Work Smart. Live Smart.

Ample – to have more than enough.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have ample time…More than enough time to get the things done that we would like to be able to get done?

Do you remember the 1996 movie “Multiplicity” with Michael Keaton? I would love to have several clones of myself all existing at the same time to get all of the many things done that I wanted to get done. There would be the Magnificent Mom: the one who would cuddle and make things better. Who had nothing to do but to listen, help out and taxi her adoring children everywhere they needed to be with a nutritious snack in hand. There would be the Super-Sexy-Always-Well-Put-Together-And-Attentive Wife. There would be the Super Efficient Housekeeper and Fixer Upper Extraordinaire who could tidy at the speed of light and who was able to win the battle against the dust bunnies. There would be the World Renown Stress Speaker who had time to research and stay on top of everything that was in the news and who flew from city to city sharing the strategies that would make the world a better place. And then there would be the Business Savvy me, who could pump out websites and create marketing materials faster than a speeding bullet. I am sure that I could think of more me’s that I would need, but even 1 or 2 would be a great start.

Unfortunately and probably fortunately, this kind of cloning will never happen. And it’s also true that we won’t get more than 24 hours in any given day. However, there are ways to use your time more effectively so that you get the most out of the time that you have.

Beverly’s Hot Tips For Celebrating National Ample Time Day:

Know what your priorities are in each area of your life. Write them down and map them out. Be sure to include your own health on that map. Once we know what is important to us, it is a lot easier to make decisions about how we use our time in the best way possible.
Make a weekly and daily to-do list. The Weekly list is a big picture list of the priorities that you want to make sure that you work on. The daily list may have these big picture items on it as well as the chores and tasks that need to be done, but are necessarily all that important to your top priorities. Do not underestimate the amount of time each activity will take and add buffers to your schedule so that you don’t find yourself running behind.
Watch out for ‘black holes’. Those things that we do, that aren’t part of our priority, but that seem to suck a lot of our time away. Watching TV, checking social media sites, playing computer games, chatty co-workers etc. These activities may be enjoyable, they may be part of your relaxation program, but they also tend to eat up more time then we allocated or expected.
Simplify in as many areas of your life as you can. No time for cleaning? Get rid of the knick knacks that require extra time moving and dusting. Get rid of clutter in cupboards and closets. Spending too much time driving here, there and everywhere? Set up a route for shopping, getting gas and picking up the kids that reduces the time on the road. Volunteering activities taking over? Say no to extra tasks if they are not part of your priority or if they are going to take time away from a higher priority activity. Dreading meal time? Plan out meals in advance so you don’t have to waste time thinking about what to cook for dinner. Need more suggestions in this area? Look on-line. There really is no shortage of suggestions on how to make things simpler, more efficient and less cluttered.
Ask for help. Set up a plan or a list of responsibilities that you would like others to help out on. Let go of perfectionistic attitudes that prevent you from asking for help because it may not be done up to your expectations and standards. Sometimes good is good enough. Can you arrange car pools, so that you aren’t driving everyday to pick up your children? Can you hire a student to cut the grass?
Make sure that you are taking care of yourself, otherwise you will be tired out and lack the energy to use your time wisely. Get enough sleep each night. Eat for energy and nutrition. Learn to build in downtime to renew your energy and exercise your body so that it is ready to react as necessary.

If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!

Additional Resources:

National Volunteer Week