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:
- I make a list of all the things I need or want to do
- I print a calendar for the month
- 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.
- 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….
Hi Natural,
I hear you. Where does the time go?
The split browser saves me tons of time. It works great for grabbing links from other sites too. Thanks for the mention.
I gotta go, my feed reader says I have 86 unread posts. Yikes……..
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Build A Pyramid - Increase Blog Traffic
I have a theory that time-saving gadgets actually use more of it up. Think about it - when our mothers made cakes by hand, they used a bowl and a spoon or fork, plus the cake tin - often they didn’t even bother to weigh, and if they measured at all, they used a cup. Now people often use a food processor which needs major cleaning each time, plus bowls to weigh things into and a bowl to break the eggs into - all needing more time to clean.
The only time saving gadget that I own that actually works to save time is my pressure cooker, and I do love that. Cooks faster and you only have one pot to wash.
But yes, I take your point. The internet is addictive and I spend too much time on it. Might have to look into the split screen thing so I can spend even more time on it, more efficiently.
Hmm. Does that count as a time-saving gadget, I wonder?
Jay’s last blog post..The Princess and the deaf-blind man
I used to keep a list of short, bite-sized chores from which I would randomly select one each day. (I used an online random number tool to pick a chore.) I included fun stuff on the list, too–but stuff that I might not ordinarily choose to do by my lazy self. I felt very productive getting at least ONE thing done every day.
I don’t do the list anymore, but I should. I still find checking items off a list one of the more satisfying feelings in the world. And I REALLY need to prioritize/time-manage my blogging tasks.
Great article. I love the Split Screen tool!
JD at I Do Things’s last blog post..I Flush so you don’t have to
Hi Valerie, first off thanks for the kind mention. I am thrilled to see that something I write about actually was helpful to someone. One of the big pleasures of blogging, I guess.
I use Remember the Milk for my to-do list and with my wife running a web design business from home, it helps for us to use an online task manager so we both know what needs to be done anytime. But like you, I am pre-alzheimer’s as well and need ReminderFox to remind me on things during the day for the smaller tasks like calling someone at certain time. Much easier than the time sick that is looking at the email Inbox.
Have a great weekend!
K-IntheHouse’s last blog post..Get CommentLuv And KeywordLuv For Your Comments
D*mn girl, don’t keep blogging about wasting your time doing this or our husbands might hear you ;).
Spend more time on housework, are you serious? I do it when the urges strike me and that aint too often. Although I did clean my kitchen top to bottom and inside out for the last 2 days.
This was a great post - really I enjoyed it!!!
Have a relaxing weekend.
Hey Barbara..time goes down the drain if you don’t make some plans for it. It does fly when you’re having fun, at work time has all day. lol I’m using the split now. Thanks.
Jay, you might be right. Sometimes when I’m entering stuff on my computer I’m thinking: nothing beats a pen and a piece of paper. I get side tracked when I’m on the computer at times. Yes, the web is addictive, I can entertain myself for hours just surfing and doing “stuff”, and then I look at piles of clothes that need to be washed and wonder how come they haven’t washed themselves yet, lol. They never do.
JD, short lists or any kind of list are plenty helpful. When I write things down, I get them done because I like crossing them off..I’m with you on this one too. The web has a way of sucking all of your time away from you, if you let it and yeah, I let it.
K, you’re welcome. Thanks for adding me as a friend over at BC, that’s how I found your blog. I like it when people post their findings…it saves me time and if it’s something useful, even better. I use Remember the Milk too, I just forget I have it. How pathetic is that…when I’m at my computer and I know I will have something to do soon, I just put a quick remember in the ReminderFox and it lets me know. Good enough for me. You enjoy the weekend too!
Mamaflo, I’m calling your husband first, lol. I’m convinced that people are doing housework wrong if they’re not loving it. Clean to music, you won’t even know you’re doing it. This has nothing to do with me wanting to be a Solid Gold Dancer, lol. I wasn’t feeling too well this past week, so things did build up, but last night, I took care of business. I know I’m sick. lol. Hey I’ll relax today and tomorrow. Nothing to do, well laundry, but I might pass that one off. Aren’t you happy with your clean kitchen, I bet you it’s sparkling.
