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.

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.