Contest Entries: DaySteps Giveaway
Posted on June 20, 2010 by LJ Earnest
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Leave a comment on this page giving me your best time-management tip.
All entries made before midnight EDT on 25 June 2010 will be eligible for the drawing. Winner will be selected randomly from the entries.
Please make sure to leave a valid email address, or I won’t be able to tell you you’ve won!
The contest is now over and the winner notified by email. Thanks to everyone for entering!
Best time management tip: write everything down. Thanks for the contest
It isn’t “real” for me until I write it down. Great tip!
I keep a family notebook that really helps keep all information in one place. It has a tab for stuff for each family member (sports schedules, camp paperwork, etc) as well as one for church, school (lunch schedule, kids class schedules, etc), etc. Then i have a fmaily calendar (we use cozi) that we all keep our schedules on – even the 7 year old.
My family notebook is sadly out of date. I’ll make a note to update it. It is a very helpful tool, not only to family members, but also to anyone who has to suddenly step in and help out.
Best time management tip: Set an alarm or timer for a set period of time and work diligently during that time period. This works best for short periods of time (15-30 minutes) that are followed by a reward of some sort. The reward can be as simple as “I will allow myself to log into Facebook if I work on the computer without web browsing for 30 minutes.”
I like the timer to get me started. But I also like the (10+2)*5 method to power through a lot in an hour.
Once weekly, sit down and go through everything in your life. Sounds hard, but really, it’s only takes about an hour. Update your address books, (single) calendar, plans for shopping, meal prep, travel plans, kids activities, or due dates for work projects. Go through the mail and update your filing, too. The process also triggers a lot of “oops! I almost forgot about” items, so I’m seldom caught completely unawares. I usually do one at work and another at home, which reminds me to maintain some balance in my life, too!
Do you have a checklist of things you look at?
Limited your time online!
I totally fail at this, however.
I think it takes practice. I’m better some times than others.
My best tip is to do stuff when it’s easiest–for example, cleaning feels like torture after work, when I just want to relax, so I wake up half an hour earlier and do it then. I then come home to a clean house which also makes me feel good!
This is something I need to do more…take into account my desires and energy.
I use an iPhone app called Siri to email reminders to me at specified times for when I’m out on the road.
Awesome tip. I’ll look into this application.
Never multitask! One thing only!
I agree wholeheartedly with this!
Write down everything and put everything you wrote down in one place. And you’ll never forget anything.
Yes, and don’t forget to go back through everything you wrote down. I had an acquaintance who religiously wrote everything down in notebooks…and then never looked back at them. His notebooks were a black hole.
I can’t remember who came up with the concepts, but I like the MITS (most important tasks) or “Big Rocks” of the Day. Pick two or three items that absolutely have to be done and get them done first.
Thanks for the contest.
MITs I believe originated with Leo Babuta of Zen Habits. It’s a great concept, and I use them on days when the time really is my own.
Use your commuting time for audiobooks or podcasts. You can even learn a new language: there’s much free stuff on the web.
This is the reason I love my summer commute (1 hour per day instead of 10 minutes due to summer camp). With the extra time, I get to listen to podcasts!
My tip is to learn to use the little scraps of “idle” time we all have every day. Waiting for the kettle to boil, or when you realise there’s only 20 minutes until a scheduled meeting, or sitting on a bus. There’s always something you can do. The key is to spend a little time now and then brainstorming tasks that will only take 5 or 10 minutes, and then you’ll have those foremost in your mind when the time arises.
Awesome tip.
Leechblock is the most amazing tool for getting rid of a Youtube/Facebook addiction. But you have to get off Youtube.
I love Leechblock.
One other way to limit Facebook…I rarely access it, but when I do, it’s on my iPod Touch. Nothing like that little teeny screen to get me off faster!
Best time management tip – keep important dates and appointments on ONE calendar, not several different ones all over the place (fridge, office, purse). Use different color ink for different family members’ events.
Yes, one place is ideal. My “master” list is in Google Calendar, which syncs to my laptop, my work computer, my phone and my iPod Touch (all automatically). The calendar on the back of the door is for the other members of my family. But if it isn’t on the Google Calendar, it doesn’t exist for me.
Write everything down in your Daysteps planner, and then mark it off as you finish things….followed by a good reward.
Rewards are good.