Feature

By Navdeep Kathuria

Top Ten Tips for Time Management

Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Editor-in-Chief of ABCDlady. In addition to the work that I do on this magazine, I have another full time job, play on two volleyball teams, organize photo shoots and fashion shows, am delving into the real estate market and helping my brother with his wedding planning. How do I manage to do it all? I stay organized and multi-task every chance I get. For the over-committed out there, I have developed a top ten list to help you get everything done so you have more time for fun!

1) Make a to-do list, prioritize it and follow it! Do this for all your tasks, whether you're running errands or planning a dinner party. If you're the gadget-type, try a PDA (personal digital assistant). Check out the following article for advice on choosing a handheld organizer. If you're more of an old-fashioned pencil-and-paper gal like me, just be sure to always keep your list with you so you can add or subtract from it.

When I have a lot that needs to get done, I email the following day’s to-do list to myself. When I check my email the next day at work, I have a huge reminder in my inbox that I can print out and cross off as I go. Create a plan of action for the day and you’ll be less likely to get sidetracked with less important issues.

2) Part with your money to save time. As someone who grew up in an immigrant family, I know this is a tough one—we were raised to be frugal! But try it out. Believe it or not, your time is worth money. My test is the “$20 an hour” test. I came up with that number myself—feel free to lower it or raise it based on your preference. Let's just suppose my free time is worth twenty dollars an hour. I have a small yard that takes me about an hour to mow (20 bucks of my time), not including my shower time afterwards. Someone from my neighborhood offered to do it for ten bucks. Let's reflect—I save the time/money of having to do this myself, so in essence, I come out ahead. For you, the “$20 an hour” test might be applied to cleaning your house, doing your taxes, and so on. Apply this test and if a chore is not worth your time, hire someone else to do it and apply yourself to the things you really need to focus on.

3) Don't drive drunk, but you can drive and multi-task. I know someone who plucks her eyebrows at red lights. I'm not endorsing that one, but you can use all of that time in traffic wisely. Purchase a headset for your cell phone and get all your phone calls out of the way on the way back from work. Friends don't take well to the “I'm-in-traffic” call? Call Mom and Dad. They love hearing from you at any time of the day! Really—it's not rude, as long as you continue talking to them even after you've reached home!

Other things to do in traffic? I've done my nails right before embarking on a traffic-filled trip and let them dry as I drove. Books on tape and catching up on the news are other favorites.

Similarly, when you're at an airport, bring anything you can to get errands done! On a recent flight to Colorado, between a two hour layover and a one hour delay, I finished my taxes! You spend a lot of time at an airport, regardless of the length of your trip. Use it to your advantage!

4) Make use of meal time. Read the paper, a book, ABCDlady—anything! I sometimes spend this time making my to-do list. If you're eating with a knife and fork, you can write or type while taking occasional bites. Eating slowly in this manner is also good for your digestion, so you're killing two birds with one stone.

5) You should always be doing something else while on the phone. Purchase that headset! (I recommend wireless, so you can walk around your home without worrying about having your phone with you.) I have ironed, dusted and even made dinner while on the phone. Most of these are mindless activities anyway, so you can give the caller full attention at the same time. I'd stay clear of checking your email or cooking a recipe you've never tried before. I'm not endorsing rudeness—if you can't cook and chat with Ritu at the same time, don't do it!

6) Have your worlds collide. When someone is organizing a happy hour, I ask if I can invite other people. Invite the world to everything you go to. If you're taking the time to go out, make 100% use of that time. Try to see everyone at once. You might even make it a good networking opportunity for the friends that do not know one another.

7) Make one meal last as long as possible. I love going all out when cooking, but sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day for that. So cook one meal on the weekend—let's say butter chicken. You can eat cooked chicken for three to four days before it gets bad. So eat it with rice on one occasion. Add cilantro and yogurt to your rice on another. Eat it with naan on another day. By the way, you can buy packaged naan and freeze it! Then simply microwave it for one minute in a paper towel to defrost it. Wrap it in foil, bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, and voila—it tastes like it’s fresh from the oven.

Other time-saving techniques for mealtime include buying pre-cut fruit and vegetables or cooked meat and trying out packaged or bottled sauces. Check out our ABCDlady recipes for additions you can make to sauces to spice up your meal.

8) You can be Mary Poppins while cleaning. Well, you can't quite snap your fingers and have your entire house clean itself, but you can save time by implementing some simple cleaning techniques. Use disinfectant wipes to wipe down your counters. It takes two seconds and your counter is all clean. Keep these in your bathroom and kitchen, so you have them handy whenever you need them.

If you have hardwood floors, sweep to a spot under the carpet. Later, when you are vacuuming the rest of your home, hoover your hidden spot!

Another tip: buy a file cabinet. Categorically separate all the different bills and documents you need to keep track of, and place all your papers into folders. If you have a folder that gets quite large, divide it into years, months or days. Designate a day or two per month for paying bills and filing your mail. Try the 1st and 15th of each month.

9) Become a leftover queen. I used to be called the “leftover queen” because I always brought my leftovers home from restaurants. Not only does splitting up your meal ensure that you won't overeat, but it also saves the time of preparing tomorrow's lunch! If you are worried about having enough food, keep some fruit or vegetables on hand to eat with your second-day meal.

10) Purchase products online. I needed a new wallet recently, and went online to ebags.com and found a wallet that not only is functional, but looks good and is also raved about. Be sure to check out feedback left by previous buyers. They'll tell you if the product is too small, if it will develop a hole after a few months of use, if the vendor is good about returns—you name it. Epinions.com is a good free site; it compiles the opinions of everyday users of different products. Consumerreports.org is another similar site, but requires users to pay before surfing. They purchase each product and their claim is that they provide an unbiased viewpoint. By purchasing online, you save the time of going to the store, and you'll stick to getting things you need rather than impulse-buying.

These time-saving techniques will help you make the most of your day, but don’t forget, there’s always tomorrow to get everything done!

Navdeep Kathuria is the Editor-in-Chief of ABCDlady. She did Pilates while writing this article. She hopes that you eat a snack while reading through the rest of ABCDlady.

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