TIME. Sometimes, it’s not on your side. And if you’re hard-pressed to recall the last weekend you spent that was even remotely relaxing, you’re in good company. It’s easy to have those two days off hijacked by errands, e-mail and “mandatory” social events. But there is a way to take back your weekend – with a pencil. With a little bit of prodding and planning, you can get stuff done on your weekend and actually have fun, too. Here’s our lazy man’s quick and easy plan to social time management:
Step 1
Find a calendar, use it religiously and schedule in the fun.
According to experts (yes, even experts who have lucrative deals with paper-goods companies) all calendars are fair game. Moleskine notebooks and Franklin Covey calendars are stylish (and will get you major props from the “productivity nerds,” as they call themselves), but Google Calendar works well, as does the old Outlook standby. The key is to fill in anything and everything; if you see your day mapped out on a page (or a screen), it’ll help you avoid the over-
scheduling mania that grips so many New Yorkers. Coffee with a friend? Add it. Pedicure down the street from your apartment? Add it. Time to clean your toilet? Yup, that too. And make sure it’s all in one planner. “The business and social calendar should be the same – it’s one life,” says Julie Morgenstern, productivity guru and author of “Never Check E-mail in the Morning.” “And write in how long each engagement is going to take.”
Step 2
Just say “No” . . . and mean it.
Have clear weeding criteria and stick to it. It’s so easy to let your weekend get hijacked by 900 random events. Before you know it, it’s Monday, you went to 15 cocktail parties thrown by people you don’t like, and the only time you weren’t on the move was standing in a long checkout line at Food Emporium.
So before you commit something to your calendar, Morgenstern recommends asking yourself one question: Is this event productive – either in your career or social life – or is it enjoyable? If it doesn’t fall into either category, nix it. “Get your schedule and go item by item, and decide if each commitment is productive or enjoyable,” says Morgenstern. “If something doesn’t fit into either category, you can strike it off
the list.”
Step 3
(the RICH version): Outsource, outsource, outsource.
Time is money – and for those people for whom cash is no issue, it’s easy to just hire someone else to do it. The obvious outsourcing tools are the most attractive – a housecleaner, Wash-Dry-Fold, Fresh Direct. But new ways to outsource can also relieve the burden off the workweek. Virtual assistants – or roving independent assistants located all over the country and who connect to you via Internet and fax machine – are popular (they’ll run you about $20 an hour). They’ll answer phones, type up reports, do billing invoicing and even cancel appointments (after you’ve decided to nix them).
Step 3
(the poor version): Utilize weekday maintenance.
Weekday home maintenance might sound about as fun as getting a colonoscopy, but consider this: By just taking one hour out of your weeknight, you can free up your weekends. Delegate each day to a specific job that takes no longer than an hour. By Thursday, you’ll have four productive hours worth of housework done – before the weekend has even started. Other time-management aids are free financial-management Web sites like Wesabe, or relatively inexpensive software like Quicken or Turbo Tax (for around $30 each). These sites provide personal finance tools that make it quick and simple to manage funds – use them wisely, and maybe one day you’ll be able to outsource.
Step 4
Curb the dreaded e-mail beast.
Call it information overload, call it “addiction to stimulus” – it all boils down to the same thing: too Damn Much Stuff for You To Look At! That’s why it’s important to establish boundaries for using e-mail. During the weekend, Morgenstern recommends scheduling times to check your e-mail – and only allow yourself two half-hour peeks at your e-mail during the weekend.
Step 5
Wake up early, create “sacred time.”
As far as life changes, this one takes the cake. A 6 a.m. alarm clock might seem like cruel and unusual punishment. But Kathy Gulrich, business coach and full-time real estate broker in Manhattan, believes that preparing for the day increases productivity by leaps and bounds. It’s a time when cellphones can’t distract, and e-mail cannot be accessed. Many of her clients use the time for yoga and meditation.
If you’re into something a bit more high-gear, use this time to work out. It boosts energy levels throughout the day, giving you more ability to focus on those 89 other things you have to do.