Archives for Time Management

A long-distance commute increases the likelihood a marriage will end in divorce

Social geographer Erika Sandow at Sweden’s Umea University has published her doctoral dissertation analysis of long-distance commutes and their impact on income and relationships in “On the road. Social aspects of commuting long distances to work.” In brief, her research found that a commute of greater than 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) typically has economic and career benefits (large paycheck, job advancement) but significantly increases the likelihood a person will divorce (40 percent), especially if the long-distance commuter is male.

The dissertation used data collected from more than two million Swedes during 1995 and 2005. The findings, although based on Swedish data, seem to be very applicable to other European and American countries.

From the university’s press release about Sandow’s dissertation:

… those who commute long distances gain access to a broader job market and often to greater career opportunities and better income development. But women and men benefit in different degrees, with income increasing more for long-distance commuting men. However, these commuters’ partners lose income, and since most long-distance commuters are men, this means that many women both take home less money and take on the responsibility for the family and children.

– It’s also common for women to take a less qualified job close to home, or to start working part time, in order to drop off and pick up the kids at day care, says Erika Sandow.

Her findings show that expanding work regions primarily benefit the careers of men, and continued increases in long-distance commuting may preserve and reinforce gender differences in the home and on the job market.

Weighing the benefits and disadvantages of a long-distance job prospect is already difficult for one’s life. Knowing that it also carries an increased likelihood for divorce and stress are just additional points to consider.

You can find the majority of the dissertation online. However, the text of four of the chapters is not included, only their abstracts.

Posted by Erin on May 26, 2011 | 29 Comments | Tweet This

Organizing regular processes

No matter if you’re paying bills at home or working on a proposal at the office, having a fairly standardized method for completing your tasks can be beneficial in numerous ways. It’s easier to keep track of where you are in the process, it reduces your likelihood of leaving out an important step, and you’ll work more efficiently each time you go through the process if you’re orderly with your work.

Even if the tasks you’re completing are ones you have done many times, it can be beneficial to pause before you do them and list out exactly what you need to do. This list can take place in your mind or you can physically write or type it out, based on the complexity of the work.

After creating your list, analyze it to see if you may be able to improve your speed and efficiency if you take on the tasks in a more organized fashion. For example, running errands might be something you do every day on your way home from work. Simply by identifying these regular stops, you may find you can group the trips to one part of town on Tuesdays and the other part of town on Saturdays to decrease the total time you spend running errands (and your mileage).

It usually takes a few times working through a new process to know if it is going to be good for you. It took me close to a year to refine my writing workflow so that the process helped instead of hindered me. After months of trying different methods, I found that I desperately needed a “Temporary” folder on my computer to save all of my work to over the course of a day. At the end of each work day, I open up the Temporary folder and delete or properly save the files to their permanent locations with appropriate file names. If I don’t use this method, I end up with files in the wrong folders, files with weird names, and I save things that should just be deleted. Reviewing contents of the Temporary folder is an additional step, but one I needed to make my writing more efficient.

Take a few minutes to review your regular processes to make sure you are being efficient with your work. Write out these steps in checklist form, if necessary. Then, use your new organized processes to save you time and energy.

Posted by Erin on May 11, 2011 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

Do your to-do lists need a makeover?

After reading Patrick Rhone’s advice to get items I will never complete off my to-do lists, I decided to do a thorough evaluation of all my lists. Not only were my to-do lists filled with things that I’m certain I won’t do, I was surprised by how many things I will do and want to do that have never made it onto my lists.

The reason to keep lists is to get tasks out of your head and onto paper. Simply writing down (or typing into a computer application) all the things you have to do, you can better manage your schedule, your stress level, and all of your tasks. You can make a giant to-do list with work and personal items all on one list. You can make multiple lists based on where you complete the work (at your computer, in the car, etc.). You can make lists based on a timeline (today, this month, this year). You can make lists in whatever way you choose, as long as the method you pick is something you’ll consistently use.

After evaluating my lists, I realized it was time to makeover my method for compiling information. I’m clearly not capturing information as best as I can to meet my needs. For my list overhaul, I took the following steps to get things in order:

  1. Walk through. Grab a pad of paper and a pen and visit every corner of space in your life. At work, open each drawer, scan every shelf, and inspect every surface for reminders of things you need to do. At home, walk through every room, open every closet, and inspect every area for reminders there. Get in your car. Walk around the outside of your house. Read emails, memos, and notes from friends to put together your list.
  2. Be realistic. Review your list and instantly cross off anything you know you will never complete.
  3. Compare. Pull out your previous to-do list and compare it to the new one you just made. Did you forget anything that needs to be added to the new list?
  4. Create. Based on whatever method you are most likely to use, separate your master list into smaller lists. As you work, be sure to prioritize tasks you must get done immediately. You may prioritize items with highlighters or a letter ranking (A, B, C) or a giant asterisk next to your most important action. Also, be sure to use specific and active language when putting items on your list. “The car” is not specific nor active, but “Throw away trash in car” is specific and active.
  5. Schedule. All to-do items with a deadline should be immediately scheduled on your calendar. Be sure to schedule time to work on the item on your schedule and not only the deadline.
  6. Work. Take care of the things on your schedule for the day.
  7. Review. At the end of each day, review your lists and cross off all the items you completed, make sure you have added all new items to your list, and schedule tasks from the to-do list onto your calendar. Each morning, review your plan for the day and make necessary adjustments. Also, evaluate your to-do list methods every three or four months to determine if your lists and working as best as they can for you. (This review step is clearly where my previous method broke down.)

