The following is a guest blog post by Terry Monaghan of Organizing For Your Life. Terry will presenting “Planning to Succeed” on Tuesday, November 9th.
Planning to Succeed: Effective Strategies for Planning & Managing Your Time
Why is this so important? Well, let’s look at what life is like if we don’t have effective strategies for planning and managing our time…
Following are several areas that manage to suck up a lot of time (and create a lot of overwhelm and frustration), if left to their own devices:
No strategy – If you haven’t taken the time to really create a strategy for what you are doing, then what you are doing is nothing more than a lot of tasks that may or may not relate to the outcome you actually want to produce. Lots of activity does not equal a strategy.
No plan – Real planning includes several steps. Many times we think that if we know where we want to go (that is, we have set the goal), then that’s all that’s needed for the plan. No – that is not a plan. That is a goal. The plan gives you the map to get you from where you are now to where you want to go. The plan will also examine possible ways to get there, as well as inevitable roadblocks and detours.
No schedule – Have you ever noticed that you really won’t ‘get around to it?’ Or if you do, it is haphazard and you forget some part and end up making more work for yourself? Yes, you have decided you are going to DO something. But you haven’t determined WHEN you are going to get it done. No when usually means not now, later, maybe someday.
Dealing with Email – Email alone can take up half of your day (or more). This is an area where one simple strategic approach can make a huge difference.
No space to work – You have a home office – congratulations. But, if there are piles of work in the living room, dining room, kitchen, den, bedroom and car – that space isn’t really set up to work for you. Carving out a space to work takes a little thought, and some planning and time to implement.
Not delegating – How is that working out for you? I know – you can do it faster, better, more thoroughly than anyone else. But, if you wouldn’t pay someone else your salary to do that task, why are you paying yourself?
No team – This goes along with doing it all yourself. As far as I can tell, there are very few things you do totally in isolation. Building your business and living your life are not designed to be that way!
Now I figure I have really depressed you! If you are interested in some of the solutions – join The Enterprising Moms on November 9, 2010. Get details and register!
(c) 2010, Terry Monaghan
Brigid Schulte is a reporter on the 
As mentioned in an 
Life is pretty complex. With three young kids, multiple business ventures and no local family, some days it doesn’t take long for me to get overwhelmed by it all. Even when one is on top of their game, there are those cyclical things that come up and need to be addressed, like the winter cold and flu season, summer camp planning, school vacations and breaks. Some are predicatible and can be planned around, but others just spring up, like a snow day. And, without plans in place to address these things before the crisis arises, one can easily be thrown off course.
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