Tag: Time Management

Procrastination: Why? and How to Stop?

This is the first in a series I am writing for the Lenten Season, exploring the Spiritual Side of Getting Organized.  If you don’t observe Lent, consider it a 6 week Spring Training challenge!

Procrastination: “To indefinitely postpone or avoid performing a task out of anxiety, rather than time constraints or logic.  Unfocused wandering, killing time.”(Julie Morgenstern, Never Check Your Email in the Morning).  You know procrastinators, maybe you are one, I know I am sometimes.

Procrastination is widespread and can really complicate your life.  Here are reasons why we procrastinate, and how to stop!

Perfectionism:

  1. Perfectionism and Procrastination often go together.  Perfectionism is “Refusal to accept any standard short of perfection.”  Just seeing it stated makes me realize how ludicrous it is.
  2. Many of my clients are organized but also challenged with perfectionism. They resist starting organizing projects until the situation is perfect.  Since the perfect situation never occurs, neither does organizing.
  3. “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.” (Michael J. Fox)
  4. Abandon perfectionism.  I challenge you to live better, and try harder.
  5. Ignorance isn’t really bliss.  Perhaps we believe that if we don’t try, we won’t fail, so we can go on believing in perfect.  “To prolong doubt is to prolong hope.”  (Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte)  Reality, though, friends, is always better than guessing.
  6. We are often afraid of doing the wrong thing, so we do nothing.  My dad often said “Do something, even if it is wrong.”  Any action at all is better than complete in-action.  To progress, we have to move, but we also we need to do the right things. Or else we’re guilty of  ….

Confusing busy work for real work:

  1. Recently read “Don’t confuse busy work with real work”  By Harold Taylor.  Here is an excerpt: “Mark Forster, in his book Do it tomorrow, points out that real work advances your business or job while busywork it is what you do to avoid real work.” Taylor suggests we look at results, not just movement.  “Real work includes things such as planning, goal setting, creative thinking, problem solving and decision-making. There is little visible activity with this type of work – consequently busywork looks more like real work that real work does. … We should judge others by their actual results, not by their physical activity.”

Un-Realistic Time Estimates:

  1. It’s surprising how we distort the actual time tasks take to accomplish.  We over-inflate the time for undesirable tasks, and under-inflate the estimates for things we like to do.  I don’t like balancing my checkbook, so it always feels like a big deal, though it takes 10 minutes once I sit down and do it.  I like to rehearse choir music, so I can spend an hour or 2 singing and playing, if I don’t watch the clock.
  2. Open-ended tasks make me nervous.  Something like “Re-do my website and blog” intimidates me because it could take weeks.  And because I can’t see the end, I don’t begin.
  3. How to beat the habit:
  • Keep a log of your time for two weeks to determine true time estimates.
  • Set a timer or your alarm clock and do all you can within your time boundaries.
  • Recognize that all projects are made up of a series of steps, and do as many as you can in a certain amount of time.  Using the blog / website idea, I will 1.  start with finding complimentary themes, 2. edit my current content, 3.  decide what is outdated and what I need to add, change one page at a time until it’s done.  Whew!  I feel better with a plan!

Seeing only the Little Picture.

  1. I am typically very sympathetic, but not when a person’s choice of procrastination over action causes drama.
  2. Procrastinators get mired in, or are oblivious to all but their own Little Picture instead of seeing the Big Picture.  They forget we all co-exist.  A college friend waited until the last minute to complete projects, to create a challenge and some excitement.  He did not see how his drama affected the others in his life.
  3. Procrastinators forget that emergencies happen, and that sometimes the answer is “No”.
  4. What to do about it?
  • Tough love here, but Grow up and see the big picture.  Learn to be more considerate of other people’s time as well as your own.
  • Find some other healthy outlet for your adrenaline rush, and ditch the drama.
  • Recognize that procrastination is a form of narcissism, and rise above.
  • Let experience win out over optimism.  If you often leave things undone until the last minute and occasionally get burned, start sooner next time!

Perhaps you just don’t know where to begin.  I understand.  Here are a couple of suggestions:

  1. Pick a spot and begin.  Move left-to-right, or right-to-left around your project area, just choose a path.
  2. Also, spend your time in one area today.   Whether you have 20 minutes or 4 hours, focusing on just one project area will bring you better results.
  3. If you have more than one project to tackle, and need to choose which one comes first, begin with the one that will bring you the most relief or with the one that is causing the most pain right now.

