Organizing Your Time~Week 2

Taming Technology

Do you have a love/hate relationship with technology? I know I do! What did we ever do before Internet? I use it for just about everything–from staying in touch with friends to paying bills to checking the weather. In some ways it saves huge amounts of time and effort. The downside is that I can also squander HOURS online if I’m not careful. Maybe it’s the same for you.

Phones, too. My cell phone and home phone are tools I just can’t imagine living without–yet sometimes I allow myself to be interrupted by a phone call, and end up feeling frustrated and resentful. Enter caller id. For a long time I resisted having it, even though it was free through my phone provider. I do use it now as well as my answering machine. I really started using these tools shortly after we began homeschooling. It was unfair to my kids for me to answer the phone and get caught up in a conversation when we were in the middle of a math lesson, for instance. So it’s not about showing disrespect to those people who are calling . . . it’s about managing my time so that I talk to them when I am best able to listen and give them my full attention.

Telemarketers are people too . . . and they are just trying to make a living. Please don’t be rude to them. Just don’t allow them to persist to the point where you’re irritated. Just a simple “Thank you, but I am not interested. Please remove me from you list.” CLICK. Don’t wait for an answer.

Keep a phone log for a few weeks. Include the name of the caller, the time they called, and the length of the conversation. Analyze that to see what changes can be minimize interruptions and time wasters.

Here’s another log to keep–though it might be painful. Just a sheet of paper is all you need, but I challenge you to keep track of all the time spent on the Internet for a week. Ouch. Prepare to be surprised!

If you have favorite blogs, try subscribing to them so they’re delived to your email inbox, or following them in a list. Set a timer before getting online–predetermine how much time per day you want to allow for Internet. When the timer goes off–you’re done!

Email is a problem for many of us. Here are a few tips for managing email.

Set a schedule–determine that you are only going to check email, say, twice a day, or whatever works best for your situation. Stick to it! Take a few minutes to reply to emails if necessary, then shut down.

Sort email into folders. I subscribe to several online newsletters and blogs. I have folders set up in my inbox to sort newsletters until I can block some time to read them. It helps keep my inbox somewhat clearer.

Use email subject lines for easy identification, and change the subject line if the subject of the email thread changes.

Keep emails clear and concise and to the point.

Please be selective about forwards. Not everyone enjoys receiving them. It’s polite to ASK before forwarding power point slide shows, political jokes, or the “forward du jour” to everyone on your list.

How about you? How do you use the phone and internet to save time? And how do you avoid wasting time on them? I think this is an area in which many of us continue to struggle. I’d love to read your feedback and suggestions.

Continue reading Organizing Your Time~Week 2 …

From Econobusters.

January 11, 2010 | Filed Under Frugal Living | Leave a Comment

The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Freebies Edition

There is no such thing as a free lunch. From my experience, that’s completely true. Yet, I constantly advocate using free services all the time – the library, the parks, and so on.

Lately, a few readers have called me on this seeming contradiction, pointing out that, indeed, these things have costs. We pay those costs when we pay our taxes. And some people with a certain political perspective think it’s wholly unfair that we should pay for libraries and parks and the like.

Here’s the thing, though. It’s a sunk cost. We’ve already paid our taxes – and those taxes paid for those libraries. The money is already paid – so why not enjoy the fruits of those dollars? If you politically disagree with such services, act in a political fashion against them – but don’t eschew services. You’ve already paid for them. Use them.

Tyler Durden’s Guide To Personal Finance This is a humorous reworking of “Fight Club,” translating the themes of the movie into pretty sensible personal finance advice. I enjoyed reading it. (@ man vs. debt)

Thomas Carlyle’s Advice to Young Men This is brilliant advice for everyone today. Don’t follow advice to the letter – instead, explore and learn what works for you. A truly worthwhile person is able to find their own path and utilizes advice only in terms of trying to see things through another’s eyes. (@ art of manliness)

In Defense of Solitude (Part Two) I spend multiple workdays in solitude. For me, being alone is essential – a key part of being able to bear down and focus on tasks at hand. I find that interruptions make it much more challenging for me to complete anything well, so solitude is a key tool for my work. (@ soul shelter)

Banishing the No Momentum Monster Without some sort of crutch, I find it’s really hard to maintain the momentum of continuous work, like writing or exercising every day. For me, the “chain method” works well – I have a printed calendar on the wall in my office and each day I accomplish my specific goal, I put a big colored X on that date on the calendar. When I get a string of them going, I *really* don’t like breaking that chain, so it gives me motivation to do it. (@ unclutterer)

Off My Giving List I do the same thing – if a telemarketer from a charity interrupts me, I cease giving to them. I am a charitable person, but I value my family time and I don’t want it intruded on by some ham-fisted telemarketer. (@ free money finance)

Are Online Savings Accounts Worth It? We use an online savings account (ING) for most of our banking, but we also have a local bank for some specific teller services (cashing checks, mostly). We have the two accounts linked and everything just works like a charm. (@ bargaineering)

20 Cheap and Fun Date Ideas Most of these sound like a whole lot of fun to me! My wife and I already do several of these things, sometimes even with the kids in tow. (@ christian pf)

How to Destroy Your Investment Portfolio You can solve all five of these problems by simply buying a broadly based index fund and just sitting on it. Sure, you won’t hit a home run, but you will have consistently strong investment results over the long haul. (@ frugal dad)