I am going to relax this weekend. I have time to go read some blogs. I have a movie to watch and then there’s the library. I hope the sun comes out. You enjoy too.
Some great addons for Firefox here. I will try them. I especially like the split screen plugin.
awww man, thanks Val.
Not only do I know its a culprit, you would probably burst out in laughter if you saw how I hop away from my laptop after realizing (nameless amount of hours lately) that I completely let everything slip by tending to the blog and all sorts of time sucking goodies the internet hands you… darn it StumbleUpon! Dammit Digg!
*sigh* I will try out your suggestions.
This just made me look out the window and think.. *gasp* theres a whole ‘nother (real) world out there!
JEMi | Tips for Life, Love, You’s last blog post..What Keeps YOU Young?: An InMyHeels/Lipton FUJI Crosstown Bike Giveaway!!!
Oh God since I got off the road I am the biggest time waster going…completely the opposite of what I used to be like
Thanks Gizmo, I rely on these plug-ins a lot, can’t trust myself.
JEMi, I can sit at a computer for hours, then be mad cause I can’t get anything else done. I feel less ‘guilty’ about sitting at a computer for so long when my chores are complete.
I hear ya Robert. I’m trying to do better and be a little more productive. Doing nothing at times is great, but thing is..I have stuff to do. ;/
Uhhh yeah… wasting time is what I do best. Most of it blog-related. Those add-ons you shared are awesome. I DOWNLOADED them
Thanks.
I’m trying to put my self on a posting schedule… but more importantly, I’m trying to think of crap to write about. LOL… talk about HARD!
Anyways, informative as usual!
Jillian’s last blog post..Holy Matrimony
Yea! I’m not the only one who spends more time editing than writing! Wait … that didn’t come out right!
I also have timers to keep me on track, but no matter what I do, blogging (reading and writing) just takes time!
Brenda’s last blog post..Life: we’re in this together
Jillian, we all need down time. My problem is sometimes I stay down then I try to catch up = cranky. You do a great job at keeping your posts funny, you always make me laugh…I don’t know how you do it.
Brenda, nope. Editing takes forever and I still get it wrong. After looking at the post for days, all the words look the same anyway, just in a different position. Yeah it takes time, that’s not a problem, I just would like to schedule a time to get it done. :/. Sometimes….
I really think you’ve made a good point with time management. I’m guilty of thinking that I don’t have enough time to do a lot of things, when the truth is I’m just wasting the time that I have.
I don’t think a couple hours is too much time to spend editing a post. Most of my posts take anywhere from 2-4 hours from start to finish, and most of it is editing. I think that if you truly want your readers to enjoy and understand what you write, you have to put the time in.
mikey777’s last blog post..Switching To Night Shift: The Painless Way
Mikey777 I’m guilty too. It’s easy to sit at a computer for hours or whatever and then I’m like where did the time go. Like I have to get up now and get out of here.
That’s true, it does take time to edit a post, I just wish it didn’t take me so much time and then I look back and still see typos.
Making the most of your time definitely takes planning & multi-tasking. I try to keep away from my emails first thing as they can be very time consuming and takes you away from your tasks on hand.
I also have a timer. It not only helps me to set a deadline but also is a reminder to get up off my but and have a computer rest. Sitting in front of the computer for hours is not good for your well being.
I find that if I create a ‘To do list’ the night before I have a plan in place for the next day to help give me focus. Even small steps are progress.
I’ve read that it’s important to get the things you dont want to do out of the way… by doing them first… so you can get on with what you do enjoy. The things left undone can drain your energy and begin to pile up.
I also have a free downloadable programme ‘To Do List’ that can be downloaded at my blog in the free ebooks section which I find is a great help.
Gaidas last blog post..Me to We by Craig & Marc Kielburger on Oprah Show
Gaida, it’s always a struggle to get a grasp on something you can never ever get back, which is why it is important to plan out your time….Even if you plan to do nothing. Writing it down, having a schedule helps maximize what you can get done. It gets tiring, but it’s better than doing nothing.
I’ll check out your blog a little later. Thanks for stopping by and sharing this info.