Start living better today.  If any of these reasons for procrastination feels really familiar, making positive choices this week to work better is a great place to start!

Organize Your Wellness! Love Yourself!

     Hearts are everywhere this time of year!  Love and Valentine’s day, of course, but also Go Red for The American Heart Association, and health and wellness in general.  Spend some time this week organizing your schedule and home around your Health and Wellness, and take care of you and the ones you love.   

  1. Make wellness part of your routine, making time for exercise, healthy eating, medications and supplements.  Attach something that needs to happen to something that already works.  For example, perhaps you pick your kids up from school every day.  Attach a 30 minute walk on the way to pick-up, to ensure your exercise will happen.  Or if you check your email every morning, like me, leave your vitamins and supplements next to your computer as a reminder!
  2. Save yourself some time and stress, and assign a home to important things.  For example, put your car keys and cell phone the same place every time you come in the door.  Then stick with it.  Every time. 
  3. Plan time – actually make a note in your calendar – every week for exercise and self-care.   Writing things down make them more likely to occur.  I always respect my standing appointment for my tennis lesson!
  4. Make and keep those health care appointments!  Group appointments on one or two days off, and take care of them all at once.  Set aside a day to set all your appointments, too.  Maybe Valentine’s Day or your birthday, or the first day of the month?  And of course, keep a portable folder for notes on health care issues and questions to ask your providers.  I also sweetened my recent appointment day with a massage in the morning, Rita at A Relaxed You in Mt. Greenwood is my favorite!
  5. Use down-time, like waiting for an appointment or for the kids to finish soccer practice for some deep breathing exercises, relaxing visualizations or a brisk walk around the park.  I have some great apps for my smart phone like “Long Deep Breathing”, “Relax Sleep Well” and “White Noise”.  Of course, I also have Sudoku and Word Jumble Apps, so I can relax and distract when I have a minute! 
  6. Make family time wellness time, with family hikes or biking, ice-skating, snowball fights – use your imagination!
  7. Occasionally take the day off from routine tasks.  Try a non-laundry day or a guest chef (my kids!) day, to make things more fun and less stressful.
  8. Remind yourself that you do not have to fix every problem every day.  Focus on just a few tasks, and do them well.
  9. Have a back-up plan for everything – babysitter, outfit, transportation options, backdoor key
    (hidden but accessible), quick and easy dinner plan.  Save yourself the scramble when your schedule changes or you are feeling under the weather!
  10. Save Your Back (or in my case, my shoulder.  Did I mention a massage?!?):  Only carry what you need.  Keep your backpacks handbags and briefcases filled with essentials for today, and don’t lug around stuff you don’t need.

Focus on wellness this week, and love yourself and those who count on you!  Happy Valentines Day!

8 Tools in your Focus Toolbox

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Congratulations!  It’s a new year!  You cleaned your desk and set up your workflow.  Awesome!  Now it’s time to get to work.  And your brain betrays you.  Ugh.  Instead of focusing, it wants to be anywhere but sitting at your desk getting things done.  Oh, wait, maybe that’s just my brain.

Focus, both noun and verb, is defined as “to bring to the center of interest, to concentrate”.  When working from home, I want to make the most of my time and get my work done, so I can finish up and go do something else.  And when I am working with a client, it’s my responsibility to keep our projects on task and focused, to make the most of our time together.  Focus is very important, for me and for you.

As I’ve thought about improving focus, I’ve discovered tools to use for different people, situations, assignments or types of tasks, even different times of day.  And I guess that’s my point today.  Next time you need to really buckle down, give one of these Focus ideas a try, and find out what works for you. 

Getting Started:

  1. Start with your easiest task. Sometimes we can get our brain to focus on business if we start with a couple of easy tasks first, to quickly cross them off the to-do list.  Or….
  2. Start with your hardest task.  Spending time on your toughest task ensures some progress today.  The tough tasks are also typically the longest, so we need to make time early on to get them done.
  3. Set a deadline for your self can help you stay focused and on-task.  Instead of wondering IF you can get a task done in an hour, a day, a week, resolve you WILL get it done, and get to work.  I don’t do well with open-ended assignments, so this works great for me. 
  4. Keep a pad of paper or pile of index cards next to you, to collect distracting ideas and address them later.  Keep the idea, but don’t let it derail your focus.

