The 4 Rs: You CAN Make More Time!

Staying confined in my house makes me feel like time is crawling by, but somehow I also feel like I don’t have enough time. Others tell me they feel the same way. That reminded me of 4 tricks I learned during my Kon Mari Consultant Training. These 4 Rs actually create more time in my daily schedule:

1. Reduce
2. Remove
3. Reassign
4. Reschedule

 If you try all four steps, you, too, will feel like you can make time! Allow me to explain:

1. REDUCE: Do you really need to do everything? Right now dusting is not a priority for me, and neither is steam cleaning my floors daily. I vacuum every day, wipe up any spills, and we take our shoes off at the door, but steam cleaning every day just takes too much mental and physical energy. Household paperwork every day or once a week? It’s a big time saver to figure out what your minimum standards are (for example) to maintain a clean house. Give it a try!
2. REMOVE: Can you simply eliminate items from your To Do list? Think of all the things you’ve given up during the pandemic. Many don’t need to be in your routine ever again. I used to make a weekly trip to Target for some small items and, invariably I would end up with a cart load of stuff. I can honestly say I haven’t been to Target in 2020 yet. That saves a few hours each week – and I don’t have to infringe on my weekend to make those trips. Look for those things you’ve automatically done and see if there’s something you can eliminate.
3. REASSIGN: Are you really the only person in the house who can do this? Is it time to start spreading the responsibilities around? If you have children, it’s never too early to teach them how to do laundry. I was determined that I would not send my children into the world without knowing how to do their own laundry, so I taught them at 5 years old. If you have teens, it might be a bit of a harder sell, but giving them additional duties will build character (right?)! What eats up time in your daily schedule or interrupts the flow of your work that you can reassign?
4. RESCHEDULE. Can you put off doing something right now? Maybe wait until next week or next month? When someone asks you for a favor, simply ask them to respect your schedule, and calendar it when it works for you. I find that by waiting, the issue often resolves itself. No need to take up time in your schedule immediately if later will do, whether it’s work or home responsibilities.

 
The 4 Rs help focus on the importance of everything you do and will eliminate the unimportant so you can actually get to your priority items. And it will help you to look back on this time fondly rather than with regret.
If you need help figuring out how to apply the 4 Rs to make more time in your life, call me for a free consultation and/or a virtual session. There’s no time like the present!
 
Until next time,
 
Mrg
605-929-1493
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