Articles for Articles
Guest post by: Sheila Zayas
You’ve race around all day running errands, cooking, picking up and dropping the kids off. At the end of the day, you plop down in your bed – exhausted and feeling as if you did so much yet accomplished so little. Sound familiar?
A disorganized schedule can lead to stress, frustration, anxiety, and quarreling with loved ones. Fortunately, hope exists for those families with extremely busy schedules that usually leave a burden on Mom.
One of the easiest and fastest ways to take tasks off Mom’s hands is to assign those tasks to the children. This not only helps Mom in clearing her schedule, it is an extremely important means of teaching your children responsibility and domestic skills.
From the time that I could remember, it was almost an unspoken rule in my house that if my sister swept the floor, I’d have to mop it.
Likewise, if I did the laundry, she’d have to fold the clothes.
Nowadays the dishwasher automatically washes the dishes. But I remember growing up my sister and I traded dish washing nights. One night it was her turn to wash the dishes and the next night it was mine. Read More→
Guest Post by Beverly Coggins
Overwhelmed by all you need to do? Write it down! Make a list of everything you need to do.
Next, assign a day to each task. Those things that are most important and urgent should be assigned to an earlier day. Beside those items you will do on Monday, write an M. Put a T beside the things you will do on Tuesday, and so on.
Then, look at the items you have on your list for today. Prioritize them by putting a 1 beside the most important and urgent item on the list, 2 on the next, etc.
By tackling #1 on your list, you know you are doing the most critical task on your list. Even if that’s the only thing you accomplish today, you know you have spent your time on the highest priority on your list. Read More→
Guest Post by by Beverly Coggins
There are a number of ways to maintain your peak energy level during your work day. Experiment with the following:
- Get organized the night before. By getting your clothes, lunch, and briefcase ready the night before, you’re less likely to be rushed and/or late. A calm and controlled start to your day allows you to focus readily and lucidly when you get to work.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation results in irritability, stress and slow reaction time similar to being drunk, not to mention many other health risks. Your body keeps track of the sleep you’ve lost. Falling asleep when sitting quietly is an indicator that you may be sleep deprived.
- Take breaks! Take those your employer offers or create your own breaks if you are your own boss. Go for a walk, go outside, climb a few flights of stairs – move! Just a few minutes of change refreshes your mind and your body.
- If you are in a noisy area, close your door or wear headphones to reduce sound, if acceptable at your workplace. Go to a quiet location to work, if possible.
- Eat. If you are running low on fuel, you will not be able to function properly. Have a healthy snack during your breaks.
- Drink. Keep yourself hydrated. Coffee from our well-known coffee cafes is three to four times stronger than regular coffee. And if you get a specialty coffee, it’s loaded with sugar. Stop for one on the way to work, and expect your energy to crash in a couple of hours as the caffeine and sugar wear off. Better to have some green tea or water.
Be intentional about maintaining your energy level, and you’ll find your productivity will increase. As your productivity increases maybe your paycheck will too!
Beverly Coggins is an organizing expert, speaker, and author of the 1-2-3 … Get Organized series. She also writes a daily blog on organizing your office, time, and home. Contact information: Bev@1-2-3GetOrganized.com; 330-922-0755.
