Do you find that you spend a lot of time repeatedly figuring out what has to happen when, what to do next, and what steps to take to get there for tasks and chores that you need to do regularly? Establishing a standardized routine to deal with recurrent tasks will save you a huge amount of time, energy, and hassle!
Some simple suggestions:
At home:
Grocery List: Make a template for a grocery list that has most of the items you buy on a regular basis. Save it, print out a whole bunch of copies and keep them on a clipboard in the kitchen. Check off items that you need as the week goes on. Voila – a grab-and-go grocery list done by shopping day!
Family Command Center: Create a family desktop file box or binder to keep school forms, schedules, directories in one place. Clean it out once a year.
Prep the night before: Make lunch, choose your outfit, pack up everything you need to take with you before bed each night. Saves morning time, stress, and forgotten stuff!
At work:
Email templates: If you find you’re sending out the same or similar responses to emails, set up email templates so you don’t have to spend time recreating them each time.
Checklists: Make a checklist for any set of steps that need to be taken to complete a project you regularly do, especially if you tend to leave things out or forget what to do next. (This is a great tool for home projects, as well, especially when encouraging family members to pitch in!)
10-minute clean-up: At the end of each work day, take 10 minutes to put paperwork, office supplies and equipment back where they belong. Starting the day fresh with a clean, organized workspace makes getting back into work just a little more pleasant!
Weekly routine: Set up a system assigning specific days and times to complete business tasks.
For example:
Monday – write weekly newsletter
Wednesday – pay bills, update financial records
Friday – file paperwork
Seems so simple, right? But often the most simple concepts can save the most time, money and hassle. Setting up a system to deal with any chore that needs to be done day after day, week after week, takes the guesswork out of when and how routine stuff gets done so that you can free up your brain for the hard stuff!