While You Work:

  1. If you find your focus drifting, stop trying so hard.  It might be time to take a break.
    1. Focus on or do something else for a short time, since letting your mind wander for a few minutes can actually improve focus.
    2. Take a break and walk away.  Walk around the block, take some deep breaths.  Don’t just surf the net for a few minutes, let your eyes see something new for a bit. 
    3. Be comfortable.  I can focus a little too well sometimes.  So well that hours can pass, and then I am stiff, cold, hungry and really tired.  Take breaks to keep your self comfortable as you do your work.
    4. Count to 10.  Or 20.  Or 100.  Or backwards from 20.
  2. Music:  Sometimes music helps me, sometimes it is distracting.  Know your self.  If low background music helps you focus, use it!
  3. If repeated interruptions are sabotaging your focus, take control:
    1. Turn off the tech, and respect your own time.  No email notifications, no phone calls, no Facebook or Angry Birds.
    2. Close the door, or put interruptions in your calendar.  If someone interrupts you, pause the question for 10 seconds and finish what you are doing, promise to get back to the person at an appointed time, make a quick note of the time, and then get back to work!
  4. If you are writing and you can’t seem to focus:
    1. Start with a review of what you wrote most recently.
    2. Write anything for 3 minutes, even if it is gibberish.  Just writing words can help our brain focus. 
    3. Use structure.  Remember the 5 paragraph essay you learned in elementary school?  Make a statement; offer 3 points to prove or illustrate the statement; flesh out those points; restate your statement.  My writing often starts with these ideas, or ends up in outline form with bulleted items.  If such structures help you flesh out ideas, use them!

So, next time you find your brain wandering away from the task at hand, pull one of these ideas out of your toolbox and give it a try!  Here’s to a productive, focused brain!

Workflow: “Initiation to Completion”

     Last week, I offered suggestions for cleaning off and setting up your workspace for National Clean Off Your Desk Day.  The next logical step is to look at your workflow, and make it work better for you.  Wikipedia defines “Workflow” as “The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.”

      “Workflow” sounds rather business-y, but refers to anything any of us need to complete, professional, personal or other.  The term “workflow” suggests water to me.  Sometimes water pools and sometimes it moves along, just like work.  Water is necessary to survival, plentiful and refreshing, but can also overflow and escape.  Just like work.  Our work needs to flow into our life, through our processes, reaching completion and leaving our workspace.  The whole point of workflow is movement and action. Here are 4 tips to keep your work flowing!

  1. National Clean off Your Desk Day reminded us that a clean desk can enhance workflow. 
    • Your workspace is sacred, only today’s active work should be there.
    • To decrease interruptions, keep your work and necessary resources to do complete it close at hand.  If you repeatedly have to get up to retrieve a resource, move it closer. 
    • Get non-work stuff out of your workflow, with recycling / shredding / trash close at hand.
  2. Consider your work, and know the path your work should take, from start to finish. 
    • Large companies industries define workflows for different types of jobs, like “idea for article / writer / editor / production”.    
    • Molly’s Example:  I set up a work space for a new bookkeeper last week for a client.  The first thing we did was discuss Molly’s responsibilities and workflow.  Her workflow demands efficient use of her office time, since she’ll be there only a few hours a week.  It includes, in order, reviewing all mail and sorting it into three piles, per the three different business entities she will manage.  From there, the bookkeeping process is the same, regardless of which entity she is working on.  Open mail; sort into Payables, Receivables, Other work, Paper to go to someone else, shred, recycle, etc; do actual bookkeeping; write checks; send those to the manager for clearance and signatures; then mail payments and file the rest.  Done!
    • Kate’s example:  Another client needed to pay her January bills.  First she needed to balance her check book, though, and before she could do that, she needed a print-out from her bank.  For her, the workflow was: call the bank; pick up the printout; balance the check book; pay the bills; and mail the bills.  Until she really thought about the process, she couldn’t see the logical steps to take.
  3. Eliminate or delegate what you can. 
    • What is waiting for someone else’s input?  Send that work on its’ way right away, so that other person can get on with their work, too. 
    • What work can flow to someone else, or be deleted from the stream all together? 
    • Eliminate repetitive and redundant steps.  Years ago, I paid our personal bills and then my husband the CPA would take all the information and enter it into Quicken.  He now does it all, cutting the work in half (and he is really good at it!). 
    • Most definitions of workflow look at processes, not actual work items, but let’s face it – paper and work are usually synonymous.  In my paper management classes, my first suggestion is to get rid of as much new paper as possible.  Cancel catalogs, take your name off of mailing lists, receive bank statements, subscriptions and newsletters electronically or via email.
  4. The definition ends with “Completion.”.  Roll that word around your brain and really think about what it means.  Completion (satisfied sigh).  The work is done.  Now stand up, put away what needs put away, and for a moment, appreciate that feeling of satisfaction that comes from Completion.  Then get back to work!

