Planning Ahead Maximizes your Time

 You know the scenario…it’s Monday morning, you know the taxes are due this afternoon, sometime this month you have that big presentation at work, junior has a soccer playoff game, and parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner.  Suddenly it hits you that you have committed to babysitting this evening…and all this before 7:00AM!  Sure, all of this could have been avoided, if you had planned ahead, but you couldn’t find the time to sit down with your day planner, calendar, and all the other papers you got inundated with from school, soccer club, etc.  But did this really save you any time?  No!  The 20 minutes of planning you neglected could be the key to maximizing your time, so enough will be left over for some fun, and none will be wasted on worrying.  Planning ahead will allow you to stay ahead!  You will save a lot of time, money, aggravation, and worry by simply learning how to plan and then following up on those plans.  

Planning ahead maximizes your time by getting your day off to a good start.  

You will remember this from your school days, but mom had a point when she laid out your clothes for the next day the night before.  Pack you bag, have your lunch ready to go and bagged, the bus money in your pocket, and your clothes cleaned, ironed, and ready to go the night before.  This will ensure that you will start your day off right, and gain a positive momentum that may take you through some rough spots throughout the day. Avoided are the last minute scrambles for the matching socks, presentation cover, or lunch.  You will leave the house on time, or perhaps even early, allowing you to make good use of your time.

Planning ahead maximizes your time by having all you need at your finger tips.

Remember the last time you tried to sew on one button, but couldn’t find the button, needle or thread, ended up not fixing your one pair of “official” looking pants, and then needed to scramble the day of your big presentation?  A little planning ahead will allow you to focus your time and energy on the presentation ahead, and not on the peripherals that have only a secondary effect.  To this end, have a “grooming kit” assembled and part of your closet.  It should contain buttons, needles, thread, scissors, and also some shoe cream and polishing cloths.  This may seem like a small step, but by planning ahead for your wardrobe needs, you will be able to maximize your preparation time.

Planning ahead maximizes your time by allotting appropriate time increments to your activities.

Do you have a schedule?  Most of us do, but is this schedule of your own making or is it based on someone else’s idea of how long an activity should take?  For example, breakfast for some is a big affair that may take well over 30 minutes, while for others it is a quick yogurt over the sink, all in all taking two minutes tops (if you count the time it took to get it out of the refrigerator). Time yourself, as silly as this may appear, and learn about your habits.  Find out how much time you really need for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  How much time does the commute to work really take? Once you find out the actual time you need to budget, enter them into your day planner as a constant.  The same should be true for sleeping time -- yes, sleep time must be scheduled as well.  Entering these constants will allow you to plan your activities around them, maximizing the time you have.

Planning ahead maximizes your time by being realistic about your exploits.

This may sound simple, but as anyone who has ever kept a log of “billable hours” at work will be able to tell you, we do less with our time than we really think.  A lot of time is “wasted” with pencil sharpening, walking around, searching for things, talking on the phone, and dealing with non-essential things. Understanding your actual time requirements will permit you to adequately schedule yourself without spreading yourself too thin.