Do You Have 10 Minutes?

As the days get shorter and the number of tasks on our to-do lists grows ever longer, it’s hard to figure out sometimes even what needs to be done, let alone how much time you need to complete these projects. I’m constantly trying to find ways to maximize the spare moments in time I manage to capture throughout my day. This week, I’m blogging about what to do when you only have a minimal amount of time.

Ten minutes of free time is a bigger deal than you think it is- in fact, some people swear by a scheduling method that involves setting aside an extra ten minutes for every hour block of time you schedule. Allowing yourself extra time after a meeting, phone call, or even an appointment with yourself can create extra time to check off your to-do lists, review your notes and prepare for the next task at hand. Bonus: if you find your meeting is running long or you run into unexpected complications with your work, you’ve got some extra time to play with. Here’s what else you can do if you only have 10 minutes.

When You’re at Home
• refill soap containers/replace soaps in bathroom and kitchen
• replace candles in sticks/holders/candelabras
• sort and take out your garbage/recycling/compost
• collect scattered children’s toys and put away
• clean your household mirrors (bathroom, bed, entryway)
• wipe down doorknobs (do this at your office too!)

When You’re at Work
• check your privacy settings, cookies, browser history on computer, laptop, or tablet and clean-up/modify as necessary
• clean out the nooks and crannies of your computer (and the rest of your electronics!) with compressed air
• test and purge all unwanted, broken or old office supplies
• sort mail; discard junk and make plans to deal with the rest

When You’re Just Looking for Something to Do
• sort through your coupons
• clean out your wallet
• clean out your purse or handbag

Here’s to a more productive day!

I’m always looking for the best ways to manage my time and workflow more effectively and efficiently. If you’re looking for more ways to increase your productivity as well, click here for more strategies that I’ve developed and researched and here for more ways to stay organized. For more ways to deal with your busy lifestyle, click here.

How do you keep busy? Share your secrets with us by commenting below, or keep it between you and I by emailing keepingbusyb@gmail.com.

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Do You Have 5 Minutes?

As the days get shorter and the number of tasks on our to-do lists grows ever longer, it’s hard to figure out sometimes even what needs to be done, let alone how much time you need to complete these projects. I’m constantly trying to find ways to maximize the spare moments in time I manage to capture throughout my day. This week, I’m blogging about what to do when you only have a minimal amount of time.

Five minutes of free time may not actually seem like a lot, and it’s certainly not enough to put on a calendar. But if you’re waiting around for your kettle to boil, or on hold on your phone, or even waiting for the bus, there’s still lots of things you can accomplish within that small time frame. Who knows? Filling those gaps that occur over the workday just might be the key to avoiding that long list of minor to-dos that never seem to get accomplished. Here’s what you can do with only 5 minutes.

When You’re at Home
• make your bed (I timed this one and believe me- it really only does take 5 minutes instead of the half hour I convince myself it will take every morning)
• deadhead a houseplant
• change out hand towels/dish towels/rags/sponges
• wipe down one surface (a counter, sink, dresser…you choose!)
• shake out doormat/throw rug

When You’re at Work
• dust laptop or computer keyboard
• consolidate the unused hangers in your closet
• wipe down your desk
• clean phone, tablet, or laptop cord

When You’re Out and About
• delete old photos or unused apps off of your phone
• check privacy settings on your favourite social app
• clean your phone screen
• check (and delete!) your junk mail

Here’s to a more productive day!

I’m always looking for the best ways to manage my time and workflow more effectively and efficiently. If you’re looking for more ways to increase your productivity as well, click here for more strategies that I’ve developed and researched and here for more ways to stay organized. For more ways to deal with your busy lifestyle, click here.

How do you keep busy? Share your secrets with us by commenting below, or keep it between you and I by emailing keepingbusyb@gmail.com.

Say No to Miserable Monday Mornings

And I mean really say no. Say no to the tears, the tantrums, the frustration, the sinking feeling that the rest of your week is going to pan out in the same chaotic way. Just no.  You have to say no because your mood in the morning is going to reflect on your mood for the rest of your day. Say no because your bad mood is setting yourself up for failure.

Did you just catch what I wrote back there? Your mood in the morning is going to reflect on your mood for the rest of your day. So there is a way to turn things around if you want to avoid that downward spiral, even if your morning didn’t start off as smoothly as you’d hoped. (You can read more about how to cope with a late start here.) It’s just a matter of making some small adjustments to your morning routine. (If you don’t have a morning routine that might be part of the issue, which is why you should read this post here.)

I’m not a morning person either so trying to get back into the swing of things after the relaxation and freedom of the weekend is especially a challenge for me. However, since changing my alarm in the morning from a blaring alert to an upbeat song, I’ve found my mood improve dramatically from the moment I open my eyes. Giving up on the snooze button helped as well, as did my habit of setting myself multiple alarms. Now when I hear that song go off in the morning, I know it means business and I have no choice but to wake up. (Click here if bedtime is an issue for you too.)

Making bleary-eyed decisions stresses me out so I try to do as much as I can the night before to help my grumpy morning self: pack my bag, choose an outfit- anything that can help simplify my morning routine. Keeping things streamlined in my home doesn’t hurt either- I’ve made all of my accessories and toiletries easily accessible and I’ve been in the process of creating a drop zone to help me get out the door quickly. If you wake up and find your mind racing, you may want to include meditation, yoga, stretching, or journal-writing into your morning routine to clear your mind and get you motivated.

You also may want to consider what your schedule looks like Monday morning; I once had a client who took that time off to do his weekly review to get a clear picture of what the week ahead looked like. (In some ways it makes more sense than a Friday, no?)

More than anything, though, I’ve found that a change in my attitude has been key in making my mondays a little more manageable. I’ve tried to let go of the little things that used to freak me out (like having a bad hair day) and put things into perspective. At the end of the week, a lot of what I worried about Monday morning has already been accomplished. Why would I bum myself out about the things that I needed to get done before I actually had an opportunity to do them?

So when Monday morning comes around, I try to do myself a favor and take everything in stride: all my tasks will get done in a (probably) timely fashion by the end of the week, and all my little frustrations will (most likely) be gone by then as well. I changed my perspective, which changed my mood, and it kind of changed my Monday mornings. I hope it changes yours as well.

Do you have your own strategy for waking up Monday mornings? Tell us your secret to becoming a morning person- comment below or email me at keepingbusywithb@gmail.com and I may feature your advice in an upcoming article!