Even Rock Stars have To-Do lists

In December 2011, when this article was originally published, one of John Lennon’s To-Do lists went up for auction.  To paraphrase, it listed “buy different marmalade”, “talk to [famous person] regarding a certain book”, “talk to the cable guy”, etc. 

I liked thinking about the universality of To-Do lists.  We all have stuff to do, even when we’re rich and famous.  Of course, John Lennon’s list was given to his assistant to complete, but I still like thinking about it. 

     My regular To-Do list is lengthy, but add in Christmas tasks and my head reels!  So, use these tips to make progress this busy week, short of hiring an assistant! 

  1. Write everything down.  Don’t assume you will remember later. 
    • If I am really busy, nothing derails me faster than my own brain.  If I waste time on indecision or whirling thoughts, or I fear I forgot something, I am not acting on those necessary To-Dos. 
    • I use technology, but sometimes I still like to write things down on paper.  As I go through my morning routine, get the kids ready or do the dishes, I jot literally every thought that occurs to me down.  This morning’s list reads 1. Tina, 2. Bob, 3. Jenny, 4. Joe Re: his mom, 5. re-print music list for mass, and 6. peanut butter cups.
    • The first 4 are emails I need to send, the 5th is a quick task, and the 6th is something that I need to put on my grocery list.   I write thoughts down so I can continue what I am doing without distraction.  Then when I am ready to get to real business, I use my list to see what I need to do.
  2. Break big tasks into little steps:
    • Every task represents an action or a list of actions.  For example, “Bake cookies” really means find recipes, check cabinets, make grocery list, go shopping, clean off kitchen counter and then bake cookies. 
    • Some of those smaller steps can be done between bigger ones, like clean off the counter when you do the dishes in the morning, check recipes while the kids do their homework, check cabinets while making dinner, make grocery list on the train to work, etc. 
  3. Maintain focus:
    • Once you have determined a reasonable list for the day, stick with it.  For example, “inventory baking supplies and add needed things to grocery list” can end up as “spend 7 hours emptying all the cabinets, make a really big mess, get overwhelmed and either throw away too much or stuff it all back in the cabinets”.  Oh, and never making the grocery list.
    • So refer back to the list regularly to make sure you’re on track.  Applaud yourself for small victories, and move on to the next task.
    • Try setting a timer and powering through as many of the little tasks as possible in say, 20 minutes.
  4. Make a January list:
    • While putting away laundry the other day, I was frustrated at the state of my tween’s t-shirt drawer.  I need to go through the shirts, and purge a bunch.  BUT NOT TODAY!
    • So that’s on the January list, along with “purge and pack the decorations” “tidy up the crawl space” and “organize the furnace room”.  All are important, but none are vitally important today or even this month, so they don’t deserve my attention right now.
  5. Take care of yourself.  Eat to fuel your body and mind before action.  Try to get enough rest (though speaking with a friend last week about our To Do lists, we both said “Sleep is overrated!!).  Seriously though, you can’t do anything if you get too tired or run-down. 
  6. Keep it fun:  stop for a pumpkin spice latte, sing along loudly to Christmas carols in the car, ride the grocery cart back to your car.  These are the holidays, after all!  Enjoy!

Want to see John Lennon’s list?  Click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/28/john-lennon-to-do-list

Also of note, during the same NPR broadcast where I heard about John Lennon’s To-Do list, Johnny Cash’s To-Do list: was also mentioned:  http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/lists-of-note

Sleep Advice From A Recovering Insomniac

Poor sleep makes us overwhelmed, unmotivated and unfocused.  Being well rested makes good time management and organization possible.  So here is what I have learned, from an organizer’s point of view, on my journey to a good night’s sleep.