Do your to-do lists need an overhaul? Is it time you started a list (or two or three) of the things you need to do? Reduce your stress levels and get your lists made and in order.

Posted by Erin on May 5, 2011 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Four reasons you may be missing deadlines and how to fix these problems

When a deadline isn’t met, it is often because of a breakdown in one or more of these four areas:

  • Time management
  • Prioritizing
  • Impulse control
  • Communication

Time management

Most people underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete a task. They forget to include extraneous time into their estimations for interruptions, recovery time to regain focus after an interruption, restroom and lunch breaks, their mind wandering, etc.

To get a more realistic idea of how long it takes you to do something, start timing your processes throughout the course of a day. How often does a coworker interrupt your work and for how long? How long does it usually take you to recover from this disturbance? Does your mind tend to wander at some hours of the day more often than at other times? How long is your average lunch break? When do you typically use the restroom? After two or three weeks of recording your processes, you should have a more accurate understanding of how long it takes you to do your work (and your not-work).

In the meantime, I recommend doubling your time estimations for completing a task. If you think something will take you 10 minutes, say it will take you 20 minutes. If you think something will take you a day, say it will take you two.

Also, remember that your coworkers and clients are also underestimating the length of time it will take them to complete work. If you are waiting on materials from a coworker, be sure to pad their time estimations when it relates to your deadlines and expectations.

Prioritizing

Whether it’s because you don’t want to do the work (the task you need to finish now is less desirable than another project further down on your to-do list) or you can’t do the work (such as the building is on fire and getting out of the building is in your best interest), incompatible priorities are often the cause of missing deadlines. When I was a teacher, students would prioritize going to soccer practice or hanging out with friends or watching television over completing their homework. Not finishing their homework on time would result in a lower grade, but in the working world it can mean losing a job, not getting a promotion, missing out on a bonus, having an upset client, receiving complaints, and canceled contracts.

A few minutes each morning spent planning out your work day can help you to keep the most important work on your schedule during your most productive times of the day. Even if you don’t follow your schedule perfectly, you’ll be mindful and aware of exactly what you need to do.

Impulse control

The immediate gratification gained from something currently in front of you (a link to a funny site, a conversation your coworkers are having about their upcoming vacations, beating a level on Angry Birds) can easily distract you from working toward important deadlines. Not having the ability to ignore these temptations can keep you from finishing deadlines on time or achieving larger, more beneficial goals.

Simply acknowledging that you are not controlling your impulses will often be enough to get you back on track with your work. If saying to yourself, “I’m wasting time,” isn’t enough to curb your behavior, take more proactive steps. Hide icons, turn off devices, wear earplugs, or do whatever it is you need to do to keep the distractions from luring you away from your work.

Communication

Providing regular updates about your work and properly managing the expectations of the person waiting on your work can go a long way toward helping you meet deadlines. First, you’ll be able to prepare the person well in advance if you are going to miss the deadline so he or she can make necessary adjustments. Second, you may find the person can help you to better meet your deadline.

Regular communication helps you to better set your priorities, keep you accountable, learn important information and skills related to the project, and manage your time. If you’re not going to finish a project on deadline, being radio silent is a sure way to upset the person who is expecting your work.

Based on the length of the project, regular communication might be hourly, daily, or every few days. You’ll need to make this determination based on the type of work you do and the person or people associated with the work. Discuss expectations for regular communication at the beginning of the project so everyone will be comfortable with the frequency of interactions. Also, the minute you know there will be a delay with meeting a deadline, share this with the appropriate person or people.

Posted by Erin on May 3, 2011 | 7 Comments | Tweet This

April resolution wrap up and an introduction of May’s resolution

The first three months of 2011 were extremely hectic, and in response I decided to declare April as a Super Simple Month. This was the right choice for me, and I embraced the austerity that came from this decision. I re-read a few of my favorite books, I spent as much time with my family as I could, I refrained from making any non-essential purchases, I was in bed before 10:00 most nights, and I declined many invitations that would have added stress to my schedule.

As much as I would love to keep a Super Simple Year, I know it isn’t the right choice for me. I like to travel, I enjoy having a more robust social life than I did in April, and there are new book titles calling to me from my Kindle. I’m not planning to jump back into a hectic lifestyle in May, however. There are many wonderful lessons learned from April’s Super Simple Month that I will continue to carry forward with me. Instead of simple, I’m aiming for calm for the remainder of the year.

For May, my public resolution is to be more mindful and deliberate about my media intake. I’m not against television, magazines, newspapers, or the internet (obviously), I think they are wonderful forms of entertainment, education, and information distribution. I’ve simply realized that it is more difficult for me to disconnect from media now than it once was, and this doesn’t sit well with me. I have a constant desire to continually be “plugged in,” and I want to be more conscientious about how and when I am.

I haven’t fully figured out my plan for cutting back on my media intake, but there are a few steps I know I will follow or continue to follow:

  1. Except for major breaking news, do not watch television programs when they are initially broadcast.
  2. Record programs of interest on the DVR and view no more than an hour of television each week day, two hours of television on Saturdays, and no television on Sundays.
  3. Set a timer for 10 minutes whenever I am at the computer or using applications on my smart phone for reasons other than work. This includes personal email, checking social media sites, and general roaming around the web. (This does not include phone calls.)
  4. Do not sit at the computer or use applications on my smart phone for reasons other than work for more than 30 minutes total in a day.
  5. Unsubscribe from all magazines I’m not reading cover-to-cover during the month printed on their covers.

