Out of Time

Why do we have all these “time saving gadgets” but we don’t seem to have enough time in a day? I thought when I moved from dial-up to high speed that I would spend less time surfing the web. Wrong! I spent more time surfing the web because I didn’t have to wait for pages to load or programs to download.

I found myself sitting at the computer for hours and the things I once enjoyed doing didn’t get done or when I did do them, it was done in haste. I was neglecting responsibilities, paper work was piling up, mail went unopened. I was not myself. I felt rushed, impatient, envious, always playing catch up trying to make up for the time I spent on the computer. My life hadn’t changed much, but what I was doing with my time had, I wasn’t using it wisely.

Even though I came up with some lively excuses to cover what I was really doing, in the back of my mind I knew what the culprit was and realized I had to get a grip on how I spent my time. I had other responsibilities and obligations that required my time and attention they just weren’t getting. It was easy to say “I didn’t have time”, but my truth was my time was being mismanaged.

I used to wonder how some people seem to get so many things accomplished in a day or even a week. What I’ve found is that 9 times out of 10, they have a schedule and they stick to it. To some, I guess a schedule is like a budget, it’s too restrictive and it doesn’t allow room for spontaneity. That could be true, but hours of unscheduled time doesn’t lead to productivity either, often times it leads to nothing.

Personally, I like the feeling of accomplishment and if I leave things to chance, chances are they won’t get done. I’ve been working on a schedule, trying to find a mix that doesn’t leave me feeling overwhelmed and here’s my work in progress:

1. I make a list of all the things I need or want to do
2. I print a calendar for the month
3. I pencil in my top 10 “must-do’s” on a day that task could be done (I spread them out during the week (i.e. Sunday - Exercise, Monday - clean bathroom, Tuesday - sweep floor, Wednesday - blog) so my schedule isn’t too full. By the end of the week, my chores/errands are done.
4. After these tasks become more routine, I go back to my list and add 5 more items to my weekly schedule.

This works for me, especially when it comes to keeping the house clean. I don’t want to spend the entire weekend cleaning and running errands, I want to relax too. Yes, write that on your schedule: do nothing. Each week can stay the same or you can add more things to your schedule from your list.

Another area I’m trying to get a grip on is when it comes to blogging. Actually, it takes me 15 minutes to write a blog post and 2 days, 6 hours and 4 minutes to edit it. Well not precisely, but I do spend a lot of time doing something I’m really bad at: editing and proofreading. I also like to read other people’s blog, this takes time. Some blogs I know I can read in the morning and leave a comment, others I read while at work and the rest I read when I get home. Generally I post on my blog three times a week and I reply to comments twice a day. This schedule works for me and I can keep up with it.

Also switching from I.E. to Firefox turned out to be a big help. If you have not made the switch yet, download Firefox here. It’s a cool browser with some great features. Below is a list of my top 3 time management add-ons:

• Time Tracker - Track how much time you are spending on the web. Numbers don’t lie. If you can’t get anything done and you’ve logged 6 hours surfing the web, do you really have to ask why? Keep track of how much you browse with TimeTracker.
• Reminder - ReminderFox is an extension that displays and manages lists of date-based reminders and ToDo’s. I love this one because the reminder pops up on my computer screen, unlike my other reminders that are emailed to me. Yes, I’m pre-alzheimers, not making jokes. Thanks to K for pointing me toward this great add-on.
• Split Browser - This splits the content area of the browser window as you like, left, right, top, bottom. My laptop can split the screen if I wish, but this add-on is a no-brainer for me. Great for when you’re answering comments on your blog. There’s no need to scroll up and down trying to make sure your answer everyone. Split the screen, keep your comments on one side as you type on your replies on the other. Thanks Barbara for sharing this find with me.

Of course, not everyday is a by the schedule day, I try to keep it light but productive. I’m always looking for balance and not chaos. So, how do you do all that you do? Does your life have a schedule? How do you manage your time?

Photo of timer: Valerie Morrison. Yep I bought a timer, I’m that bad.

PS - I know this font is too small for some of you, I’m working on it….