Here Are 8 Timely Tips To Help You Stretch Your Time:

We all only have so many hours in the day to do everything we want to do. Have you ever said, “Where did the day go, I didn’t get anything done”? Here are 8 tips on how to get more done in a day and maybe you can push that snooze button one more time.

1. When you can, multi-task to save time. For instance, put in a batch of wash while you cook breakfast or read to a child. Have a cake baking in the oven while you write a letter. When multi-tasking do things that don’t take all your attention at the same time like talking to someone on the phone and trying to write a report.

When doing errands write a list and write numbers by them in the order you will do them, this will save time as you won’t be going from one end of town to the other and back again.

2. Write a “to do” list every night of what you want to do the next day. This way you have started to organize your day before you are in the thick of things and you can’t even remember what you wanted to do. Structure your day so you can do the things that take the most energy when you are most productive. For morning people you’ll get a lot done in the morning, for evening people your most productive will be at night.

3. Set a limit on how much time you will search the web (set a timer) or watch television. Watching television can be a time to multi-task by folding clothes or working on a craft project so you are doing two things you want or need to do at the same time. Take control of your time; setting a timer can help you do this.

4. If you are in charge of a meeting whether at school, work, or church start and stop on time. People will soon realize they will miss out if they are late as you will have a reputation of starting on time. Have an agenda for the meeting and stick to it. This gives structure so the objectives are met and with everyone knowing the goals the meeting is more efficient.

5. Learn to say no. You are the best person to know what you can and cannot do in a day. By not over extending yourself you will get more done and will be much happier. This is critical in taking control of your time.

6. Get the amount of hours of sleep every night that your body needs. If you are getting up tired you may not be getting enough sleep, only you can determine this. Being rested helps you to be more effective by preventing errors and having to do something over which will cost you more time. Also you’ll have more energy so you can get more done.

7. Get organized and keep organized. By clearing clutter you will save time by not having to search for things you need. It also eliminates the stress of needing to purchase something you can’t find and getting late fees at the library or movie rentals.

8. Delegate tasks to others at home and at work. You don’t have to do everything yourself.

Now that you have more hours in the day to do what you want to do, are you going to sleep in or are you so energized you can take on a new task, spend more time with your family or have some quiet time for yourself? The choice is yours.

I have a friend who avoided going home after work because it was just too depressing. Her home was cluttered and disorganized in every room. She had fast food wrappers everywhere. Drinks had spilled on the couch and carpet that made a sticky mess. She couldn’t find her DVD’s because they were scattered everywhere. She had late fees galore on both DVD’s and library books because she couldn’t find them under all the clutter. She didn’t know how to declutter her home or her life. If this sounds familiar to you here are 10 Tips on how to declutter your home and your life.

1. Some people think they are just lazy and that is why they can’t organize. As a professional organizer I have worked with hundreds of people and no one I have met is lazy, that may be an avoidance tactic. We are busy people and have a lot of demands on our time.

2. They don’t know what they want and haven’t taken the time to think about what they want their home to look like.

3. You may want to keep everything you now have in your home. In each room eliminate 30 of the stuff (depending on how much you have). If this is too hard to do get rid of 20 items in each room, again depending on how much there is to get rid of.

4. You tell yourself you don’t know where to start? Here are some suggestions of where to start: Chose the room that bothers you the most. Start in your bedroom as that room can be a place of sanctuary for you. Start on the front porch or in the entry way as that is the place visitors and guests see first. When you are in a room start organizing from the inside out, do the flat services after you have done the closet, drawers, armoire, cupboards etc.

5. Have you ever said there just isn’t enough time in the day to declutter my home? The solution is to start slow and take baby steps. Set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes and see how much you can get done in that length of time. You will be surprised how much you can get done by taking one small bite at a time. If you are in a good rhythm, reset your timer and keep on clearing clutter.

6. You blame other people in your home for keeping the clutter around. (Only because it is often true). Start with your things first and when they see you are serious and are making changes they will be more likely to come on board and will be willing to declutter their space. Negotiate with your family and share with them your goals on how you want your home to look and feel.

7. What is the use to organize, it will just get unorganized? Do you ever feel this way? And it is true unless you have some systems in place to help you and your family keep it organized. Have a home for everything and after using something put it back where it belongs immediately after using it. When you see something out of place pick it up then and put it away, or in a drawer straighten things up before they get out of hand and a jumbled mess.

8. Do your children undo everything you do? Give them responsibilities and teach them how to declutter by putting things away, reward them and praise them for jobs they do.

9. You are holding on to things because you may need it someday. It is all just stuff; consider is it worth the cost to replace it IF at some future time you need it compared to what it is costing in clutter living in your home.

10. You can’t decide what to get rid of? As you look at every item ask yourself how long it has been since you used it, do you ever use it, does it light you up, could someone else make better use of it? By asking yourself these questions it will be easier to part with the stuff that is just taking up space in your home and creating clutter.

By using these simple steps to declutter your home you will be able to keep organized. Life happens and things get unorganized, but keep your goals in mind and use the systems you put in place to keep organized.

After all we could all use a little extra time in the GARDEN!!!