Do you limit your media intake? What guidelines do you have set for these activities? I’m interested in learning what you do and why you have made your decisions. Share your strategies in the comments.

–
Erin’s 2011 monthly resolutions: January, February, March, and April.

Posted by Erin on May 2, 2011 | 25 Comments | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: Prioritizing relationships after the birth of a baby

Reader Nichole submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

My husband and I both have large families that we need to travel to see. We also have a large network of friends. We both value these relationships immensely and [try to] make them a priority in our lives. We are expecting in August, my husband is finishing up a degree now, and I am working full time and a doctoral student on the side. We also have 2 dogs that we love to pieces and we enjoy spending time at home with them.

Many of our friends and family members are celebrating big events this year — weddings, graduations, etc. They would also like to see us as much as possible before and after the baby is born. My question is do you have any tips to balance the needs and desires of ours and our loved ones to visit and spend quality time together without overrunning our weekends and our budget? I feel pulled in too many directions. We have stuff to do at home, have a very tight budget (that I manage well, but still), and enjoy being home together, we would like to see our local friends and leave time for impromptu summer BBQs and hikes, but the people and the events that also require our attention feel too important to miss.

I don’t know if this is an issue of priorities, budget, or too many close relationships (that has always been such a blessing in the past!), but it is stressing me out having to choose between my loved ones and feeling like there is not enough time left for myself. Any ideas?

The truth of the matter is that all of this will naturally work itself out, regardless of any advice I give. When you chose to have a baby you prioritized your growing family over your friends, and the changes that are to come will reflect this decision. You didn’t decide to get rid of your friends, but your relationships with them will be different — some friendships stronger, and others will weaken. So, instead of advice, I’ll explain what the next three years of your life will probably resemble (something I wish someone would have done for me):

In your last six weeks of pregnancy, you’re simply not going to be able to travel long distances to see friends and family members. Even if your doctor gives you permission to travel that close to your due date, you likely won’t have the desire. You won’t be sleeping well, you’ll constantly feel like you have to pee, and standing on your feet for hours on end at a wedding reception won’t be something you’ll want to do. You also might have a strong desire to nest and spend time getting the house ready for its newest addition. Plus, your little one could decide to arrive early and thwart all your last-minute plans. All of my friends who have been pregnant say the last few weeks of pregnancy are physically draining, and I believe them.

Then, your child will arrive and life will be hectic for two months. You may go out a couple times with local friends, just to prove to yourself you can do it, but mostly people will come to you during this time. If friends and family members offer to make you dinner or do your laundry or wash your dishes during this time, take them up on their offers. (You can return the favor at some point.) Your dogs will probably be very jealous that there is a baby getting all your attention, so be prepared to spend daily time with them to help keep their behavior under control.

If you and your child are healthy, things become easier during the three to nine month range in comparison to those first two months. Your social life will perk back up and traveling will be relatively simple. The Holidays might be a perfect time for you to travel to see family — but if you plan to go by airplane, be sure to check with your child’s doctor first. A long car ride might be better suited for your specific little one’s ears (and easier to transport all the baby gear).

The big hit to your social life will most likely happen when your child becomes mobile. Even though your child-less friends will say they love your baby, the novelty starts to wear off when your kid can break their stuff. Family members and friends with children seem to be less annoyed by toddlers, so your social life will probably veer toward these relationships. As a result of this period, I’ve certainly become closer to my parents, which is a wonderful benefit. Also, this time is so much fun with a little one because they start to be less like a blob and more interactive with vibrant personalities and crazy preferences.

There are babysitters you can pay to watch your child in the evenings and on weekends while you socialize with friends (ranging between $15 to $20 an hour where I live) — and I recommend having a date night with your husband at least two to four times each month and some alone time for yourself, too — but you probably won’t use a babysitter as much as you think you will. It’s not just a money issue, but a priority issue, especially if you both work outside the home and your child is in daycare for eight to 10 hours a day. Time with your child will be rare (maybe only two hours when he/she is awake each weekday), and passing up those awake moments can be difficult.

You’ll notice another shift in your social life around age two and three, when your child starts demanding play dates with specific friends from preschool and getting invited to birthday parties. You’ll befriend your child’s friends’ parents, and you’ll start to hang out all together. Your social life will be active again, but in a different way. Your family will also demand that all major holidays and vacations are spent with them (because they want to hang out with your cool kid), and they will be hurt if you don’t come to visit or have them to your place. (This is often less of an issue if your parents already have a slew of grandkids.) This also might be when you decide to have another child and start the cycle all over again.

Children are amazing, and you and your husband will love being parents, but your social life will change to reflect your new priorities. My advice is to jam pack your social schedule this May and June, ask friends and family to come to you July through October, make plans to see family at the Holidays in November and December, and then expect to see more of your local friends in January through May of next year. After May 2012, you’ll just have to follow your little one’s lead. Schedule daily time with your pets to keep their jealousy under control. And, most of all, enjoy the blessing of your larger family as much as possible.

Thank you, Nichole, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Check back in with me in a couple years and let me know how things worked out for you. Also, check the comments to see what other readers have to say and if their experiences are like what I described.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

Posted by Erin on Apr 29, 2011 | 49 Comments | Tweet This

AwayFind launches new features to help people curb their addiction to checking email

When I go on vacation, I’m a loyal AwayFind user. The service makes it so I don’t have to check email while I’m traveling, but I still receive emergency messages via text message (or IM, a secondary email account, or a phone call). Instead of being tethered to my email while I’m supposed to be relaxing, I can actually relax because I know only the very important stuff will get through to me.

