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Making the most of your Time by Brita Bolane

Time management centers around techniques that aim for effective use of personal and/or professional time. Find out how to balance both so you can make the most of your time.

Latest Posts:


Time to Invest in Yourself Last week I attended the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Annual Conference in Reno, NV. This conference is set up to educate Professional Organizers in their field. After spending several days knee deep in organizing products, business ideas and ways to assist my clients I reflected on how important this conference was in terms of how I spent my time. This conference was a great way to invest in myself and my company. I have yet to regret spending the time and money that enriches my business. In fact anytime I am unsure of an educational opportunity, I ask myself if the time spent will help me improve my business AND benefit my clients. If the answer is yes, I'm in. Life is a marathon, invest in yourself along... Read more... posted on: 4/16/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Time for Life We all work hard to fit a lot into any one day. We plan and multitask, cross things off our to do lists and diligently work toward our goals. But what about spontaneity and silliness. I for one am not so good at these two things. However, I do think they are important to incorporate into your life. Also, I think it's possible to be spontaneous or silly and still meet your commitments and responsibilities. So how do you strike that balance? I think you have to have the structure in place – the schedule, the goals, and to do lists. That way you know what you have to accomplish in order to be able to take a much needed break. Then you work in a trip to the beach, mini golf, and karaoke night bar impromptu dessert only dinner... Read more... posted on: 4/9/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Time to Stop Procrastinating Today I heard about a book called It's About Time by Dr. Linda Sapadin. The book covers the various types of procrastination styles. Dr. Sapadin breaks the styles into six categories: the defier, the worrier, the overdoer, the perfectionist, the crisis-maker and the dreamer. If you stop and think about it, most people don't categorize their procrastination style they just know they procrastinate. It is one of the biggest time wasters yet seems to be a universal problem. In case you hadn't thought about your procrastination style…maybe you should. Why do you put things off? Is it because you don't want to do something unless you're under the gun to get it done? Maybe you procrastinate because you... Read more... posted on: 4/2/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Time to Plan a Trip Itfs the end of March and itfs time to think about your summer travel plans. Where will you go, what is your budget, how long will you travel for and who will you be traveling with? Those are the basic questions to ask but once youfve got those questions answered, you can start working on the details of the travel plans. Below Ifve outlined the most important steps (in my mind) to help you make the most of your travel time. Tips for a successful trip œ Check the weather report for your destination. Having climate appropriate clothing will keep you comfortable. œ Create a list of what youfll need (include... Read more... posted on: 3/26/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Time for Change Ah spring. We love spring. Spring means change. It's almost impossible to pick up a magazine that doesn't talk about spring cleaning, fresh starts, and ways to change. There's just something about spring that gets us motivated to change. But what should we change? Is it time to spring clean, get back to the gym, get organized, get involved in your community, tackle a big project or plant a garden? Whatever you decide to do, make sure you plan accordingly and budget the time it will take to make this new change. Set yourself up for success. In my case, I'm not a morning person but I'm going to start going to bed earlier so I can get up earlier and spend more time with my family in the morning. I want to work... Read more... posted on: 3/19/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Spring Forward This coming Sunday (March 9^th) we will turn our clocks forward 1 hour. I love this time of year. The days feel longer and I tend to stay outside longer. There is something so nice about it being lighter, later. So how do you use this to your advantage? I suggest taking advantage of the appearance of extra daylight to boost your schedule and system. Perhaps you can spend some quality family time after dinner at the park, take the dog for a walk or work on an outdoor project around the house. Whatever you do, make a choice to use the positive influence of light to effect how you spend your time. Spring your life, calendar, goals and time... Read more... posted on: 3/5/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

National Time Management Month February is National Time Management Month, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). The timing couldn't be better. By February, most people have settled back into work, school and life schedules after a busy holiday season. People have had an opportunity to see what is and what isn't working for them and think about changes that need to be made. Some of the suggestions NAPO give, include: Use a planner to track appointments and tasks. It can be a paper-based notebook, a computer software program, or an electronic handheld device. Create at least one hour of uninterrupted time per day to tackle projects and action items. Allocate twice as much time for a... Read more... posted on: 2/20/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

