Improve Time Management Tips
Read these 22 Improve Time Management Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Mom tips and hundreds of other topics.
Time management skill to keep track of Appointments
Put a calendar on the fridge and close to a telephone and pencil or pen. If you'd like, color code all activities and appointments by person. A great time management tip as you'll spend much less time trying to remember who is supposed to be where and when.
Errand Rounds to Improve Time Management
You will amaze yourself with how much you can get done in a short amount of time if you follow this advice for moms. Make a list of places you need to go to. Now place them in order from closest to home to furthest away and start the clock. This way, if an alternate stop is en route that you forgot, you will save even more time.
time management technique - headset makes life easier
Buy a cordless phone with a headset. You will have two hands free to help with your baby, children, and can talk while getting housework done. This advice for moms will help with time management as it is much more freeing than a regular cordless where you are still using one hand to hold the phone.
Mail & E-Mail
Check your email only once or twice a day. Deal with each mail item (email or otherwise) only once. That means reading it, responding to it, filing it for later review or trashing it. Don't leave it sitting around once you've opened it or you'll forget what it is and waste time rereading it probably several times over.
Ready to Go?
Start one hour before you must leave home with kids to make sure everyone is ready. After a few trial runs, you will be able to cut that time in half easily.
Organize Like the Office
Take office skills home. Keep a workplace cleared for action and keep three file folders handy. Label one "URGENT," the second one "ASAP," and the third one, "TO BE FILED."
Labor Intensive Housework
Save any chores that require your undivided attention for naptime or after bedtime. Don't frustrate yourself by trying to do these things while a pre-school age child needs your attention, company and play companionship. The ironing can wait.
Advice for Moms on Daylight Savings
Here is some excellent advice for moms on Daylight Savings Time: "Spring forward" and "Fall back" is a simple way to remember which direction to turn the clocks. Change all your timepieces before you retire to bed so that normal morning disorientation is not made worse by being an hour late (or early).
Time Management and Organizational Skills
Avoid morning chaos by using good organizational skills. Select a place near the door where you can keep your keys, briefcase, purse, school supplies, important papers and letters to be mailed. Keep a petty cash fund handy for all those times that a quarter, 80 cents or $1.55 is needed for school or a parking meter, work, etc. Try these time management techniques - Make lunches the nights before. Pack backpacks with homework and library books at night. Pick out what you and your kids are going to wear the following day. When you get ready to leave in the morning, you will be less likely to forget something important.
gift label tip for organizational skills
Buy personalized printed gift labels with your child's name on them. No more running around for birthday cards at the last minute. This is a fun idea for moms and kids, as your child can fill in the friend's name, and place the sticker on the gift. This is also a money saving tip as the labels cost much less than birthday cards. Buy the labels at www.customexpression.com.
time management skill to organize those socks
Buy socks that are all the same for easy matching at laundry time. Many companies are color coded on the bottom by size to help you determine which socks belong to which person. If you prefer, buy different brands for each child as they usually have a defferent colored stripe on the top. You will save a lot of time when you are folding the laundry. A great organizational skill, and a super tip for time management!
printed school pads
A great time management technique -buy pads for school notes that are preprinted with most of the basic information you will have to write to the teacher. You will just have to check off boxes or fill in the blanks about such things as, my child will be going home with _______ today. Huge time saver!!
Shopping with Kids? NOT.
Some children are born shoppers. Others.... Not. Try to save all the out of home chores for when help (husband) arrives home. You will accomplish more without kids in less time and with a lot less frustration. This is great advice for moms, and a good tip for time management.
Keeping a Time Log
Carry a small pocket sized notepad around with you for a couple days. Log the various activities you do from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. You will then be able to see how and where you are spending (wasting?) the time in your day.
Trying to Do One More Thing
Don't look for one more thing to do in order to have more time in the future. Generally, you will never slow down enough to actually use this "saved" time to your best advantage. If you have this mind-set, there will always be one more thing you can do.
Financial Resolutions
In the lull between Christmas and New Years, take a minute to get out your checkbook. Sit down and start labelling the Date/Year portion only with the New Year. By using this organizational skill you will not bounce a check to start of all those financial resolutions.
Get Organized!
Setting up a good filing system will save you countless hours in the long run. In fact, instead of a telephone table or nightstand, invest in a cheap, sleek, black, two-drawer file cabinet. Place a plant on top, and it goes with anything. Fill with manila file folders and don't forget to label a few for your child's stuff.
Daylight savings adjustments
Adjusting your children's' schedules to Daylight Savings Time need not be a trial. Stick with the program or routine you normally follow. i.e. If bedtime is 7:30, then bedtime is 7:30. Let them wake themselves the following morning, time permitting. The less attention paid to gaining or losing an hour, the better.
Location is Everything!
When running several errands or going yard-saling (or anything else that involves driving to several different locations), take a moment to plan your route. You'll cut down on the amount of time and gas you spend running from place to place.
Make Sandwiches in Advance
The most time consuming part of making sandwiches for my son's lunch is getting out all the ingredients, setting them up on the counter, and putting them all away when I'm done. So why do that five nights a week? By making a week's worth of sandwiches at once (they can be frozen if you don't trust the refrigerator to keep them fresh), I save loads of time... Not only do I cut out the time spent making a sandwich, but when I go to pack his lunch all I have to do is grab the food and drop in in his lunchbox.
Same Time Next Year
Start the next year's calendar in November. Have it ready to add info and dates to it at all times. For example, hang it right behind your current one or buy a 2+ year pocket one for your purse.
Getting Baby Dressed Quickly
Try this army tip for less racing around in the morning. At bedtime, instead of sleepwear, dress infants and toddlers in outfits for the next day. Kids could care less about designer bunny pajamas and would prefer you reserve the extra moments saved each morning for cuddling and hugging. (Make sure clothes are not flammable, though!)