     I love to snuggle down for a good night’s sleep, especially this chilly time of year.  But sometimes good sleep eludes us, for a host of reasons.  I have never fallen asleep easily, and there have been times in my life where it has been nearly impossible.  My hubby kindly observed that I am a stickler for good sleep habits in my kids because I don’t want them to suffer from insomnia like I did, and he’s right.  I encourage good sleep habits in all of us, to help my kids now and later in life.

Tidy up your bedroom for better sleep:

     The National Sleep Foundation tells us that people who make their beds daily are more likely to sleep well every night, and 71 percent of us sleep better in a fresh-smelling bedroom.  In addition, a cluttered room reminds us of unfinished tasks, whereas a calm and uncluttered room helps us relax.  Closing closet doors and dresser drawers further soothes us.

     We sleep best in a cool-not-cold, dark (no bright alarm clocks!), and quiet (but not too quiet, I like a little white noise) room.  Limit the use of your bedroom to sleep and relaxation.  No distractions.  No computer, no TV (yes, really), no treadmill or workout equipment, no unfinished work or unfolded laundry.   Sleep and relaxation, That’s It!

Good Sleep Hygiene:

     Go to bed and get up the same time every day.  I won’t tell you to get your full 8 hours, since some adults need less and some need even more.  Adjust your bedtime and wake time to where you fall asleep when you go to bed, and awake rested, sometimes without the alarm clock.  And try to stay close to your target bedtime and wake time even on weekends and vacations.

Put your brain to rest: 

     A favorite tip to clients and friends is to keep a notebook and pen (I have a pen that lights up!) at the bedside to jot down stray thoughts for the next day.  Anxiety and a cluttered mind can interfere with falling asleep.

Organize Your Home for Better Rest:

     You will be spending lots of time indoors soon, so make your home cozy and soothing for the colder nights ahead: 

  • Assemble cozy blankets and candles in the rooms where you spend your evenings.
  • Set up a tray for tea and hot chocolate-making in the kitchen, to make it easier for you to have a soothing hot beverage (this is one of my kids’ favorite parts of colder weather!).
  • Turn down the lights in the evening, to remind your body it is time to sleep.  Strategically place lamps to light your rooms, turn off the bright overhead lights!

 Sweet dreams!

Is Your Routine Stuck In A Rut?

     I talk about Routines often, OK, all the time.  Why?  Because Routines are great! Creating a Routine helps us prioritize and order our necessary tasks.  Sticking with our Routine takes care of regular maintenance items.  Routines free us from time-wasting decision-making.  They are vitally important to our every day success.

     However… there is a darker side of routines.  Buried in “Routine” is “rut”.  As in, “When we do the same thing over and over again, we can get stuck in a rut”.  We can lose sight of Why we do what we do, and then our routine starts to run us, instead of the other way around.  Sometimes, we have to look at our current practices and make sure they’re working for us.  And if they aren’t, it’s time for a change.

How do you know your current Routine works?

  • You feel comfortable with your schedule most days.  Even when you are busy, you don’t worry that you are forgetting a task or appointment.
  • You allow for flexibility in your schedule, to accommodate travel time between appointments, special events or requests, spontaneity and minor emergencies.  Then you get back on track.
  • You can easily explain your time management practices to others.
  • You get things done. 
  • You have time for work, relationships, hobbies or passions, etc. 
  • You are good with deadlines and appointments, and you are on-time most of the time.

      If you are wincing at any of the above questions, it’s time to re-assess your time management and Routine. 

 “How’s that working for ya?”     

     I’ve been working with a client who struggles to complete tasks. I suggested she use a planner and to-do lists to help her get things done.  She asked me Why she had to make a change?, because she really did not want to.  As her professional organizer, my obvious answer went something like “well, let’s see, life without a planner or lists – how’s that working for ya?”

             If you are missing deadlines, forgetting or re-running errands, spending more money than you need to, or feeling overwhelmed and out of control at least once a day, your current practices are not working, and YES, it is time to re-assess your time management and Routines.  I know new practices may seem intimidating, but soon they will be routine, too.    

