I created a NEW Coaching Program for Kids, to help them organize their schoolwork: Homework, Note Taking, and Study Skills to start them on a pathway to being focused and purposeful with their school career while bringing them self-esteem and general wellbeing. (8/2022)
It’s so easy to get in the mindset of checking items off that never ending To-Do list.
Please release that unrealistic expectation you have of yourself. You are not perfect, you never will be and honestly who the hell wants to be?
Stop trying to “do it all”. Spend your valuable time on things that matter the most to you!
Ask for help. Create a life that supports your strengths and encourages you to ask for help in the areas that you struggle.
“How did it get so late so soon” Time is precious, especially when it comes to running your own small business. Yet there are never more than 24 hours in a day. Some entrepreneurs respond to this fact of life with focus and purpose. Others freak out!
Are you the type to freak out? You don’t have to be. With the right plan of attack, you can work efficiently, productively, and relatively stress-free.
Here are eight tips for effectively managing your time:
1. Know your goals.
Make sure you’re engaging in activities that support your short and long term business goals. Everything else has the ability to be time-waster. Your daily plan should revolve around working on tasks and activities that directly relate to generating income and growing your business.
2. Prioritize wisely.
Stephen Covey, co-author of First Things First, offers an organizational tool for your to-do list based on how important and urgent tasks are:
Write down your three or four important and urgent tasks that must be addressed today. As you complete each one, check it off your list. This will provide you with a sense of accomplishment and can motivate you to tackle less essential items.
3. Just say no.
You’re the boss – Just say no! If you have to decline a request in order to attend to what’s truly important and urgent, do not hesitate to do so. The same goes for any projects or activities that you’ve decided are headed nowhere: Be prepared to move on to more productive tasks.
4. Plan ahead
One of the worst things you can do is jump into the workday with no clear idea about what needs to get done. The time you spend thinking ahead and planning your activities is unimportant compared with the time you’ll lose jumping from one thing to the next with rarely completing anything. Try these options:
5. Eliminate distractions.
Start paying attention to the number of times someone interrupts you when you’re in the middle of an important task. Track self-induced interruptions, too, particularly those of the social media variety. Your smartphone is extremely useful, but it’s also addictive and among the most sneaky time-wasters known to mankind. It may take an exercise in will power, but shut the door and turn off your phone to maximize your time. Make sure you plan a break in the day to catch up on email, call people back, talk with staff.
6. Delegate more often.
If you’ve done your job of hiring talented, dedicated employees, there’s always more work that could be delegated to staff leaving less on your desk. Running a successful small business depends upon the owner’s ability to think about what lies ahead and not get lost in day-to-day operations.
7. Watch what you spend.
How many productive minutes are you packing in each week? Use a simple time sheet log to quickly and easily clock in and out of various tasks or projects throughout the day. Then generate real-time report to see exactly where you’re spending your most valuable “prime time” — and where it’s being wasted.
8. Take care of yourself.
Be sure to get plenty of sleep, exercise and drink plenty of water. An alert mind is a high-functioning mind and one that’s less tolerant of time-wasting activities.
| 7:00am- 9:00am: (Voicemail, Emails, In-Box Correspondence) *Fill in your own tasks |
| 9:00am – 10:30am: (Quiet Hour – Priority Tasks) *Fill in your own tasks |
| 10:30am- 12noon: (Appointments, Meetings, Calls, Correspondence) *Fill in your own tasks |
| 12noon – 12 :30pm: (Mail, Voice mail, Emails) *Fill in your own tasks |
| 12:30pm-2 :00pm: (Exercise – Lunch) *Fill in your own tasks |
| 2:00pm – 4 :00pm: (Appointments – Priority Tasks) *Fill in your own tasks |
| 4 :00pm- 5 :00pm: (Meetings, Assignments, Calls) *Fill in your own tasks |
A Time Policy is a guide to be used in scheduling your tasks, appointments, meetings and other activities. It involves reserving certain Time Periods of the day for specific tasks and projects. The first thing you need to find out is what is your Prime-Time? Me, I’m a “morning person” – I can get most of my task done by 10:30 am. You need to create a policy that will utilize your prime time, and not set yourself up for failure by scheduling appointments, meetings, or making important calls during the times when you’re feeling sluggish. This makes your day more effective in several ways:
So, go ahead and set-up your time policy – the first one I made was in 1998 it was written on a piece of 2″x 3″ notepad paper, I promised myself I would write out my time policy every morning (I am a morning person) for 21 days. . . the rest is history. You will have to experiment a few times before you finalize your own Time Policy, of course you can update at anytime according to your lifestyle and work career.
Let me know how it is working for you or if you need help to set up a time policy. If you’d like to schedule a 30+ minute consultation with me to learn how to create a Time Policy to help you use your time at work more effectively – Call me: (860)961.6824 or Email me: cchomeconcierge@gmail.com
When I was teaching in preschool, during the summer months we were in our classroom setting up learning stations for the various ages of the students – for some it was their first time away from the Family Unit and others it was their third year in the classroom. Just like a preschool teacher, you will need to set up a homework area that is adaptable for everyone.
Make sure the area has everything the little professors will need to complete their homework and school assignments. Make sure the sharp supplies are up and out of the way of the younger learners. All you need is a table – like the dining room table, enough elbow room for everyone. A bookcase or buffet that holds the school and office supplies. Or a near by closet or pantry that is only being used to warehouse unwanted kitchen purchases. Put the supplies for little learners on the low shelves with picture labels so they can be independent in getting what they need and clean up after themselves.
The final and most important step is when an area is located, the redesign is completed – you must come up with the Homework Area Rules. For example, if the older children listen to music while studying – have them wear their ear buds to not disturb others. If the younger ones are listening to music in the background, play it softly. Place a mark on the volume dial to indicate the music volume cannot go higher than the black mark or write the number of volume level the music needs to stay at while studying. Example of some rules: Be Respectful, Be Helpful, Be Kind and lastly, Clean up for the next person. As a family unit come up with your own rules and have everyone sign off on them, this way when the arguing, crying and screaming starts . . . and it will ~ just point to the rules!
Please comment below if you have your own corner of the home or space as your “Homework Area” Please share with pics – I love looking at others’ designs. If there is anything I can help you with – check out my services. 
Peace & Harmony ~ Cheryl
Notebooks, Notebooks, Notebooks . . .
I know I am not the only person that does this –
I keep all my business notes in notebooks, but the problem is – that each page is so packed with small notes it wastes so much of my time to figure out what I wrote . . . Or where that note is about that article . . . . where is that email from so-and-so?
Instead of Re-Training my habits, I modified my behavior – Currently, I keep my notebook:
ONE TOPIC ~ ONE PAGE. 
It is now much easier and faster for me to refer to a certain person, article, workshop, etc. that needed information about that certain topic. I hope this helps with keeping your notes organized.
Let me know – or if you have your own system!
please share in comments 
Peace & Harmony ~ Cheryl
Lifestyle by Design 