Lack of Time Is Actually Lack of Priorities

Work:

Timothy Ferriss, author of "The Four Hour Workweek":

Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference.

Being busy is a form of laziness - lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.


At least three times a day ask yourself:

*  Am I being productive or just active?

*  Am I  inventing things to do to avoid the important?


Remember the 80 / 20 rule. Ask yourself:

1.) Which 20% of sources are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness?

2.) Which 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of my desired outcomes and happiness?

Find the inefficiencies and eliminate them.Concentrate on the sources that yield the greatest results.

 KEEPING TRACK:

1.) Whiteboard - Seriously, having a whiteboard will change your life. Jot down phone numbers before you forget them. Leave each other notes. Jot down grocery items you need to pick up - where they can be seen by everyone. Write your to-do list items as they occur to you. Ours is in the kitchen, across from where we hang up our car keys, so we can glance at it as we go out / come in.

2.) Calendar - One that shows a month-at-a-time, and you can write on. As soon as you make an appointment, schedule travel, make social plans, etc. - go put it on the calendar. Have it hanging where everyone can see it and refer to it before they make plans.

GETTING THINGS DONE THE NIGHT BEFORE:

1.) Prepare as much as you can to make mornings stress free. Set out your clothes. Put coffee in the coffee maker. Have a spot by the front door where you can put things you need to grab on the way out - a table, a shelf, a stair, or even a clip attached to the door. Put stuff there as you think of it, while you're not rushed. Then as you zoom out, you can see those things and take them with you. Tape notes on the front door to remind yourself of things you cannot leave there - such as: "LUNCH" - to remind yourself you have one, in the refrigerator.


COOKING:

1.) If you are too busy to cook but still want a nutritious meal, then it might be worth the price to have cooked meals delivered to your house. These arrive frozen. All you have to do is microwave them, or heat the bags in boiling water. The quality is good, and the price is about what you'd pay for a moderate restaurant meal.

http://www.homebistro.com/index.cfm

2.) If you LIKE to cook, then make large batches of food on the weekend, and use it throughout the week.
Some foods, like lasagna, can be frozen for future meals. Others, like stew or chili, reheat nicely.

Another thing you can do if you enjoy cooking is to buy 4 whole chickens on sale, and cut them up - then redistribute the parts into meals. BBQ the legs, grill the breasts (reuse leftovers on top of salads), and use the thighs and wings in soup.

3.) Again, if you DON'T like to cook, buying a precooked chicken at the grocery store can be the starting point for all kinds of meals. Eat the roasted chicken on the first night, then use leftovers for fajitas, stir-fry, quesadillas, or pasta with chicken. (Buy pre-sliced vegetables from the salad bar for the stir-fry to save time.)

4.) Prepare crockpot meals the night before. Gather and prep the ingredients the night before, cover and refrigerate. If your crockpot has a removable 'pot', you can put everything in the stoneware pot, and put that in the refrigerator. In the morning, set up the crockpot and before you leave for work, and turn it on. When you come home, dinner is ready and the house smells like home cooking!


LAUNDRY:

1.) Towels and sheets can be thrown in while you're watching TV or reading at night.

2.) FOLD SHEETS IN A PILLOWCASE. As soon as you pull sheets and pillow cases out of the dryer, or off the line, place all matching flat sheets, fitted sheets and additional pillowcases, inside one of the matching pillowcases. The entire set will be together next time you want to use it.


CLEAN YOUR FACE - THEN CLEAN THE TOILET:

1.) Do you use pre-moistened cleansing cloths on your face? When you're done washing your face, don't throw the cloth straight into the trash. Instead, turn the cloth to a clean side and lift the toilet seat. Chances are the porcelain could use cleaning. Use the cloth to wipe off the porcelain, then toss the dirty cloth into the trash (not the toilet - it would probably clog it). This one thing can keep your toilet looking respectable until you get to your regularly-scheduled bathroom cleaning.


SHOPPING:

1.) Investigate on-line shopping.  www.Amazon.com has almost everything you can imagine, often with free shipping and at lower prices than your stores have. And they deliver right to your door. They have great gift suggestions and you can have people register a wish list online - and then order your Christmas gifts without having to go into a store. Besides books and DVDs, they also sell electronics, toys, clothes, tools, kitchen appliances, and even certain foods and drug items. Once you register with them, shopping is a one-click deal.


EXERCISE:

1.) Everyone says they have no time to exercise. But you can find 10 minutes to walk around the block. Do that every day and you'll change your life. It will give you time alone to think, give you more energy, and even help you lose weight. Do it twice a day and double the results. Experience the seasons again - look at the sky and trees and flowers. Feel the breeze on your face. It is absolutely the best thing you can do for yourself. 

2.) Exercise in front of the TV, while you're catching up on the news, or watching a favorite program. March in place when a commercial comes on. Do leg lifts, scissor kicks, or 'bicycle in the air' (lay on your back and peddle your legs thorough the air) while stretched out on the coach.

3.) Get a small Seatless-exercise cycle , and put in under your desk at work. Whenever you talk on the phone, pedal away. Cycling improves your cardiovascular health and burns extra calories every day.


NOT GETTING LOST:

1.) Mapquest - The Internet's greatest gift, after Google.  http://www.mapquest.com/directions
Tell it where you're starting from and where you're going to, and it will give you turn-by-turn directions, along with an estimate of the time it will take to get there.

2.) GPS - Ask for one for a gift, or buy it for yourself. So much fun - it's like having a navigator with you on a long trip! Magellan and Garmin are good. Tom-Tom, which came with a rental car, kept taking me to a large pile of dirt. :(


ENJOY THE TRIP:

Have a long commute? Make it "me time" by enjoying your favorite music from your MP3 player, or by listening to Audio Books. You may find yourself sitting in the parking lot, waiting to hear what happens next!


INDULGENCES:

1.) The number one indulgence you owe yourself is a great shower head. Don't laugh! When you are tired, grumpy, or sleepy, stepping into a hot shower and setting the shower head to 'destroy' will give you a new lease on life, as it beats the tension out of your neck and shoulders. Heavenly!

2.) While you're at it, indulge in a really expensive bar of soap. The scent, richness and lather will cheer you up - and make you smell wonderful! That's a bargain when you think about it.

3.) Buy yourself a great pillow. Down? Foam? The choices are overwhelming, but when you find "your" pillow, you'll never want to be without it again. You deserve a good night's sleep, and a very special pillow - just for you.

4.) Small treats: Splenda Flavors for Coffee - Hazelnut (each serving is in a foil tube, so you can carry a couple with you, or just save them for Sunday morning coffee-and-the-Paper time). Werther's Original Sugar Free Candies - OMG - they are SO good! 5 of them = 40 calories.

5.) Fresh flowers: Treat yourself to a fresh bouquet or even a single rose. Put it somewhere in your line of sight. They're not very costly if you pick them up at the grocery store. This is particularly brilliant to do during times of stress or heavy workloads. Nature is a great healer.