A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days….” Annie Dillard
Even the most organised people can become complacent and assume “oh I’ll remember that”, then when it comes to the crunch some things gets forgotten – a system failure, all available RAMS of memory in your brain screams “insufficient space!”.
There are strategies, even for those who find themselves below the poverty line in the time stakes!
You can introduce simple ideas into your life that will ensure you don’t take the dog to the dry cleaner instead of the hydrobath!
Once a week – Sunday night is usually a good time – write down your “To Do” list for the next week. Don’t try and change the world in a week, just write the things you know you must do and add in a couple of things you’ve been meaning to get to.
I know, I know, this sounds completely boring, you’ve tried this before, you write the list, loose the piece of paper, or accidentally delete it from your Notes app, or you write the list then neverlook at it – it just simply hasn’t worked.
But did you know, that the left side of your brain – location of logic – loves lists!
Why don’t you try a different approach, write a list of things to do by category
- Personal – time for yourself, family and friends
- Children – sports training, school plays, after school play dates
- Errands – posting letter, dry cleaning, shoe repairs
- Appointments – dentist, hair cut or car service
- Shopping – groceries, pharmacy, gifts
- Correspondence – birthday cards, RSVPs, phone calls
- Home – cleaning, repairs, gardening
A novel approach to some will be putting yourself first – usually we put ourselves last!
At the end of the day, if you don’t look after yourself, it could have a negative impact on everyone else! We need to learn to allow ourselves to rest, refresh, recharge, and rejuvenate throughout the week – essential for survival!
Once you see your “to do” list categories, further arrange them into logical groups, for example, if you need to go out to do the groceries, try and drop the dry cleaning, return DVD’s and post office at the same time, saving multiple trips out, thus saving you time! Arrange all your “to do” list items into groups until you have them all ticked off your original list. Schedule them in your diary and you’re good to go!
There are some great Apps that will help with your list making we love Wunderlist – you can also invite others to your list and allocate tasks to them! Just in case you get distracted, set alarms to remind you to get into action.
A schedule like this can defend chaos and truly is a net for catching days!