The Never Ending To Do List

This is one of those weeks where my To Do list just won’t stop growing. All of my worlds seem to be colliding this week. I work full-time, am a wife and mother, a student and volunteer.

So far on the list –

• Write a 2-3 page case for my Organizational Behavior class
• Start designing the program for J’s upcoming orchestra concert (I volunteered for this!)
• Get together with the girls (Tuesday & Friday – who scheduled that?)
• Networking event (Wednesday evening)
• Mandatory parent’s track meeting (Monday at 6)
• Pick up J from track every day some time between 5-5:30
• J cello lesson (Thursday 5:30)
• Blah, Blah, Blah

Not on the list – work (minor detail), cook, clean, grocery shop . . .

How the heck am I gonna get it all done and still have time to watch American Idol? I’m stressing just thinking about it, and then I thought – relax, girl, you can handle this.

I came to the realization that I waste a lot of time by not being organized. So the first thing I did was look for holes in my schedule. I get up around 6, have coffee and watch the news until 7. The local news channel reports pretty much the same news every 15 minutes. If I watch for 15 minutes, instead of 30 or 45, I can free up almost 2 hours this week.

Next I tackled the dinner problem. Monday night – delegate to my husband Mark. That easily gives me another 30 to 45 minutes. For Tuesday and Wednesday, the slow cooker will do the work – Swiss Steak on Tuesday; Corned Beef and Cabbage on Wednesday. Even with prep time I should gain another hour or so.

I’m still a little short on time, though. Now I’m going to have to get tough with myself. My plan is to use modern technology to my advantage. I’ll set my DVR to record American Idol (two hours on Tuesday and one hour on Wednesday). For me to get it all done, I won’t be able to watch my show live. I’ll still watch it the same night, but I’ll have to delay watching it for an hour.

I also use my phone to help me keep up with my To Do list. And if I’m really organized, I try not to leave the house without reading material. You’d be surprised how much time you spend waiting (for a client, to pick up a child, etc.).

So there you have it. When you’re To Do list is getting to be too much:

• Take a deep breath
• Organize and prioritize
• Delegate if you can
• Make meals that don’t require a lot of hands-on time (or order in!)
• Use technology to your advantage
• Get tough with yourself

If I stick to my guns, I should gain about 5 hours this week without having to get up any earlier, stay up later or sacrifice something I really like doing. How do you keep your To Do list from getting out of hand?