| Organize Your Lifestyle |
Use it for Good
by Tami Gallagher of Organized to the Core
by Tami Gallagher of Organized to the Core
What happens when we go through life without a plan? Without a well-thought out, detailed, time-sensitive, specific plan? We float. We
put out fires. We do what is right in front of us, what is next, what we want to do at that particular moment. We feel unaccomplished,
unbalanced, unsatisfied. We wonder what our purpose is, where we would be of good use, what we need out of life.
Reflect on Last Year’s Plan
Before a plan can be made, a little reflection is in order. Where am I currently at that I like? Don’t like? What has ‘worked’ for me this
past year? What didn’t? Were there places gone or activities done that I don’t ever want to do again (regardless of what I or anyone else
thinks I should do)? What were the time wasters or distractions I created to avoid certain circumstances? What were those circumstances
I was avoiding? And why?!
Have-to’s Versus Want-to’s
We all have the things we have-to do: sleep, eat, exercise, work, etc. But what are the things we want to do? Are they in the plan, too?
Ski, vacation, read, visit Grandma, learn French, etc. They should be. Make a list; divide a page in 2, on the left half is needs/have-to’s,
the right half is wants. Next to each activity put the time it takes per time frame. Example: Sleep – 8 hours/night.
Now work might be a have-to, but is a 10 hour day? Be careful what gets on your Need Side. You might put Work – 40 hours/week on
the Need Side and Work – 10 hours/week on the Want Side. The 10 hours allows you the extra income for your wants, it is not necessarily
needed to meet your basic needs.
Be sure to list the intangibles as well; time for rest/relaxation, meditation, reflection, introspection, journaling, commuting or travel.
The Short 24 Hour Day
Now take that 24 hour day and plop in your needs. Example: Sleep – 8, Eat – 2, Exercise – 1, Work – 8, Meditation – 30 minutes. What’s
left? 4.5 hours. Oh, wait, we forgot commuting and travel time to/from work and the gym, lost another 1.5 hours. (Is this a have-to or a
want??) We’re down to 3 ‘free’ hours for this particular day. Not much, is it? What are you going to do with it? Lose yourself in a movie
(or 2), on the Internet or emailing? Run errands? Make a phone call? Play video games? Read? Play? Learn French?
How about the kids? (And yes, they can do the same exercise to determine their free time.) When is it that parents spend time
communicating, reading, or just being with their kids? What about homework help or transporting to and from/watching extracurricular
activities?
Plan Your Life Now, It’s Not Waiting
In general, Americans have a great misconception of how many hours are actually in their day. Yes, we all have the same 24 hours, but
how many are free hours? A precious few. In my example above, it was 3! 3! That’s a perm or a couple laundry washing cycles or
dinner and a movie!
Kajeet, a cell phone company, has a tag line, “Use it for good.” It applies here - you have a few precious hours to do want you want with
your life, use them for good.
Got a plan for your life? Good.
Be specific. Schedule it. And do it! Your life is not waiting, it happens whether you have a plan or not. Use (your life) for good (and a
plan helps…)
2007 Organized to the Core. All Rights Reserved.
Tami Gallagher is a Professional Organizer who specializes in Family Time Management. Her company does individual family consulting,
workshops and presentations, and also provides community resources for families. Ms. Gallagher believes every family matters. She
teaches families how to examine their core values and use them as a foundation in organizing their lives. Available on her website is The
Family Core Organizer CD. This fun, practical, and easy to use tool is the ultimate planner and information keeper for your family.
Everything you need – all in one location!
put out fires. We do what is right in front of us, what is next, what we want to do at that particular moment. We feel unaccomplished,
unbalanced, unsatisfied. We wonder what our purpose is, where we would be of good use, what we need out of life.
Reflect on Last Year’s Plan
Before a plan can be made, a little reflection is in order. Where am I currently at that I like? Don’t like? What has ‘worked’ for me this
past year? What didn’t? Were there places gone or activities done that I don’t ever want to do again (regardless of what I or anyone else
thinks I should do)? What were the time wasters or distractions I created to avoid certain circumstances? What were those circumstances
I was avoiding? And why?!
Have-to’s Versus Want-to’s
We all have the things we have-to do: sleep, eat, exercise, work, etc. But what are the things we want to do? Are they in the plan, too?
Ski, vacation, read, visit Grandma, learn French, etc. They should be. Make a list; divide a page in 2, on the left half is needs/have-to’s,
the right half is wants. Next to each activity put the time it takes per time frame. Example: Sleep – 8 hours/night.
Now work might be a have-to, but is a 10 hour day? Be careful what gets on your Need Side. You might put Work – 40 hours/week on
the Need Side and Work – 10 hours/week on the Want Side. The 10 hours allows you the extra income for your wants, it is not necessarily
needed to meet your basic needs.
Be sure to list the intangibles as well; time for rest/relaxation, meditation, reflection, introspection, journaling, commuting or travel.
The Short 24 Hour Day
Now take that 24 hour day and plop in your needs. Example: Sleep – 8, Eat – 2, Exercise – 1, Work – 8, Meditation – 30 minutes. What’s
left? 4.5 hours. Oh, wait, we forgot commuting and travel time to/from work and the gym, lost another 1.5 hours. (Is this a have-to or a
want??) We’re down to 3 ‘free’ hours for this particular day. Not much, is it? What are you going to do with it? Lose yourself in a movie
(or 2), on the Internet or emailing? Run errands? Make a phone call? Play video games? Read? Play? Learn French?
How about the kids? (And yes, they can do the same exercise to determine their free time.) When is it that parents spend time
communicating, reading, or just being with their kids? What about homework help or transporting to and from/watching extracurricular
activities?
Plan Your Life Now, It’s Not Waiting
In general, Americans have a great misconception of how many hours are actually in their day. Yes, we all have the same 24 hours, but
how many are free hours? A precious few. In my example above, it was 3! 3! That’s a perm or a couple laundry washing cycles or
dinner and a movie!
Kajeet, a cell phone company, has a tag line, “Use it for good.” It applies here - you have a few precious hours to do want you want with
your life, use them for good.
Got a plan for your life? Good.
Be specific. Schedule it. And do it! Your life is not waiting, it happens whether you have a plan or not. Use (your life) for good (and a
plan helps…)
2007 Organized to the Core. All Rights Reserved.
Tami Gallagher is a Professional Organizer who specializes in Family Time Management. Her company does individual family consulting,
workshops and presentations, and also provides community resources for families. Ms. Gallagher believes every family matters. She
teaches families how to examine their core values and use them as a foundation in organizing their lives. Available on her website is The
Family Core Organizer CD. This fun, practical, and easy to use tool is the ultimate planner and information keeper for your family.
Everything you need – all in one location!
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