We’ve previously written about AwayFind’s basic service, so today I just want to discuss a cool new feature that was released on Tuesday. The new service is called “People I’m Meeting Today.”

This feature isn’t really for folks on vacation, but is great for consultants, real estate agents, and anyone who is regularly running from client site to client site. To activate the “People I’m Meeting Today” feature, you link your digital calendar to AwayFind and then set a notification period. If a person you’re meeting with emails you right before your upcoming meeting, you’ll get a text message or phone call. This is extremely helpful if the meeting time or location changes at the last minute, and you’re already headed to the meeting.

Another feature, called “Alarm,” was also released on Tuesday, but I haven’t yet tried it. It’s an iPhone-only service, and it actually rings the phone’s alarm whenever you receive contact from a specific person. For example, if you are waiting on a message about your dream job, instead of checking your phone every few seconds, an alarm will sound if the person contacts you in any way — call, text, instant message. You can have the ringer off on your phone, and the alarm will still sound if the VIP calls you.

AwayFind isn’t free (which is why I only use it when I’m on vacation), but, to be fair, it’s also not very expensive ($15 per month or $140 per year). You can try the basic service for 30 days for free to see if it works for you. And, it should go without saying, but AwayFind isn’t compensating me in any way to write this, I’m sincerely a fan of the product. I’m specifically happy about their commitment to helping people get over their addiction to constantly checking email.

Posted by Erin on Apr 28, 2011 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

Curbing distractions when you work in an open office

Similar to the open classroom trend in the 1970s, open offices became a popular layout design in the 1990s and continuing to today for businesses wanting to increase collaboration, break down hierarchical barriers, and save on overhead (cubicle and permanent walls are more expensive than no walls). For all of their advantages, even the biggest proponents of the open office layout admit there are some downsides to their structure — no privacy, constant noise, usually messy (no one takes ownership of shared spaces), and endless opportunities for distractions.

I’ve worked in a few open offices, and have been able to experience their benefits and disadvantages over the years. I currently work in an open office, and greatly prefer the setup to the alternative. There are certainly distractions, though, and to keep them at bay I usually employ one (or more) of these methods for tuning out the noise when I really need to focus:

  • Pick up and move. If you can find a quiet area of the building to retreat to for an hour or two, and the equipment you need to do your work can transport with you, head to the hideout. Conference rooms, lobbies, and the coffee shop around the corner can be good options for finding a little solace. You can’t run away for the whole day, or even days on end, but a short time away from the noise can be beneficial.
  • Wear ear phones. Even if you aren’t listening to music, the ear phones act as a muffler and send the message to your coworkers that you don’t wish to be disturbed. If ear phones aren’t acceptable in your corporate culture, invest in a good pair of ear plugs to wear when you really need to focus. (To hear your phone when it rings, you may need to forward your office calls to your cell phone and then turn the ringer to vibrate.)
  • Don’t go out of your way to have a super-inviting workspace, at least not all the time. Don’t have a candy bowl on your desk or wind-up toys or novelty gadgets. Keep supplies like staplers and sticky notes in your desk drawer so coworkers aren’t always looking to you for these materials. In other words, don’t tempt your coworkers with a reason to interrupt your work.
  • Come in early. If you know you have a big project on your schedule for the day, come in an hour or two before the rest of the office. No one will email you, call you, or even know you’re there working.
  • Have a clearly marked and empty inbox. If people know where they can set paperwork or materials so you will see them, they don’t have to hand you the items. Your coworkers won’t always use the inbox, but they can’t use it if you don’t have one.

Additionally, there are ways you can create fewer distractions for your coworkers:

  • Avoid using speakerphone at all costs. Even if you’re the boss, no one likes listening to your phone conversations.
  • Turn the volume down on your phone’s ringer and earpiece. Again, no one likes listening to your phone conversations.
  • Don’t call out to coworkers. Get up and walk over to someone if you need to speak with her, unless there is some kind of emergency where yelling is appropriate.
  • Respect the earphones. Email or instant message someone who is wearing earphones if your communication is not vital. Your coworker can respond when he isn’t focusing so intently.
  • Use an inbox. If someone has an empty (or mostly empty) inbox, use it for paperwork or materials instead of interrupting her work.

Do you work in an open office? Have you ever worked in an open office? Share your tips in the comments for curbing distractions in an open office environment.

Posted by Erin on Apr 25, 2011 | 31 Comments | Tweet This

How to create a to-do list that helps you get tasks accomplished

Making an effective to-do list can be like drawing a picture — some days you produce a great work of art and other days you make something only suitable for the trash. Obviously, the goal is to produce 365 pieces of great art a year.

Last year, in the Unclutterer Forums, 14 members had a wonderful discussion about how they make realistic to-do lists. Here are some of their helpful suggestions:

toberead: I keep a couple of different To Do lists. One is for tasks that I must do today. Another one is for tasks that I have to do this week (or this month, etc.) That way, I’m reminded of things that I need to do sometime soon, but they don’t clutter up my daily To Do list.

Amber: … Set [a] timer for 10 minutes and in that time, write down (or type) all of the things you need to do that day … [Then,] go through your list and rank items according to importance, starting with the most vitally important. Things that absolutely MUST get done that day get a ranking of “1″ so go through your list and rank those first … Now rank the least vitally important items – things that could be postponed for weeks if need be. Rank those as “5″s … Now rank everything else according to how they rate in importance between “1″ (must be done today) and “5″ (can wait several weeks if need be) … Once everything is ranked, you have your to-do list for the day. Start with the “1″s and work your way through to the “5″s.

