advance helps you save a lot of your rush hour time. A weekly meal plan done on a Saturday can ensure that your trip to the vegetable/grosser/fruit stall/super market is profitably utilized.
Also it saves you that time of waking up every morning to dig the refrigerator to decide on the vegetable to cook and pack for lunch or even the breakfast to prepare every morning. It ensures that you cook a variety of meals and take enough time to skim through a new recipe to avoid monotony and keep you dear ones relishing their meal.
6: Filing Important Documents:
I remember sending a mail long ago about a filing system. It has truly ensured that the Document is found instantly when it was needed! It also helps when u have important documents Scanned and stored on your laptop/burnt on a CD [disaster recovery ;) :) :p ].
Having an excel workbook wherein there is 1 worksheet dedicated to each of the following:
Academic Details, Employment History, Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Car/Bike/Home Insurance, Bank/Demat Account Details, Debit/Credit Card Information, Identity Proof Details (PAN, License, Passport, Voters ID etc), Stocks, MF’s/SIP’s, NSC/PPF/EPF details, Details of Other Assets, Your Numerous Website Subscription Details, IMP Contact Numbers you may not want to store on your cell [The Cooking GAS Agent, Your Family Doc, Beautician, Tailor, Grosser, Laundry Guy etc etc] , Your wishlist maybe ;) :) helps to serve as a single point of reference for all the important information!
But of course, the unauthenticated access of this 1 file spells disaster for you for life! So if u think you can’t guard this softcopy well you’re better off not having it :)
7: Marking Birthday’s and Anniversaries on your Calendar:
Year 2005 when my wedding was fixed, I remember being greeted by a lot of sarcasm from my relatives/friends for having forgotten birthdates/anniversaries. Everyone was like “now that you are getting married to a sweetheart and going to be a part of another family you need not remember us..”
While it dint surface verbally, I was deeply hurt…But I also made it a point that nobody ever complained the next year :) Marking important dates or having a separate calendar dedicated to Birthday’s, ensures you aren’t hurt by comments made by your loved ones, which are actually unintentional and acceptable since they are right when they expect such a simple act of kindness from you.
8: Don’t be Lethargic or Turtle Paced:
Complete tasks within realistic time frames, do not endless go on doing the same activity as if all time were yours. It puts off other people and moreover you may be left with absolutely no time to do other more important things. Like 35-45 mins to bathe, hair wash, drape a saree, get your hair in place and get a hint of makeup is just fine when you are going for a party but that 35-45 mins can be cut down to 20-30 mins when you are going to office and the balance 10 mins can be used to skim the newspaper beat the terrible rush hour traffic to reach office on/before time.
9: Eliminating Clutter Periodically:
Broken Crockery, ill fitting clothes, expired medicines, tablets and cosmetics, old newspapers/magazines, unimportant documents, spoilt CD’s/damaged DVD’s, plastic metal or anything that remains unused for long periods should be cleared weekly, every fortnight or monthly to avoid clutter and an unorganized lifestyle. Follow the one in one out policy. For every one new thing that comes into the house one must be donated or disposed if not needed.
By the end of this mail you are probably thinking that my home is full of calendars & planners all over :) !! Nope it isn’t !! :)
But yep Year Ending is a time for me to go Stationery Shopping!!! :) [Shopping after all is in the DNA of a woman !! - remember ?? ;) :) ]
1] A Year200K Business Organizer to note your personal/professional information – tasks, deadlines etc …
2] A Year200K Wall Calendar to be aware of festivals and other important days
3] A Small Year200K Dairy to make a note of daily expenses
4] An A4 sized good looking file – to file any self made single page Planners
5] and A new Parker ;) :p [just for fun :) - suits the man and the woman alike ;) :) u can do with any 5 Rs. pen as well - this is just good looking motivation to write and note down imp stuff ! :)]
This is all it takes to be in control of your daily life ;) :) Sounds stupid!! Nope it isn’t! Try it !
luv as always
- sayli
I am habituated with self retrospection. And that’s why, very often the need to improvise my habits comes from the aftermath of a disaster! :) So I trust my own bad experiences to teach me well rather than any counseling from my elders [mom included] ;) :)
Sad, but true … I guess was born a rebel :)
This is especially for those “newly weds” or “previously lead a careless life & suddenly bogged down by duties kind of people!! ;) “ or even those who just love to read stuff in their spare time and forget it as quickly as a mediocre Bollywood film (I generally tend to remember the worst & the best :) ) All others may find that they already practice most things but maybe a point or two maybe worth a try..
The list can obviously go on endlessly, but preferred to keep it at an optimum - not necessarily meaning SHORT :)
Time Savers for the Responsible Homemakers – No Gender BIAS Please :)
1: Sticking to a Schedule:
Try to follow a routine of getting up and sleeping at the same time. Maybe between 6-6:30 AM and 11-11:30 PM. Now with 7 hours of sleep and a 17 hour long day determine and divide your home and office time. If you spend 9 hours in office and maybe an hr commuting back and forth, you are still left with 7 hours for personal and home care combined.
How you plan these 7 hours is really the key to staying happy. So just as you have a schedule for the office, have one for the home as well.
2: Having a Personal Calendar:
Set aside time on your calendar for activities with the people who are important to you or for events you want to attend. Once these events or activities have been scheduled you will have to schedule other responsibilities around them. Once your calendar is full, you will have to turn down other requests.
