What to Do--When There's Too Much to Do
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-06-28 12:18:04.115038-04:00
Go into any library in the country and you’ll find at least a dozen books about time management. Type in the words “time management” at your favorite online bookstore and it could return as many as 9,000 titles!
Clearly, we Americans need help managing our time. We spend our days rushing around. Yet we don’t feel like we’re getting anything done.
For grandparents who are raising or caring for grandchildren, these feelings are even more acute. Many of today’s grandparents are working, doing housework, watching kids, fixing meals, and carpooling, to name just a few of their many jobs. No wonder so many of them are looking for ways to make their days run more smoothly.
Are you a stressed-out grandma or grandpa? There’s good news. You can take charge of your time and your life. These steps will help:
1. Set Goals and Priorities.
A big part of time management is deciding, in advance, what you’re going to do today and in the future. You can’t possibly do everything. So you need to choose carefully the tasks you want to invest your time in.
Your first step is to set long-term goals for yourself: career goals, personal goals and family goals. What would you like to accomplish in each of these areas during the next 6 months? The next year? Write down these goals. Then pick three or four goals that are most important to you. Focus on these goals first.
Your goals will change over time. So, be sure to review them often. These goals are your road maps. They can help you decide which tasks you’ll take on each day and which ones you will leave undone. Tasks that fit your goals should get done first. Tasks that don’t fit your goals can be postponed or forgotten.
Start out each morning by choosing the things you will do today. Three to five tasks should be plenty. Don’t choose more tasks than you think you can get done today.
Read over your “to-do” list a few times during the day. Make sure the tasks you picked at the beginning of the day are still your most important ones. Change your list if you need to. This will help you stay on track.
2. Keep Track of Your Time.
It’s hard to decide how you want to spend your time if you don’t know how you spend it now. So find out. Write down everything you do for the next week. Record how long it takes you to do it. When you’re done, take a hard look at your list.
You may be shocked at how much time you spend doing unimportant things. And you’ll discover that most tasks take longer to do than you thought they would. Your biggest surprise will be how much of your time gets wasted. Other people waste our time by interrupting us when we’re trying to get things done. Sometimes we waste our own time. We focus on busywork when we should be doing an important task. We talk on the phone for 45 minutes when we intended to talk for 10. Or we put off until tomorrow what we could do today.
Keeping track of your time will give you great information. You’ll learn how long it takes to finish certain tasks. That should keep you from taking on too many jobs. You’ll learn exactly how you waste time. That should help you waste less time. You’ll see how you divide your time between work, family and leisure. You may decide to make some changes so your life is more balanced.
3. Manage Your Attitude.
Managing your attitude toward your “to do” list can help you manage your time. Try adopting these two rules:
Rule #1: You don’t have to do everything. In fact, you should be looking for ways to do less. Ask someone else to do a task. Finish a task tomorrow if you have more important things to do today. Or decide to say “no” to certain tasks.
Rule #2: You don’t have to be perfect. When you’re really busy, you may have to be satisfied with doing an “okay” job sometimes. Make peace with imperfection. Otherwise, you’ll always feel like you’re falling short.
4. Get organized.
Being organized saves time. Keep your important papers filed and you won’t spend hours looking for a needed document. Tidy the closet and your grandson will find his baseball glove in a minute instead of an hour. Post a master calendar in the kitchen and you’ll know about—and can plan for—each family member’s schedule. Keep your keys, purse and backpacks near the door and the morning rush will go smoother.
5. Do it now.
So, you followed all these steps and you’re still not getting anything done? You could be procrastinating. That means you’re putting off tasks without a good reason.
Procrastinating is a bad habit. And it’s a big time waster. But it’s a habit you can break.
Have you postponed an important task two or three times? It’s time to take action. Break the task into small steps. Then set a specific time to complete the first step. Focus only on that step. Once you get started, you’ll find the energy to continue.
6. Take Time for Yourself.
Finally, don’t forget to take time for yourself. Just finished a big task? Reward yourself. This will help you focus on what you did, rather than on what remains undone.
And every once in a while, forget about time altogether. Put your “to do” list away. Take a stroll. Putter. Do something with your grandchild that you both enjoy.
It’s important to create these special moments, because that’s when time truly stands still!
AARP Resources
Managing Stress by Managing Your Time
Managing your time won’t just help you get things done. It will reduce your stress too.
Everyday Serenity: It's Not What You Think
AARP The Magazine offers tips on finding places that bring peace to your hectic life.
Practice Positive Thinking
Positive thinking can improve your well-being.
Other Resources
Time Effectiveness—Prioritizing Your Time
The University of Missouri Extension offers many tips on how to manage time better.
It’s My Life
The PBS Kids Web site has resources to help kids manage their time.
Between Friends
Visit this Web site for household hints, time management tips, and articles on getting organized.
Books
Find these books online at Barnes & Noble.com.
“Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time”
Brian Tracy, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., October 2002.
“How to Be Organized in Spite of Yourself: Time and Space Management That Works with Your Personal Style”
Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch, Signet, January 1999.
“Successful Time Management”
Jack D. Ferner, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, February 1995.
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