     Do you know the story of the Frog and the hot water?  The adage says that if you put a frog in hot water, he will jump right out.  But if you put the frog in cold water then slowly heat the water, he’ll not jump out, and will boil.  We notice an abrupt problem, but not always a gradual decline.  

Don’t Boil the Frog, or yourself.  Review then re-commit to your routine regularly.   

      Lately, I have not stuck with my own Routine components of 1.  getting in the shower upon waking (very important for me to get in early, so I can get my boys up and ready for school); 2.  taking my vitamins every day (I feel so much better when I do the right thing); and 3. exercising (also, so important and usually the first thing I abandon when the schedule gets busy).  So I need to get back to all three of those things, and I started this morning. 

     I also realized that the things I have let slide are for my own health, and since it is bad when Mom gets sick as there is no one left to tend the family, I am also committing to completing the vitamins / exercise / weight watchers log-in tasks by 10 am every day. 

      If you notice things slipping, make sure the task that is slipping is still important, and then spend a few days focusing on completing that task until it again becomes Routine. 

Break Your Own Rules:  occasionally break your routine to get non-routine tasks done.

      Last Thursday, I realized that my regular routine was not allowing a couple of really important projects to get done, so I ditched the Routine and powered through those important things just to get them done and into someone else’s hands.  Then I caught up with my regularly scheduled life.    

     If I find that I am regularly breaking out of my daily Routine just to get things done, then I have to ask myself 2 questions:  1.  Do I allow enough time in my daily schedule and Routine to get all my tasks done?  And if not, 2. Do I need to reconfigure how I spend my time?  Which leads me to….

 Life Changes, and so should your Routine. 

     Our schedule has gotten crazy lately with 3 boys in 3 sports, in addition to everything else we do.  I love that my boys are involved in sports, but our 3-7 pm block of time, the time I usually use to make dinner, catch up on paper work, make client calls and take care of home business is now spent at games. 

     I recognize this fact, and have consciously decided to let Routine slide on some days to get business tasks like billing and writing done. I assure myself that volleyball season is fleeting, and in 6 weeks, when all is done, I’ll be sad it is over.  For now, though, forgive me if I respond to your phone call or email from the bleacher seats (thank goodness for my smart phone)!

            Sometimes changes are more long-term, not just a sport season but for life, like a new baby, new job or retirement, etc..  Use that transition time to reflect on your daily tasks and determine how to make things get done, around your new schedule. 

     So, Routines are the best time management tool ever, but even the best tool needs occasional adjustment.  Be aware of how you spend your time, and how you want to spend your time, and make sure the two match up!

Spend Your Screen Time Wisely

Did you Know?  September 18-24th is National  Turn Off Week , a challenge to Reduce your Screen Time on TV and technology.  

     I am blogging to the internet on my laptop, then sending a newsletter via email to suggest you spend less time this week on Screen Time and technology devices.  The irony is not lost on me!  So let me get on with this, so you can read and learn, then go and do something else!

     A Google search of “Turn Off Week” produced links from hundreds of organizations recommending less screen time for both adults and children.  Why?  As a society, we are spending lots of time, often too much time in front of Screens and technology.  Stepping away from the TV, computer and game screens enhances our fitness, health, nutrition, education and family time, just to name a few.  

     I like TV.  I have a handful of shows that I DVR every week, and watch avidly when I have the time, on my own terms.  TV is not bad.  As I start this article on a rainy Sunday afternoon, my hubby is watching football and the kids are watching a Red Box DVD downstairs.  We like TV.  But just this past week, it became evident we need to spend some more time on our school work; all three boys want to sign up for Fall sports; and the pre-teen wants to learn 2 (yes 2) more musical instruments.   Time for these activities has to come from somewhere, so Off The TV will go!

     I love technology.  I use lots of screen time for work and play.  But Technology is only a  tool.  It can educate, communicate, illuminate, entertain.  It can do lots of things, but it is a thing.  It exists to make our lives better.  So use this National Turn Off Week to make sure you are using your technology, and not the other way around. Consider Turn Off Week as a Time Management experiment, how to use our time and resources the best way possible.  

