Time Management Tips - 5 Easy Steps Guaranteed to Help You Clean Up After Holidays
By Paula Eder

Time management tips are about so much more than time. They serve as life rafts to carry you back to solid ground after hordes of demands drag you offshore.

So don't be discouraged by the prospect of holiday cleanup, even in the face of possible post-holiday blues. You can transform this time into an opportunity to catch your breath, relive some pleasant memories, and prepare to make next year's festivities work even better for you.

Restore yourself as you transition back to daily life

• Start by affirming you are worth treating yourself well during every step of the process. If this requires assertiveness, ingenuity or the assistance of friends or family, call them in!
• Second, approach this transition as a project in its own right. Provide yourself with well-scheduled time, adequate supplies and considerate planning for your needs.
• Thirdly, cultivate a receptive attitude. If you have difficulty rallying yourself, then coax yourself forward with a promised reward. And remember to deliver on your promise.
• Finally, utilize these suggestions to prepare for next year's events as you put closure on this year's cycle of activities. You can shed stress and exhaustion by using these quick and easy tips to simplify and organize as you go. Then you can recharge your batteries and face this New Year with renewed enthusiasm!

5 Easy Steps Guaranteed to Help You Clean Up After Holidays

1. Strategize the ideal workspace to serve as cleanup headquarters, and outfit it for your ease and comfort. Whether you set up a card table or clear off your dining area, make sure you create an environment where you can comfortably stand or sit. Ensure that it is well lit and pleasant. Along with paper to make lists, include a calendar to review recent events, as well as a calendar to jot ideas for the upcoming year.
2. Store holiday items in the sequence you'll want to retrieve them next year, referring to last year's holiday activity calendar. Highlight recurring events on a calendar you dedicate to planning holidays. Then visualize the optimal sequence for packing away things associated with your celebrations. When seasonal decorations are stored in the sequence in which you use them, you can easily put your hands on what you need. For example, store boxes of Halloween costumes and decorations, clearly labeled, in front of Christmas ornaments.
3. Collect sufficient packing materials and containers. Before starting, gather tissue paper, suitable storage containers and boxes the right size for packing away your prized holiday decorations. Inexpensive designed-to-fit storage containers can be most helpful. For example, storage boxes with dividers store fragile decorations safely, so you needn't take time packing each item individually. This is a small investment to avoid a buildup of frustration or resentment.
4. Line up help with the same care you'd plan a social occasion. As mentioned, don't hesitate to enlist one or more companions to help out, unless you prefer wrapping and storing decorations alone, as you reminisce. Notify your assistants in advance how long you estimate the cleanup will take. Then agree upon a schedule that works for all of you. Family, friends, or even a local teenager seeking a small job can shorten your task and make it more enjoyable.
5. During your cleanup for each holiday, make a note of any decorations you need to replace. Identify broken or missing items as you go along. Also create a list of new decorations you would like to feature for next year's celebration. Clip these lists to your holiday calendar and mark a date to shop for what you need. If you like post-holiday sales, you can store your new items along with those you pack away, avoiding next year's holiday crush. In either case, make sure you put your holiday planning calendar somewhere where it's easy to remember and quick to retrieve. You have now converted what can be a dreary ordeal into a far more satisfying use of your time.

What is your next step to make the most of your post-holiday time?

To take your next step, sign up for our free gift, "The New Finding Time Boundary Template: 9 Simple, Sequential Steps to Find More Time and Recharge Your Energy!" at http://www.findingtime.net/ezine.html This time template will help you move beyond overwhelm, disappointment, and frustration. Using a workbook format, with room to record your answers, you will discover that 24 hours really are enough! And for even more time thoughts and techniques, visit our blog at http://www.thetimefinder.com Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D., The Time Finder Expert. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paula_Eder

How To Manage People Who Waste Your Time At Work?

22nd February 2007

Author: Shafir Ahmad

One of the challenges facing you in today's workplace is the constant stream of distractions that happen on an on-going basis every single day. At the end of the work day, you often wonder why you have not completed that task or written that document which needs to be ready by first thing the next day.

You get frustrated and you blame the entire system for not making it work for you. Know this: Everything starts with yourself and how you manage the many diversions that stand in your way of completing your work and achieving higher productivity in the workplace.

Here are some of the ways that you can use to combat the time wasters in your work life:

What do you when you have sales people who "happen to be in the neighborhood" and would like to see you for a while?

"For a while" is usually about 15 to 30 minutes. Often times, uninvited appointments are not a life-and-death situation, something that you can swiftly respond with, "I have just five minutes to see you, if you don't mind". That five minutes is an investment towards relationship building with your suppliers but it should not take more time than necessary. You are not obliged to see that person but it would be impolite to turn them down as it would create unhealthy image of yourself and the company.

What do you do to indicate to your co-worker that you are not to be disturbed?

Other than put a "funny" poster that conveys the message "Get Lost", you could be polite about it and say you have life-threatening deadline to meet. Or you could loudly declare that you are very stressed right now and about to explode with the

work that is due any minutes. Be firm. Do not allow others to rob you of your time.

What can you do to manage the incessant phone calls?

Phone calls are one of the major time wasters in the workplace. Any real work issues are normally expressed in emails. So telephone calls often times are just a PR function or chitchat over small things. Very rarely are they as urgent as they

seem. You can suggest to the management to install caller-ID where you can view the telephone numbers of incoming calls. Make a case that this is a sure-fire way for increased productivity, and for crisis management. Where you do not anticipate problems or urgency, most phone calls can wait while you finish up your work. Use voice mail if you have it.

What is the best way to say "No" to lunch invitations without offending the other party?

You could pack your own lunch, so that nobody can persuade you to go out and lunch

with them. On busy days, cancel your social lunch appointments if you have already

made a prior arrangement and make a sincere apology. Do not let your social

commitments eat into your working hours. This creates unnecessary stress, and you

end up going home late or worse still - bringing the work home.

How can you steal time to finish work and still get to go home early?

You come in an hour earlier. This is when no one is in the office yet, when the phone is not ringing, when your mind is still fresh and alert. You will not get distracted, you get to use the hours productively and you get more done given your high energy and mental level in the morning. Leverage on it.

As you think about how to manage the time wasters, consider the pitfalls for every action that you take. It is important that you find an approach that is not detrimental to your relationship with people or affecting the image of the company or division that you work for.

Shafir Ahmad is the author of "The Experts Guide to Managing Your Time". Do you know what to watch out for when planning your day? Get your special report on 8 Things to Consider when Planning Your Day at http://www.PlanYourTimeNow.com

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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_131812_24.html