CaySwann: I like to use http://todoist.com for brainstorming lists, color-coding them, and setting tickler reminders for occasional repeating tasks. I use a gadget on my iGoogle page to show me my Todoist on my home page. It makes changing a deadline easy, and sorting and color-coding simple.

Lilliane P: I read years ago to put only the six most important items for the day on your daily list. This is manageable (esp. if large items have been broken down into manageable actions). Then, keep a running list of things to do that are waiting in the wings, so to speak.

Deb Lee: … pick the TOP ONE or TWO things that MUST to be done on THAT DAY.

Be realistic:

  1. How long will it take you to accomplish each task?
  2. Are there multiple steps to completing each task? How long will it take to do each step?

Priorities are typically driven by:

  1. Time (e.g., pick up the kids by noon)
  2. Money (e.g., deposit $$ to pay a bill <-- this one's time & money; get $$ that's owed to you)
  3. Sentiment (e.g., spend quality time with your favorite person)
  4. Combination of two or more of the above

Spend a few minutes figuring out if the task is driven by a particular constraint and that will help you to decide which one to tackle first.

Check out more to-do list ideas in the Forums, and join in the conversation there or in the comments to this post. I’m eager to read how everyone manages his list.

Posted by Erin on Mar 31, 2011 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

Four steps to uncluttering your schedule

  1. Lose your calendar.
  2. Recall very little from your lost calendar.
  3. Have people in your life who are laid back and won’t send you reminders about your upcoming engagements with them.
  4. Don’t call anyone to see if you have upcoming engagements planned.

Obviously, these four suggestions are a joke. You should always keep a copy of your calendar — a daily backup for a digital calendar and a regular scan/copy of a print calendar — so a situation like this would be avoided.

However, I think we can all recall a time in our lives when we wished we could lose our calendars. We feel so overwhelmed by our obligations that we long for a way to be set free of obligations without any guilt.

Instead of chucking your calendar out the window, the next time you feel overwhelmed by your schedule try these steps to alleviate some stress:

  1. Say “no” to as many future offers as possible until you feel things are becoming manageable again. You’ll need to say “yes” to things that keep you out of jail and from being fired, but most everything else can temporarily be put on hold. You’re also free to change your mind, just remember there is much less stress involved with changing your “no” to a “yes” than having to back out of something you’ve already committed to.
  2. Review your schedule and see if there is anything you can gracefully back out of without much guilt or repercussions. Then, cancel the obligation. At this point, it’s probably best not to reschedule.
  3. Review your schedule and see if there are any appointments that can be moved to a better time. An early morning appointment might be more manageable as a lunch meeting.
  4. Identify the obligation on your schedule that is causing you the most dread, and make a plan to eliminate or reduce the stress surrounding it in the future. Knowing that something you dislike will be minimized in the near future often makes it easier to address in the present.

None of these steps will completely eliminate stress, but hopefully they will help to reduce it to a manageable level. Once you feel that things are back under control, you can start to say “yes” to non-essential obligations again, if that is what you wish to do.

Posted by Erin on Mar 31, 2011 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Tips for returning to normal after a large disruption

The past eight weeks have been a blur. I’m certain I will not look back on this chaotic time fondly. Rather, I think I will only feel a sense of accomplishment for merely surviving. It appears a period of calm is on the horizon, though, and I am looking forward to declaring April as 2011′s Super Simple Month.

Large disruptions are a part of life, and recovering from them can often feel as stressful as the disruptions. Returning to normal, or a new normal, can happen, but it won’t happen magically. Try these tips to help you get back into a manageable routine — this is how I’m getting out from under the overwhelming backlog of responsibilities:

  • Don’t try to recover from the disruption in just one day. Give yourself a week or more to stop feeling like you’re drowning under catch-up work. The aphorism, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” is applicable here.
  • Try to schedule part of your day focused on new items and part of your day on ones you missed while you were gone. This way, you can keep items from continuing to pile up.
  • Schedule actions on your calendar and double or triple the amount of time you think it should take you to accomplish the task. If it usually takes you an hour a day to respond to voice mail, block off two or three hours to do it.
  • Schedule the task you will feel the greatest reward from accomplishing first. You need momentum to propel you through the next task, which will be the thing you need to do the most.
  • Now is not the time to multi-task. You likely still have a lot on your mind, and that will be enough of a distraction from your work. Go through your email backlog in a batch, keeping track of action items on a piece of paper or digitally. You can tend to the action items in a batch at a later time.
  • Take care of yourself — eat well, sleep well, and ask for help when you need it. I realize it’s easier said than done, but try your best to keep your energy levels high.

Posted by Erin on Mar 22, 2011 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

A presidential schedule

In honor of Presidents’ Day in the U.S., I thought it might interest our readers to see what a typical day can be like for a president. The schedule full of meetings, appointments, conferences, and responsibilities is extensive.

For example, on Friday, June 20, 1947, President Harry Truman had 13 meetings and spoke to more than 100 people. On Thursday, June 20, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower had a 12-hour day that also included meeting with close to 100 people.

Eisenhower’s schedule:

Unfortunately, not all former presidents have their daily appointment schedules online. However, it’s fun to check out Truman’s and
Eishenhower’s. See what happened on your birthday, the day you graduated high school, or the day your parents were married. Could you handle continuous meetings, appointments, conferences, and the responsibilities of a presidential schedule for four years or eight?

