10 Tips for People Who Don’t Have Time
Life brings with it jobs.
Not the kind you get paid for, but the kind that just needs to be done.
Laundry. Finances. Paperwork. Dishes. Groceries. Cooking. Cleaning. All the things.
With many years of experience managing these things, I like to think I’ve learned things.
Improving processes over time.
If I could look back and provide my younger self with some advice, these would be my tips.
10 Tips for Life Management
- Know Your Type. Some of us are good with chores on workdays and others prefer to do chores on days off. Know which you are and work with it. One isn’t better than the other. This decision may impact your routines…which come up next.
- Proactive over Reactive. When life gets busy, we shift our mode and start reacting to the world around us. Knowing that slowing down and becoming proactive can put us in control of what needs to be done. This approach also applies to procrastinating – be proactive instead of putting things off and making excuses for what doesn’t need attention “right now”,
- Find Routines. Next, get patterns with the chores. Go grocery shopping on the same day and at the same time each week. Pay bills and do paperwork at another time. The routines will put all the activities into a natural rhythm.
- Plan Meals. Spending 15 minutes deciding what meals to make for the week saves in many other ways. The grocery bill and food waste tend to be lighter, and you reduce the daily mental load of deciding “what’s for dinner”.
- Schedule Time for Paperwork. Set aside an hour a week for all the household “paperwork”. Whether it’s actual paper, personal emails to be attended to, or bills to be paid, there is household admin. Keep a folder in email and a location for physical items that you can go to once a week and clear it out.
- Rotate the Cleaning. If you clean the house twice a month, clean ½ the house each week. Maybe upstairs one week and downstairs the other. Or kitchen & bathrooms one week with the other rooms the other – your choice. Splitting it up makes it less of a chore each time.
- Tidy Every Day. Cleaning will be much easier each week if you don’t have to “clean before the cleaning”. Sometimes tidying up takes longer than the actual clean. Set a time each day (morning or evening) to do a quick, 15-minute tidy that clears off all the surfaces and floor. This is a great practice to take to work and do a final tidy of your desk and email at the end of the day.
- FINISH the Laundry. Laundry has a way of getting started and then sitting “in process”. Maybe things are left in the dryer or a laundry basket. Or things are hanging to dry in the laundry room. In general, they aren’t where they should be. Doing fewer loads more often can help keep things moving more smoothly.
- Keep a Budget. No matter what your household income is, know where your money is going. You will find efficiencies and ways to save for a larger purchase and or your future retirement.
- Make it Fun. There is little fun with chores and managing our homes. However, there are many tasks to be done and it’s good to make them as fun as possible. Maybe play music and dance while working. Go grocery shopping and do meal planning with someone else. Set up co-working sessions with friends to pay bills and handle paperwork at the same time.
Your Turn
What life management lessons have you learned?
What do you struggle with the most?
Which tip on the list above could help you the most right now?