The first full day of Fall is on Saturday. Work and school are back in full swing! That means, among other things, managing to-dos effectively is essential. Recently I gave a presentation, “Stop Mumbling, ‘Oops, I Forgot:’ How to Manage To-Dos”. There wasn’t time to address everything so I wanted to respond to this great question and share it with you!
“My kids need completely different school supplies than what we bought, my husband suddenly needs to take his car into the shop, mom’s aide left early without doing the grocery shopping and I have a report deadline at work tomorrow. How do I know what to do first?”
My assumptions are:
The situation came about at night and the problems affect the next day.
The report will take all your time.
You and your husband each need a car.
You (or someone else) are unable to drive him to the shop.
You do not belong to AAA.
Your mom’s aide comes daily.
Here are my tips in priority order.
1. Your job provides income and security. Don’t put it at risk. First comes the report.
2. Second is your husband’s car. If it is drivable, he can drive it to the shop. See if someone can drive him to work from there or if the shop offers a loaner car. If not, he will have to wait. If it is not drivable, it must be towed. Your car insurance policy may cover towing so call to find out. Also Pep Boys, for one, offers towing to reward-card members at a negotiated rate.
3. Third comes food. Cereal, eggs or PB&J can fill bellies for a day. Ask the aide to get groceries the next day or order them online from a supermarket that offers home delivery.
4. Supplies are fourth. You can either order the correct office supplies online (usually delivery is one business day) or get them after work the next day. Your report will have been finished.
Takeaway tips:
1. Have the school provide a list of needed school supplies at least two weeks in advance — and buy them then.
2. Schedule appointments with yourself to work on and complete reports (and other things) before the deadline to minimize last-minute crises.
3. Develop a plan to get to work in case of future car or other trouble.
4. Join AAA
5. Keep the fridge and pantry stocked with essentials such as cereal, bread, eggs, pasta, soup and frozen meals.
I strongly encourage all of you to create contingency plans for situations you think can go wrong. Some simple planning can make life A LOT less stressful! (See the quote below.)
Product of the Month
Little Black Dress Jewelry Organizer
Thanks to Umbra (www.umbra.com), ladies have more totally adorable and functional products to organize jewelry. Shown is the Little Black Dress ($20). Also available are the Little Black Corset ($15) and Little Black Tee ($15). They are two-sided for lots of storage. Clear pockets make everything visible.
Tip: If hung in your closet with other clothing, your jewelry just may be thief-proof!
Quote of the Month
One hour of planning saves three to four hours of redundancy. ~Author Unknown