Saying no will make sure you keep your schedule open for the activities that are important to you. It sets boundaries for people who would otherwise take advantage of you and your time. This also ensures that you make “Yourself” a priority in your Life. If you disregard your needs frequently to meet the needs of others, chances are that your aren’t looking after yourself too well and that isn’t going to keep you or others around you too Happy.
3: Keep a Track of Things:
Keep a track of the last time you got yourself a pedicure, you had you teeth polished or got your Eyes inspected. This way you know when is it next that you need to visit the beautician/the dentist/the eye specialist. Mark that date/time on this calendar and make sure you keep those appointments.
4: Organizing your Wardrobe/Closet:
When you know you are to attend a Marriage Reception this Thursday evening or a go on a Trek this Saturday don’t hunt your wardrobe last minute.
Make sure the saree you want to appropriately wear for the occasion isn’t lying in the laundry or the blouse is still fitting you well. You have accessories to match in place. That your favourite perfume or your lip liner is not over. Landing home from office on Thursday evening only to find that you have to wear a different saree and aren’t equipped with appropriate accessories or cosmetics isn’t going to leave you looking too good and neither feeling great!
Also make sure your apparel to wear to office the next day is kept ready the previous night. You don’t have to stare at your wardrobe every morning wondering what to drape to office today and loose out on time. 5 minutes spent deciding and keeping your clothes, accessories, makeup ready the previous night saves you about 10 mins of the time the next day morning.
5: Organizing the Kitchen:
Planning your meals [breakfast, lunch/dinner] a week in advance helps you save a lot of your rush hour time. A weekly meal plan done on a Saturday can ensure that your trip to the vegetable/grosser/fruit stall/super market is profitably utilized.
Also it saves you that time of waking up every morning to dig the refrigerator to decide on the vegetable to cook and pack for lunch or even the breakfast to prepare every morning. It ensures that you cook a variety of meals and take enough time to skim through a new recipe to avoid monotony and keep you dear ones relishing their meal.
6: Filing Important Documents:
I remember sending a mail long ago about a filing system. It has truly ensured that the Document is found instantly when it was needed! It also helps when u have important documents Scanned and stored on your laptop/burnt on a CD [disaster recovery ;) :) :p ].
Having an excel workbook wherein there is 1 worksheet dedicated to each of the following:
Academic Details, Employment History, Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Car/Bike/Home Insurance, Bank/Demat Account Details, Debit/Credit Card Information, Identity Proof Details (PAN, License, Passport, Voters ID etc), Stocks, MF’s/SIP’s, NSC/PPF/EPF details, Details of Other Assets, Your Numerous Website Subscription Details, IMP Contact Numbers you may not want to store on your cell [The Cooking GAS Agent, Your Family Doc, Beautician, Tailor, Grosser, Laundry Guy etc etc] , Your wishlist maybe ;) :) helps to serve as a single point of reference for all the important information!
But of course, the unauthenticated access of this 1 file spells disaster for you for life! So if u think you can’t guard this softcopy well you’re better off not having it :)
7: Marking Birthday’s and Anniversaries on your Calendar:
Year 2005 when my wedding was fixed, I remember being greeted by a lot of sarcasm from my relatives/friends for having forgotten birthdates/anniversaries. Everyone was like “now that you are getting married to a sweetheart and going to be a part of another family you need not remember us..”
While it dint surface verbally, I was deeply hurt…But I also made it a point that nobody ever complained the next year :) Marking important dates or having a separate calendar dedicated to Birthday’s, ensures you aren’t hurt by comments made by your loved ones, which are actually unintentional and acceptable since they are right when they expect such a simple act of kindness from you.
8: Don’t be Lethargic or Turtle Paced:
Complete tasks within realistic time frames, do not endless go on doing the same activity as if all time were yours. It puts off other people and moreover you may be left with absolutely no time to do other more important things. Like 35-45 mins to bathe, hair wash, drape a saree, get your hair in place and get a hint of makeup is just fine when you are going for a party but that 35-45 mins can be cut down to 20-30 mins when you are going to office and the balance 10 mins can be used to skim the newspaper beat the terrible rush hour traffic to reach office on/before time.
9: Eliminating Clutter Periodically:
Broken Crockery, ill fitting clothes, expired medicines, tablets and cosmetics, old newspapers/magazines, unimportant documents, spoilt CD’s/damaged DVD’s, plastic metal or anything that remains unused for long periods should be cleared weekly, every fortnight or monthly to avoid clutter and an unorganized lifestyle. Follow the one in one out policy. For every one new thing that comes into the house one must be donated or disposed if not needed.
By the end of this mail you are probably thinking that my home is full of calendars & planners all over :) !! Nope it isn’t !! :)
But yep Year Ending is a time for me to go Stationery Shopping!!! :) [Shopping after all is in the DNA of a woman !! - remember ?? ;) :) ]
1] A Year200K Business Organizer to note your personal/professional information – tasks, deadlines etc …
2] A Year200K Wall Calendar to be aware of festivals and other important days
3] A Small Year200K Dairy to make a note of daily expenses
4] An A4 sized good looking file – to file any self made single page Planners
5] and A new Parker ;) :p [just for fun :) - suits the man and the woman alike ;) :) u can do with any 5 Rs. pen as well - this is just good looking motivation to write and note down imp stuff ! :)]
This is all it takes to be in control of your daily life ;) :) Sounds stupid!! Nope it isn’t! Try it !
luv as always
- sayli