Posted by Erin on Feb 21, 2011 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

House meetings

Every Sunday night my freshman year of college, our resident advisor would hold floor meetings. She would review what was on the schedule for the coming week, we would plan activities, and, inevitably, someone would forget about a bag of microwave popcorn and the smell of burning kernels would accompany our discussions.

When we moved out of the dorms, my housemates and I kept up the tradition, but without the scent of burning popcorn. We would talk about things that needed to get done around the house, how much everyone owed for shared bills, if we had people coming in from out-of-town, if we were leaving town, or if we had big tests on the schedule and needed the house to be quiet for studying and sleeping.

By the time I got married, I had been having house meetings every Sunday night for almost a decade. Another decade later, and my husband and I continue to sit down for 15 or 20 minutes once a week and discuss the business of our house and our lives. We finalize grocery lists, talk about anticipated work loads, look at our weekly schedules, decide who is going to run errands, and whatever else needs discussing. These meetings keep us sane and keep our lives running smoothly.

If you’ve never held a house meeting, here are a few tips to get you started:

  • Keep things low key. These meetings should be helpful, not stressful. Make a list of what you want to cover, but be willing to let the topics flow naturally. It’s not a Congressional hearing, it’s just a time for everyone in the house to communicate.
  • Make the meetings routine. Set a date and time for your weekly meetings and stick to the schedule. People won’t forget about the meetings when they’re a regular part of life.
  • Cover whatever you need to cover. People are different, and what you need to discuss each week will be based on who lives with you. The point is to help make life easier and for the house to run more smoothly, so discuss whatever subjects you need to make this happen.

Does your house and/or family hold house meetings? Would a meeting help life be less stressful under your roof? If you have weekly meetings in your home, what topics are addressed during your discussions?

Posted by Erin on Jan 24, 2011 | 36 Comments | Tweet This

Review: The Procrastination Equation

Piers Steel’s new book The Procrastination Equation made its way to my door last week. I’ll admit, the title taunted me to put off reading it — it’s as if just seeing the word procrastination could create a self-fulfilling prophecy — but, I didn’t. I finished it three days after first picking it up.

Steel has produced an exhaustive look at the research, history, definition, forms, and treatment of procrastination. (Note: Exhaustive may be underselling it, as there are 73 pages of endnotes following the 220 pages of manuscript.) The research, history, and forms of procrastination sections of his book are its strength and most captivating. Until I read Steel’s book, I had no idea ancient Egyptians had eight hieroglyphs referring to delay, one of which specifically implies neglect and/or forgetfulness. Procrastination clearly isn’t a new problem created by modern workers’ addictions to Facebook. Although, I also learned from reading the book that Facebook has such an addictive draw that half of people who personally close their accounts reactivate them.

From a section of the text, “What Procrastination Is and Isn’t”:

By procrastinating you are not just delaying, though delay is an integral part of what you are doing. Procrastination comes from the Latin pro, which means “forward, forth, or in favor of,” and crastinus, which means “of tomorrow.” But procrastination means so much more than its literal meaning. Prudence, patience, and prioritizing all have elements of delay, yet none means the same as procrastination. Since its first appearance in the English language in the sixteen century, procrastination has identified not just any delay but an irrational one — this is, when we voluntarily put off tasks despite believing ourselves to be worse off for doing so. When we procrastinate, we know we are acting against our own best interests.

Steel uses the later sections of the book to talk through his procrastination equation, which is:

Motivation = (Expectancy x Value)/(Impulsiveness x Delay)

He identifies motivation as the opposite of procrastination, and that a lack of motivation is a result of troubles with expectancy (such as you expect to fail at the task, so you don’t do it), value (such as you don’t value the work you’re supposed to do, so you don’t do it), or impulsiveness (I explain this one in more detail below).

The book provides tips for overcoming these three roots of procrastination with “action items.” If you’ve read any books or articles on procrastination in the past, the suggestions Steel provides are all ones you’ve seen before: Watch inspirational movies, visualize a positive outcome, identify that you’re procrastinating, positively frame outcomes, do hardest work when you are most alert, keep up your energy levels, reward yourself for reaching milestones, remove temptations and distractions, use specific language when setting goals, break down long-term goals into multiple milestones, schedule time for tasks, etc. In fact, I don’t think there are but one or two tips we’ve never covered on Unclutterer.

As I mentioned earlier, though, the “action items” wouldn’t be why you would read the book. It’s the first part of the book exploring the research, history, and forms of procrastination that make this book worth your time.

One of the items I found most interesting in the book is the discussion of types of procrastination. Steel’s research led him to discover that the more impulsive a person is, the more likely she is to procrastinate:

People who act without thinking, who are unable to keep their feelings under control, who act on impulse, are also people who procrastinate.

Delayed gratification isn’t an option for many procrastinators. If given the choice between watching television or studying for a test, they’ll watch television because it will be instantly gratifying. Even if performing well on a test will be more gratifying, they are unable to ignore the temptation in the present. I had never thought of procrastination as an impulse control issue until reading Steel’s book. This discovery will certainly color (for the better, I hope) my future advice about fighting procrastination.

Posted by Erin on Jan 8, 2011 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

January 2011 resolutions and a plan of action

In 2011, I am becoming the queen of self-micromanagement. I have tried lofty, big-picture, annual resolutions and obtained them with some success. I have tried practical, quarterly goals and seen greater success. However, I am ready for a year of 100 percent success, and monthly resolutions with daily schedules will be my plan of action to make that happen.

