Prioritize, focus, beat the clock—even if it means cutting the cheese

 Read time is approximately 2 1/2 minutes

Last post we discussed three surprising tips that connect decluttering to reaching success.  Today let’s focus on two more practices for de-cluttering and using time wisely and that are particularly useful during this busy, busy holiday season.

1.       Beat the Clock

I call the first time management practice “beat the clock” because it actually involves using a timer. The strategy combines prioritizing and focusing when I de-clutter and/or clean my house. First I determine how much time I have to complete the cleaning job that particular day and divide the time by the number of rooms I must clean to see how much time I can spend on each room. For instance, if I have eight rooms to clean in four hours (240 minutes), I can spend 30 minutes in each room. Second I prioritize the rooms in order of needing to be cleaned.
I start with the room that needs cleaning the most and actually set the kitchen timer for the allotted time. I find I am very focused on the job since I am trying to "beat the clock." If I do not finish that room before the buzzer goes off, I still must move on to the next room. If I finish any room before the buzzer goes off, I can go back to a room I did not finish earlier until the buzzer does sound. When the buzzer sounds, I move to the next uncleaned room.

Now, I know that cleaning house is not altogether like completing a school or job-related project, but might this system of prioritizing, focusing, and beating the clock have some carry-over to managing time while completing any project? How might you see yourself using this practice?

2.       Swiss Cheese

The other particularly useful practice of time management in this busy, busy season is the Swiss Cheese method. The Swiss Cheese method is most often described as using any little amount of free time to accomplish something. (Picture small holes in a wedge of cheese.) For instance, if you just have three minutes in a chunk of time, fold a dryer load of towels or order a party platter for your holiday open house or answer one review question at the end of a chapter. Where do these little holes of free time come from? Some ideas might include waiting for your tablet to boot up, standing in line at the grocery store, waiting for the rest of your family to get in the car.

Using small amounts of empty time to complete tasks sets a tone of accomplishment and spurs you on to more accomplishments.

In the next post we'll discuss a less often used description of the Swiss Cheese time management method.