 Things to Think About and Try This Week:

  1. Remind everyone (including yourself) that Turn Off Week is a positive choice.  Replace screen time with family activities, game night, hikes and outings, etc., to reinforce that Real Life is more important than screen time.
  2. The first step to positive change is always awareness.  Need to start small?  Just pay attention to how much you and your family uses technology, and determine if you all could improve your lives by cutting back on your screen time.
  3. Use tech tools to manage your tech.  I love these ideas, for managing your Tech Time, from a Real Simple article, April, 2011:
    • “MacFreedom.com disables all roads to the internet for an allotted amount of time”;
    • “RescueTime.com  tracks your every on-line move and provides easy to read, painfully revealing charts” telling you just how much time you really spend on Facebook or shopping on-line; and
    • “LeechBlock, addons.mozilla.org, blocks certain websites either perpetually or during specific periods, to help you focus you and your family’s time better.”
    • Also, we can set our Direct TV parental controls to allow TV viewing only at certain times of the day, and on certain channels.  I will re-set our viewing hours to between 6 and 8 pm unless I lift the block with the secret code (we’ll see how that goes!!).
    • On the other hand, we can record shows on the DVR for the kids to watch later, so they are guaranteed to have something they want to watch when they do finally sit down to do so. 
  4. Set a limit for how much screen time you and your children use every day.
    • My MIL used TV tokens with her kids, and introduced the idea to my boys one week over the summer. Every day each child receives 3 tokens, for ½ hour each of TV time, Wii or Nintendo.  They can lose their tokens for minor offenses, or they can save them up if they want to watch a movie on the weekends. 
    • It was amazing to watch my 7-year-old become a savvy shopper when it came to “spending” his tokens.  He might turn on the TV, consider what his choices were, and then decide to turn it off because he didn’t really like the choices.  Before the tokens, he would have just sat there and vegged out. 
  5. Be mindful.  Decide when and what to watch, or when you will check your email or smart phone.  Then Do what you plan to do, and Move on.  Get on Facebook, check in, get off, go do something else.  Be mindful when you are using your technology tools, but also be mindful and appreciative of your family and the day around you.  

For Life:  Reduce Screen time with a few simple guidelines: 

  • Keep TVs and computers out of the bedrooms, especially children’s bedroom, for safety, better sleep, better focus, and more family time;    
  • Don’t eat in front of the TV or computer (a challenge for me on days when I work from home); and
  • Set guidelines, like “No cell phones in the bedroom or at the dinner table”.  Neither my teenager nor we parents need our phones where we sleep, since we should neither send nor receive texts at midnight!  We can choose when to answer messages and texts, and hopefully raise awareness in others as to what is appropriate or not. 

     So, our plan?  1. We’ll all work on using our Turn Off Time wisely, for the cool activities we want to do instead of mindless TV viewing, and 2. I am going to work on my own screen time, to focus on people and not technology when we are all together.  I will check then ignore my email first thing in the morning on my iPhone, but wait to turn on my computer until the boys are off to school and I am ready to really work.   And I’ll let  you know how it goes, in a week, via technology again!   And let me know if you have ideas or suggestions for how to spend your Turn Off Week!

A Great Morning Starts The Night Before!

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(A note: I originally wrote this article for Speech Plus in Frankfort, IL for their Back-To-School newsletter issue.  They graciously agreed to let me post the information, for the benefit of all!   For more information regarding Speech Plus, P.C., go to their website at www.speechplus.org, or find them on Facebook.)

Getting ready and out the door in the morning can be a challenge, especially for families!  Here are 5 things you can do tonight to make tomorrow morning great:

  1. Look ahead.  After dinner, check tomorrow’s schedule. Assemble by the door the items needed for your work presentation, your child’s school band rehearsal or soccer practice.  Complete permission slips, make sure your teenager has lunch money, note special needs or events.  Do this early in the evening while you still have time to run to the grocery for snacks or wash the soccer uniform.
  2. After dinner is a great time to pack all the lunches for tomorrow, too.  Pop them back in the refrigerator, and grab them and go in the morning rush.  Pack one for your self, too!
  3. Lay out clothes for tomorrow, for you and your children.  If you have small children and some open floor space, lay out the clothes on the floor, face down, as though they were on a child, to help your young one get himself dressed independently.  If you have older children, take out the guess-work and roll ensembles together or leave them on a hanger all together in the closet.
  4. Put the school work away tonight, leaving out only an item or 2 if there is last-minute test review to do.  Otherwise pack up the backpack when the homework is done for the night, and leave it by the door to grab and go.
  5. Go to bed.  Good sleep hygiene is vital to success, for you and for your children.  Calming night-time routines with family time, soothing lighting and relaxing reading ensure restorative sleep and a better morning tomorrow!  Introduce the school-year bedtime a week before school begins, to ease your sleepers and your self into the new time.