For 2011, I chose 24 new year’s resolutions. Twelve of these resolutions are organizing, uncluttering, and/or cleaning related, which I will share with you. The other twelve are personal and won’t be shared on the website. In January, I have taken on two resolutions — one public and one private. In February, there will be two more, and there will be two more each month for the remainder of the year.

Additionally, I have vowed to plan out every single day, hour-by-hour, to help me achieve these resolutions. Each evening before bed, I will plan out the next day and make sure that I schedule time for all of my resolutions. After waking up the next morning, I will review the schedule, print it out, and follow it to the best of my abilities.

I acknowledge that some days my schedule will be dissolved because of an unforseen event — but that is totally fine. Assuming not every day’s schedule is disrupted, I will likely be able to achieve my resolutions within the month timeframe. At least, that is my hope.

My first public resolution for 2011 is to plan healthier meals for myself and my family, and to stick to the meal plans I create. My family is pretty good about making meal plans, but lately the plans have been filled with comfort food with an extra helping of comfort food (this is a common trend for us during Nesting Season).

In December, I read the Harvard Medical School’s guide to healthy eating Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy and took copious notes. The book made me realize that my family doesn’t eat as many servings of vegetables per day as we should (we were getting just three, and we need to bump it up to five), and that two servings of whole grains a day is at least one serving too few. Starting tonight, I’m sitting down with the notes I took from the book and creating a more healthy meal plan.

Based on the plan I create, I’ll go grocery shopping before work Tuesday morning (when my grocery store is quiet as a mouse) and pick up the ingredients I need. Then, I’ll try my hardest to stick to the plan throughout the week.

I’ve given myself an hour to create the meal plan — between 8:00 and 9:00 tonight. Already having it on my schedule, and giving myself a limited amount of time to complete it, is part of my self-micromanagement plan. All snacks, meal preparations, dining, and cleanup activities are also planned on my schedule. I’m serious about improving the quality of my family’s meals, and so I’m hoping my increased organizing efforts will make it a reality.

What about you? What are you doing today to achieve your 2011 resolutions? Do you like the idea of monthly resolutions? Would an hour-by-hour schedule help you to move forward with your action items? I’ll admit, 24 resolutions for 2011 feels like a lot to accomplish — but I am willing to tackle two at a time using my self-micromanagement plan. I’ll keep you updated each month as new resolutions come onto the schedule. I’m genuinely excited to see how my 2011 resolutions fare in comparison to previous years.

Posted by Erin on Jan 3, 2011 | 54 Comments | Tweet This

Five stress-reducing strategies for the holidays

December is one of the most stressful times of year. If you don’t watch out, you could end up crying and in a terrible mess of anxiety. Here are five things you can do now to reduce the clutter and stress at the holidays:

  • Make a list. Whether it’s a grocery list, gift shopping list, or list of things you need to do — write it down. Once it’s out of your head and onto a sheet of paper, you’ll stop cluttering up your mind with the items and stressing out about trying to remember it all.
  • Check it twice … or as often as you need. Once you’ve made your lists, be sure to review them and/or bring them along with you. A list isn’t good to you if you don’t have it when you need it, where you need it. A to-do list should be reviewed regularly, until all items are completed.
  • Find out what’s naughty. Walk around your home and/or office with a laundry basket or box and pick up any items that are out of place, and then put them away. Do you have a used glass on your desk that should be returned to the kitchen? Do you have shoes in the middle of the living room floor that belong in your closet? Reduce the stress caused by visual clutter by putting everything back in its place.
  • Find out what’s nice. Take time each day to enjoy some down time. If you meditate, meditate. If you do yoga, do yoga. If you simply want to sit and drink your coffee in silence for 10 or 15 minutes, do that. Give your brain some much needed time off each day during this busy season.
  • Get ready to travel out of town. If you’re traveling or even if you’re staying put, now is the time to confirm all of your reservations — travel, hotel, dinner, movie — or those of your guests. The less you leave up in the air, the less you’ll worry about your plans between now and then. RSVP to parties, find out what you’re supposed to bring to holiday dinners, or even learn which friends are coming into town you’ll want to see while they’re visiting their relatives. Get everything on the calendar and be ready for as much as you can.

Posted by Erin on Dec 6, 2010 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

Managing your workflow in December

The month of December is a notoriously unproductive time of the work year. Clients, vendors, and co-workers are off on vacations, attending holiday parties, or perpetually snacking on cookies and flavored popcorn in the office kitchen. Getting someone to weigh in on a decision or to complete his portion of a project can be — or at least seem like — an impossible task.

To reduce your frustrations and keep the proverbial ball rolling, try these techniques for managing your workflow during this hectic month:

  • Communicate. Find out exactly when your clients, vendors, bosses, and co-workers will be available and in their respective offices. Mark this information on your calendar, and remember that many people mentally check out the day before they leave on vacation.
  • Manage expectations. Let everyone you’re responsible to know when you will be in the office. Additionally, regularly update people of your work progress so they can better manage their time. If you fall behind on a project, let people expecting work from you know as quickly as possible.
  • Set small deadlines. Now is not the time of year to take on the Next Big Thing. As much as you can manage, set small, achievable deadlines and save the larger projects for the spring.
  • Set realistic deadlines. Double or triple your expected work times. If it usually takes you three hours to write a weekly report, give yourself six hours — especially if other people are involved in reviewing your work.
  • Tackle your mindless work. Let’s be honest, your motivation tanks in December, too. Instead of goofing off and getting nothing done, actually finish the mindless responsibilities on your to-do list (filing, returning phone calls, filing out forms).

