Time Management and Shopping

If you set up a system for when you go shopping then you will find that shopping is more fun and enjoyable and will take less time. Do you know that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time? This means that we have a lot of money invested in clothing that we don’t wear – let alone the time it took us to purchase all those items.

If you follow some rules then you will save yourself some time when shopping:

Know what suits your body

• Learn your body shape
• Understand what colours suit you

Know your reason for going shopping:

• What is your reason for wanting to purchase a new item
• Write down what items you need to purchase
• Ask yourself – when will I wear it? Where will I wear it? How many times will I wear it?

Preparation for shopping:

• Allow enough time
•  Think about the shopping hours and try to shop when there are less people at the shops
•  If you are co-ordinating items then take those items with you then you won’t wonder if they go, you will know

Questions to ask:

• How many items in my wardrobe will the item go with?
• Can it be dressed up or dressed down?
• Will you be able to use it in more than one season?

If you purchase an item that needs to be altered then take it to be altered immediately. Otherwise, it may just be another item at home that hangs in your wardrobe.

Another way to save time is to actually go through your wardrobe at least once a year. That way, you can ensure that your wardrobe is always functional and serves you. Some questions to ask and guidelines to follow include:

• Anything that you won’t get repaired - then out it goes
• Anything that no longer looks good – out it goes
• Anything that doesn’t fit you – either too big or too small – out it goes
• Anything that is dated – out it goes
• Anything that you feel uncomfortable in – out it goes

Following these tips and guidelines will ideally save you time when you go shopping so that you can use your time for more productive and fun experiences.

Power to Choose

We constantly make choices every day. If we set a goal of health and fitness which means we exercise every morning, then that needs to become our priority, we have the power to choose what we do. When the alarm goes off of a morning, we have a choice – we can stay in that nice warm bed and grab another hour of sleep or we can get up and exercise and be on the path to achieving our goals. It is always our choice.

Thousands of years ago, Aristotle said, “You are what you repeatedly do.”  So are you going to keep repeating what you are currently doing and not change or move forward, or are you going to take some time and identify ways that you can improve your life?

There are going to be hiccups and road blocks that get in your way but draw strength from knowing that you have the power to choose to find another way, another road, and another option. Don’t let excuses get in your way.

The following are some examples of truly inspiration people who could have easily let the excuse of age get in their way however they didn’t choose the easy option.

• Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel.
• Doc Counsilman, at 58, became the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel
• Henry Ford went bankrupt 5 times before succeeding in the auto industry
• 14 publishers rejected Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone with the Wind”.
• Edison greatest accomplishment is the light bulb he was most famous for the following quote in regards to his persistence in developing the light bulb …

 “I have not failed.

I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Thomas Edison

• Colonel Sanders had over a 1000 knockbacks in a two year period for his Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe

So consider the strength in your power to choose.

Bear in Mind - There is always a way

Even if it is not true, act like it is and usually you can find a way to achieve what you want to achieve.

• You can push through the tough times
• Persist a little longer
• Search a little harder
• Keep going
• Failure is giving up
• Everything else is progress

By believing there is always a way you give yourself every opportunity to experience success!

You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be!

There is inside you all of the potential

to be whatever you want to be, all of the energy

to do whatever you want to do.

Imagine yourself as you would like to be,

doing what you want to do,

and each day, take one step towards your dream.

And though at times it may seem too difficult

to continue, hold on to your dream.

One morning you’ll awake to find that

you’re the person you dreamed of,

doing what you wanted to do,

simply because you had the courage

to believe in your potential

and to hold on to your dream.

Donna Levine

You have the resourcefulness you need for whatever you decide to choose.

You REALLY do have the:

• Courage
• Passion
• Determination
• Fire

We can do anything if we have a compelling reason and the focus. There is always a way. Even if it’s not true, act like it is and usually you can find a way to achieve what you want to achieve.

The power to choose is what gives us the opportunity to create a different life! As an individual, you always have a choice.

Respecting and Managing Time

At the end of the day have you ever thought to yourself, “Wow, I was busy all day, but I don’t feel like I achieved anything,” or “Today was a great day; I got loads done!” What caused the difference in the outcome? Both were busy days, but one felt unproductive and the other was productive. The difference usually lies in the fact that you got the most important tasks done. That’s why you feel good. It was a productive day, not just “being busy.”

Many of us underestimate the value of time and take it for granted because time just goes on and on. We often say ‘we’ll do it tomorrow’ or ‘l’ll do that when I have time’. What we don’t understand is that time is a valuable resource – it may actually be our most valuable resource.

Time is free, but it’s priceless.

You can’t own it, but you can use it.

You can’t keep it, but you can spend it.

Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.

Harvey MacKay

You have the same amount of time each day as world leaders, such as The President and the Prime Minister, the same amount of time as successful entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson and Bill Gates. The same amount of time as world famous entertainers such as Lady GaGa and Katy Perry.Your education, social standing, financial status doesn’t make a difference to the amount of time you get – no matter what happens we all get exactly the same amount of time, 1,440 minutes a day.

Control of time is the key to being more efficient. It is an important skill to develop so that we can accomplish more tasks than the average person each and every day.So, how do you spend your time?

• Does your day have a structure?
• Can that structure be improved?

The first step is to start measuring how long tasks take. This will give you an indication whether you under or over schedule your day. The majority of us actually under estimate how long a task will take and that is why we often don’t get everything done we want to complete in a day.

For the next week, whenever you are about to begin a task.

1. Stop and estimate how long the task will take.
2. Then compare how long it actually took.

You can learn an incredible amount from this exercise. I recommend starting this from the moment you get up. Know how long it takes you to get ready of a morning, how long you take to exercise, how long it takes to drive to the train station or to work. Then when you are at work, learn how long it takes you from walking in the door to actually starting work. What is the first task you do of a day? Is it always the same first task? How long does it take? When do you check your emails? How long do you spend checking emails?

Knowing how long even basic tasks such as getting ready of a morning take may mean you now understand why you are always racing out the door a couple of minutes late.It will allow you to more accurately estimate how much work you can complete in a day which in turn may change how you schedule your day.

You are welcome to access some templates that will assist you track you time they can be downloaded from the free resources section on my website.