The Best Way to Spend Your Time I have recently fallen back in love with running. Running has been a love/hate activity for me for the last 2 years. After I had a baby, I decided I needed a goal to work toward so I signed up for my first Half-Marathon. I trained for 4 months and ran in a respectable time. Each week I couldn't believe I could run a little farther. As I look back at that training – it took quite a bit of time out of my day. Especially the longer runs, sometimes I would run an hour to an hour and a half in a day. After the Half-Marathon was over I still ran but shorter distances and slowly it turned into walking and then I stopped all together. Why? Why do we stop working out when we know it's good for us and we feel better for doing it?... Read more... posted on: 2/13/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Super Tuesday Everyday Today is Super Tuesday where people all over the United States took time to vote in the Primary Election. As I pulled into the polling site I saw men and women taking 10 – 15 minutes out of their day to vote. I got to thinking, if you can take 10 – 15 minutes out of your day today, why can't you do this each day? Just think of all the things you can do with 15 extra minutes each day? That's 105 extra minutes each week. Make everyday a Super... Read more... posted on: 2/6/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

Where does your Time go? If you struggle to get 30 minutes of exercise, 15 minutes to pick up after the kids or 20 minutes to review your schedule and prioritize your day then it's time to examine where your time goes. I recently had a client tell me she wanted more time to do fun things like have lunch with a friend or get her nails done. The problem is, she didn't feel like she ever had enough time. I had her write down her usual schedule and then we calculated how she was spending her time. After reviewing where her time was being spent, she was shocked to see how much extra time she had in her schedule. This exercise is great, especially if you have a really consistent routine. Often times we get into a rut or get used to doing something a... Read more... posted on: 1/30/2008 9:30:00 AM by Brita Bolane category: Time Management

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About Brita:

Brita Bolane is the President of pare it down, inc. a professional organizing service in the San Diego area. Brita helps people streamline their lives through residential organization and time management consultation. Brita's first introduction to time management was when she attended college on a full atheltic scholarship (volleyball). She went on to play professionally on the beach and in Italy. Today, Brita is a business owner, wife and mother and understands the challenges of keeping a busy schedule and an organized life.

Brita's Website:

www.pareitdown.com

Time Savers

evite
If you don't have time to get traditional invitations out in the mail, this is a great resource for quick internet invitations. They also have information and suggestions on entertaining.
shutterfly
Digital, it's the way to go. Sites like shutterfly help you organize and arrange photos without having to print them first. They offer free, unlimited photo storage and if you do want to print pictures, you can print them to your local Target store. In addition, you can create wonderful gifts for family and friends in a reasonable amount of time.
Sunday
Sunday is a virtual assistant service. Depending on how busy your life is, this could be a useful service and a real time saver. I love the concept but have not tried it yet.

Resources for Life

Martha Stewart
I am a long time fan of Martha Stewart. Her website, magazines and TV program offer so many different and fun ideas. It's inspirational on many levels.

Tasty Treats

TasteSpotting
Interesting site that people can post food ideas and blogs, recipes or places to buy the best tasting treats. The pictures are mouth watering!

Technology to love

oovoo
I'm a big fan of face to face or internet to internet phone calls. Our family does this and it's amazing how much more you get out of the call when you see the person you're talking to. oovoo is a free service you can download to your computer that let's you have video converstations.
skype
skype is an internet based phone service that let's you call computer to computer for free! Who doesn't love to talk for free?!

Books I Love

The Success Principles
Jack Canfield is the cocreator of the Chicken Soup for Soul series. This is his book on how to achieve your goals in an effective and measurable way. I really like this book
Getting Things Done The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Author David Allen provides a great approach to managing all your to do lists and how to focus on the most important tasks each day.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Timothy Ferris writes a revolutionary book and makes you rethink how you use your time.