What tips and tricks do you employ in December to stay productive? Share your advice in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Nov 29, 2010 | 13 Comments | Tweet This

Completing a mid-project review

Taking a break mid-way through a large project to review what you’ve already accomplished can often help you to reach your end goal more smoothly and efficiently. Whether you’re working on a project at work (planning a conference, putting together a proposal) or one at home (uncluttering your kitchen, organizing your garage), the same techniques for creating a status report can be beneficial.

You don’t need to fill out a form or write anything down — although your manager might appreciate a written status report in a workplace setting — simply ask yourself these questions:

  1. What have I achieved so far?
  2. What unforeseen problems did I encounter?
  3. What delayed my work?
  4. What helped to advance my work?
  5. What would I do differently?

The answers you have for these five questions can help you to determine:

  • What problems you might continue to face as you work,
  • if your deadline is achievable, and
  • if you need to create new action items.

Identifying what you have achieved mid-way through your work can also give you motivation to keep plugging away on your project to reach your goal. It’s easy to feel like you haven’t achieved anything when you’re stuck in the middle of your work, so taking a break can give you the perspective you need to keep going.

Posted by Erin on Nov 11, 2010 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Planning and executing a productive work schedule

Each morning when you sit down at your desk, before turning on your monitor or checking your voice mail, take a second to mentally prepare yourself for the day’s work. Briefly close your eyes, inhale, exhale, and settle into your chair.

Once you’re comfortable and relaxed, pull out your to-do list and calendar. Read through every item and decide:

  1. What has to get done by the end of the day?
  2. What would I like to get done by the end of the day, but won’t lose my job if I don’t?

The answer to your first question will decide your flow of work for the day. Look at your calendar, and schedule blocks of time when you will work without interruption to get those must-do items completed. During these times, you’ll hit the Do Not Disturb button on your phone (or disable the ringer), turn off the notification light on your e-mail, close all instant messaging programs, and hang an “If it can wait, please talk to me after 11:00 a.m. — I’m working on the [X] project” sign on your office door or at the entrance to your cubicle. If you work in an open office, stick ear phones in your ears, even if you’re not listening to music, as a signal to others not to disturb you. When it’s time to work on your most important projects for the day, set a timer to help pace your work. If you finish your task before the timer sounds, tackle a few of the non-essential items on your list while you have the time.

Be careful not to schedule your dedicated project time during your low-processing points of the day. Even if you eat to maintain consistent energy throughout your day, you will still have mental highs and lows. Our brains simply can’t stay focused for multiple hours consistently — and you’re actually more productive if you vary the type of work you do. It’s best to alternate your schedule between mindful and mindless work to produce your best work product.

A productive workday for a desk job might look like the following:

7:30 Arrive at work, hang up coat, get coffee
7:45 Plan the day
8:00 Project meeting in conference room A
9:30 Check and process e-mail, voice mail; Admin work
10:00 Dedicated work time on project X
11:30 Check and process e-mail, voice mail; Admin work
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Dedicated work time on project Y
3:00 Check and process e-mail, voice mail; Admin work
3:30 New client meeting in interview room
5:00 Check and process e-mail, voice mail; Admin work
5:30 Complete all must-do work on projects X and Y
6:15 Power down equipment, prepare workstation for next day
6:30 Head home

If you’re already into your workday, you can plan the rest of your day now. Do what you need to do to make sure that the most essential work is completed on schedule. Even if your plan isn’t 100 percent successful — you get pulled into a meeting you hadn’t expected or an emergency arises — you will experience less stress because you will know exactly how to adjust your schedule for the remainder of the workday to accomplish what you have to do before leaving work.

Posted by Erin on Oct 19, 2010 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Exercise and focus

When you’re in a rush, behind schedule, or distracted, you’re more likely to make errors than when you are relaxed and attentive in the present. I’ve made mistakes when my mind has been running out of control — I’ve found my keys in the refrigerator, I’ve driven the wrong way down a one-way street, and typos have made their way onto the Unclutterer homepage.

One of the benefits of living as an unclutterer — choosing to get rid of the distractions that get in the way of a remarkable life — is that you have very few or no distractions to disrupt your focus. You don’t constantly worry about forgetting things because you have lists, calendars, and systems in place to manage your time and responsibilities. You aren’t anxious about completing a project on time because you no longer procrastinate. You don’t accidentally put your keys in the refrigerator because they have a designated place to live near your front door.

A neuroscientist at the University of Illinois, Arthur Kramer, in “Ageing, Fitness and Neurocognitive Function” (link is a PDF) in Nature magazine, reports on another way to improve your ability to focus and brain cognition. The answer: Regularly participating in aerobic exercise. From The Invisible Gorilla, pages 222 and 223, discussing Kramer’s study:

… aerobic exercise more effectively improves the health of your heart and increases blood flow to your brain … You don’t need to compete in triathlons; just walking a reasonable clip for thirty minutes or more a few times a week leads to better executive functioning and a healthier brain … Exercise improves cognition broadly by increasing the fitness of your brain itself.

As you’re working on your uncluttering efforts, consider adding thirty minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week to your schedule. If your typical attitude is that you don’t have time to exercise, the reality might be that exercise will help your ability to focus, which can help you to be more efficient with your time. An hour and a half a week of exercise could be an important step on your path to an uncluttered life.

Posted by Erin on Sep 30, 2010 | 17 Comments | Tweet This