A great school day begins with a great morning, and a great mornings starts the night before.  Here’s to a successful school year!

BTS: Never Be Late Again!

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Last August, I resolved we would be on time for school. Every day. And except for the very last day of school, when there was an actual flood in our neighborhood, we accomplished our goal.

Do you know why we succeeded?  Because I realized that my own adherence to my own routine can make or break our morning.  If we are late for school, by and large, it really is my fault.

As my children grow up, the responsibility shifts to their shoulders.  Some mornings, kid cooperation is not 100%.  But it is still up to me to set the example, to create (with family in-put) and stick with our Morning Routine, to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted, to keep the goal of “School On Time and Prepared” ever in sight.

Your kids may have a few weeks until they go back to school, and soon their morning routines will get tweaked.  So, this week, get your own Back To School (or going to work every day) Routine on track, and make the BTS transition easier for everyone!

Get up when you plan to get up.

I admit, I am a snoozer.  When the alarm sounds, my hubby hops up and stays up.   Me?  Not so much.  I learn from him, though, and moved the alarm clock more than an arm length away from the bed, to keep me from smacking the snooze button without even fully registering that the alarm went off.

Why?  Because I use an alarm for a reason.  I need to get up at 6 am to get myself ready before the kids get up.  And if I don’t get up with the alarm, I defeat my own intentions before I even get out of bed.  Setting the alarm earlier and allowing snooze time doesn’t solve the problem, either, now does it?  Nope.  Same bad habit and defeatist behavior.  So bye-bye bedside clock, hello hidden-under-the-bed or across-the-room clock.

And, DO NOT set your clock ahead.  Everyone knows it is set ahead, and it loses effectiveness (unless you set it a minute or two ahead, and don’t tell anyone….)

Get Ready First.

I talk about “Back to Ready” with my clients.  It is a mental image of what an organized and ready family looks like.  We know what is necessary to get ready, how to do those things, and that once we’re there, we can go do something fun.

But it has to start with getting Me “Back To Ready”.  Why bother getting the kids or the house ready for us to go if I am  not ready?  First order of the day is to get myself up and showered and dressed and fed.  Then I am much more available and coherent when the kids get up.

Lower Your Morning Standards.

Whenever I talk about routines, I always suggest to write down what you Need to do in the morning.  And, yes, I said NEED.  Make sure the Needs are covered, then move on to the Wants.  Needs are get clean, get dressed, eat breakfast, get out the door.  Everything else is extra.

I am the queen of starting just one more thing when I should be leaving, but that “one more thing” like writing an email or starting a load of clothes can make us late.  You and I both need to Write It Down and save it for later, and get out the door.

I read an article the other day that suggested we all Need to rise before 5 am to meditate, journal, work out, conference call with Singapore and grind our own flour for organic muffins for our families (yes, I made some of that up.  But not all!) before 7 am.  But if that list of things to do is not for you, don’t worry.  Stick with Needs, then move to Wants.

Recognize Load Time and Leave Time are two different things. 

Load Time:  The time we start loading ourselves in the van.  Factor in the every-morning-search for the 11 year- old’s watch, the 7 year-old’s daily dash to the bathroom as soon as I holler “Let’s go, people!”

Leave Time:  Time you pull out of the garage and head to school.  Leave Time factors in the length of the car ride / walk to school and adds a little cushion.  Aim for 5 minutes early to start with, it’s better to be early rather than late!  And don’t consider Early early.  Consider it On Time.

If you only have yourself to get out the door every morning, you can learn from this, too, especially if you find yourself running back for a few things as you leave the house.  Know your self.  For example, if you have to leave at 7:30 am to get to the office on time, aim for 7:20, realizing you always search for your car keys, double-check the locks, share a few words with the neighbor, or forget something.  And if you actually get to work a few minutes early, that is great, too!

So, whether you are going Back to School or not, let me challenge you this week to make your Morning Routine work better for you, and Get Where You Are Going On Time Next Time.  Give it some thought, get up a little earlier (or just move the alarm clock like me) and never be late again!