DO YOU FORGET THINGS? DO YOU MISS DEADLINES? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 30

With all of the technology today we are bombarded by email, phone calls, social media communiques, and face-to-face encounters.  We receive an abundance of information, as well as requests for information; and we all have appointments to be set, canceled or rescheduled.  It is maddening to deal with people who either forget to respond, fail to show up for appointments, miss deadlines, and cause delays resulting in emergencies on the part of others.

If you are one of those people, there is a very simple solution:  Get organized!  Whether you use pen and paper, cell phone, computer, or an i-pad write down your appointments and deadlines.  Make to-do lists and follow up on them.  Today's message very simply is:

Write it down!

DOES RUSHING TAKE YOU ANYWHERE? - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 15

It seemed at times as if I spent my entire working life rushing from one place to another, from one project to another, from one meeting to another, and from one deadline to another.  Then because I was always a working mother I would rush home just to rush from one household task to another as well as chauffeuring the children from one place to another.  Of course, all of this was even before we knew technology would create multi-tasking which has only made people more frantic and less in control of their time.

At some point I finally came to my senses and realized that not only was I stressing myself out on a daily basis, but I was really not accomplishing as much as I thought.  I realized that I was letting too many others control my time because I just refused to say, "No."  When you come to the conclusion that you want to live your life at a sane pace most of the time, you will be able to do it with a few key steps.

1)  Use a daily planner and list everything you are to do on any given day including both business and personal tasks.  When the day is getting too full, start scheduling for the next available day, and learn to say"No" when there just is not enough time on any given day to do what is being asked of you.

2)  Do not schedule every minute of every day.  Leave some open periods of time for the unexpected things which invariably occur.  If you find nothing crops up then use those open periods to work ahead on projects or deadlines.

3)  Allow enough time to get to where you need to be and at the time you need to be there based on distance, time of day, and mode of transportation.

4)  When scheduling appointments ask others how much of your time they will need.  Ask yourself how much of their time you will need, and then keep the appointments on schedule.

5)  Break down all projects into manageable tasks so the work can be spread out over days and schedule the tasks in your planner.

6)  If you are conducting the meeting be sure you have a time frame and an agenda and stick to them.  Do not allow attendees or yourself to go off on tangents.  Respect other people's time as well as your own.

7)  Set realistic deadlines for yourself.  If others are setting deadlines for you, be realistic about what it will take for you to meet their deadline.

8)  Stop trying to do 3, 4, 5 or 6 things at a time.  Focusing on one thing at a time will ensure completion of more things with higher quality workmanship.

9)  In addition to getting even the youngest family member to help with household tasks, limit the number of  extra-curricular activities in which each child is allowed to participate and make sure the days/times do not conflict.

10) Schedule time for yourself in the planner...........for taking a walk, going to the gym, getting a haircut, spending time with children or friends, taking a hot bath, or reading a book.  If you don't schedule it you most likely will not have time for it.

There will, of course, be days when even the best-laid plans will get off course.   That will happen less often than you think if you remember today's message:

Take your time!

Schedule your time.

TAKE YOUR TIME!

SOMETIMES JUST SAY, "NO."

Is Patience Really A Virtue?

Patience is not always a virtue! There, I've said it. I am not referring to having patience with children, the elderly, friends, and family which is de rigeur. I am referring to having patience with people who waste our time by having no respect for it. For example, it seems to me that we spend more and more time waiting for people whom WE are paying to serve us (or we are paying the insurance premiums or the taxes which pay them). We are their clients, their patients, their customers; and yet they behave as if our time is not as valuable as their time. I am talking about doctors and dentists whose schedules are so overbooked that appointment times mean nothing. We make appointments, we arrive on time, and then we wait..........and we wait..........and we wait. If we kept them waiting they would just tell us we missed our appointment (and they would charge us for it because we didn't cancel it). I am also talking about service technicians, tradespeople, and anyone we ask to come to our homes to provide their service or to repair whatever is broken. We usually are told a day they will come, and if we are lucky perhaps they will give us a four-hour window of time during which we might expect to see them. For many people, four hours means one-half of a normal work day which in some cases can mean paychecks being docked accordingly in order to stay home and wait and wait and wait. They surely would not wait for us if we were late getting home to let them in sometime during that "window" of time. They would leave and feel justified in charging for a service call. In many cases, we are charged for their driving time to get to our homes in addition to a service call fee plus the time, labor and parts fees. I am writing this today because I am sick and tired of being kept waiting and being charged for it. Being on time is part of good customer service, and it is arrogant on the part of business people and professionals who habitually keep patients and clients waiting. Everyone can have an emergency occasionally but not daily. Keeping people waiting is disrespectful of them, their time, and their patronage. I used to have a personal rule that I would wait no longer than 15 minutes for anyone with whom I had made a specific appointment. I also would not wait longer than 15 minutes for anyone who made an appointment to meet with me because to do so meant that everyone else for the rest of the day would be kept waiting by me. In today's world my personal rules would mean not getting the health or dental care needed because waiting is required it seems. Bringing up children to be punctual and to be respectful of other people's time is a good thing. There, of course, can and will be times of exception due to circumstances beyond their control but the operative word is exception. Do the world a favor and instill good habits in your children, and if you are a person who keeps others waiting please turn over a new leaf and keep appointments on time. In these tight economic times business people and professionals should value their paying customers more than ever, and not wasting their time is the best way to show that appreciation. All comments are welcome whether you agree or disagree.