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Ever Feel Overwhelmed

Written by: Debbie Ruston

Article Overview: Tips on staying organized, getting more done, and not feeling overwhelmed.

Ever Feel Overwhelmed

It's interesting how we can get overwhelmed with things that don't really matter......life is busy, and people tend to get so stressed about all the things they have to do, and agonize over all the things they don't get to on their list.

Twenty one years ago, when I became self employed, I was at home with our two young children, and because I had an administrative background, one thing I was good at was getting organized. I decided that if I was going to be effective in every area of my life, and not let one area suffer because I was too busy spending time in a different area of my life, it was imperative that I got organized. I was committed to being a wonderful wife, and mother, wanted to keep up my commitments in our home and had just started to be an entrepreneur.

That was certainly a time that being overwhelmed would have been easy, but because at that time I was also very perfectionistic, I developed a system to stay organized and not let any area of my life suffer.

The tool I use is very simple ......it is simply using a daytimer. I am amazed when I train people in my business, how many people have never used a daytimer. This should be taught in school!!!! It is a way to prioritize the important things in every area of your life. I find having a daytimer with 15 min increments, between 8 am-10pm works very well. There is a great one that I use made by "Mead" - Weekly/Monthly Planner. When you time slot your priorities, it really helps you see what available time you actually have to fulfill all your commitments and helps you realistically put things in your day that you will have time to accomplish.

Now this may sound like a bit too detailed, but if you want to keep balance in your life and you haven't found a way to do that yet, this is something that will assist you with that......put EVERYTHING that you have to get done in a day that is a priority to you, in the time slots throughout that day.....When our children were small, I would time slot everything from bathing the children, to cooking, housework, reading stories, taking them to the park.....then I would also time slot my business responsibilities in between all of these things, and I would also slot in time with my husband, because my marriage was at the top of the list, and even though I was committed to being an entrepreneur, I was not going to let my marriage or my children be put on the back burner.

So, needless to say, my daytimer had a lot in it....all different areas of my life that were important, and everything had a time frame to accomplish whatever task it was. I'll tell you what, that saved my life! It was a way to keep the balance in my life and only work on the things that truly mattered, and not get lost in all the things that don't really matter.

So as a new mom, new entrepreneur and in a new marriage, that daytimer kept me organized.....Did it work? Absolutely! Never missed any of our kids school functions, enjoyed every holiday with them while they were growing up, retired my husband at age 45, and have a fabulous marriage, great kids and a thriving business. And, I still use it today....even though 20 years later our kids are grown and on their own so there are fewer responsibilities in that area, I still want to use my time effectively. So, I still use the same daytimer I have for 20 years, and I still time slot everything in that is important, in every area of my life. It has helped me stay organized, to eliminate stress and realistically look at my day at a glance and see what I truly have time for and prioritize what is important in my life.

In Your Service,

Debbie Ruston

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Article Tags: organization skills, time management



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