Simplify Your Time

I heard about this book and judged it by its title. First of all, it contains the word simple, which I am a sucker for. And the subject is time – my time seems anything but simple most weeks, so I thought it might be helpful.

There were a few tips I did find helpful, and have been putting into use. One was to do tasks in short time bursts. (The author specifically specifies 2-minutes, but I’ve found success in using time blocks 15 minutes or less). She encourages you to try to, say, clean the kitchen, straighten up your workspace, or fold a load of laundry for just a couple minutes at a time. This is helpful for me because I find it’s usually the starting I have trouble with, but saying to myself, “I’m only going to work on this for a few minutes,” makes it easier to get started.

Another great idea that I have actually been putting into action is to prepare for tomorrow tonight. This means to get any paperwork, supplies, etc. for the morning ready the night before. If you work outside the home, that includes putting keys, bags, and anything else you need to take with you in the same place every day so it’s ready to go. For me, this means putting milk in sippy cups and putting them in the fridge, setting out dishes, and programming the coffee pot the night before. That way I don’t have two whining children literally tugging on my pant legs while I’m walking around the kitchen gathering things for breakfast. It also means preparing envelopes or packages for the post office, and paperwork for the bank the day before so all I have to do is grab it and go.

The first half of the book I found pretty helpful. I am already doing most of the things she suggests (which further confirms my suspicions that much of my stress comes from having two little ones at home, and not from some character deficiency I have). It is full of practical tips. The further the book goes, the more abstract the advice because it deals with long-term planning, goal setting, dreams and priorities. There were still helpful sections here and there, but I found the first sections much more helpful for my day-to-day issues, which is why I wanted to read the book in the first place.

Then, in the very last chapter, she went and quoted Joel Osteen. It was something about success and setting your mind to things. Ugh.

The verdict: If you’re feeling like your schedule is out of control, there are plenty of helpful tips about keeping a calendar, to do list, and time-management strategies. If you’re in reasonably good shape and looking for just a few hints, you can probably find plenty of those from from organization blogs.