Prioritized Living

Master your money. Get organized. Take back your time.

Seize Control of Your Time With This One Skill

This post is part 3 in the series Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs.

Seize Control of Your Time With This One Skill

In the last four months, have you been mastering these 9 essential skills for busy people?  If so, you’re now able to . . .

  • Sketch out a plan for every day.
  • Automate components of your life.
  • Estimate the amount of time you need to accomplish a task.
  • Delete, diminish, delegate, and delay non-urgent and non-essential items on your list.
  • Motivate yourself by matching activities to goals.
  • Optimize your time by double-dipping in your goals.
  • Batch like tasks.
  • Work with your energy levels.
  • Adapt to intrusions.

If you still feel too busy, focus on this critical skill for seizing control of your time:
[Read more…]

One Project at a Time

One Project at a Time

One project at a time.

That’s what writer Jessie Kwak recommends.  Just recently, Jessie penned an inspirational article on how you can achieve big results with laser focus on one single project at a time.   [Read more…]

Your Perfect Planner for a Productive Year

Your Perfect Planner for a Productive Year

It’s that time of year again!  As this year wraps up, it’s time to start setting yourself up for success next year.  Organizing your life with a physical planner can make all the difference.  (Not convinced?  Read this!)

There are so many incredible paper planners out on the market!  How do you choose?

Start your search by checking out these popular planner options.  There are some dramatic differences among these options, so see which one is a great fit for the way your brain and your life work! [Read more…]

7 Budget-Friendly Gift Picks for the Christmas Eve Shopper

7 Budget-Friendly Gift Picks for the Christmas Eve Shopper

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

When I was growing up, one of our annual Christmas traditions was waving goodbye to Dad for a few hours on Christmas Eve.  He was off to the mall for Christmas gift shopping!

Every year, we never knew what to expect from Dad under tree.  In my case, I think that was primarily the result of having a kooky dad . . .

. . . but it’s slim pickings out there on Christmas Eve!

If you struggle to find great holiday gifts at the last minute, back away from the eye shadow collections and novelty socks.

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed procrastinator or the holidays have just snuck up on you this year, you absolutely can get your hands on gifts that people love.

And you can do it on a budget.
[Read more…]

15 Ways to Be More Productive Today

15 Ways to Be More Productive Today

Some days the life of a busy mom looks like this:

You cross the finish line of another non-stop day, and you are exhausted . . . but you honestly don’t know what you have to show for all your spent hours.  Projects are piling up at work, the house and kids look like they need to be hosed down, and you can’t remember the last time you had uninterrupted quality time with your spouse.

And tomorrow it begins again.

Getting it all done while making the most of your time is possible.  Try adopting these 15 practices for maximizing your productivity: [Read more…]

3 Rules for Maximum Productivity

3 Rules for Maximum Productivity

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Eat That Frog:  21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time has a mouthful of a title.  But it’s been making the rounds as a best-selling productivity book for years.

For me, there’s good advice and bad advice in this compact guide.  However, one of the major highlights are the “3 Rules for Maximum Productivity.”

These 3 questions are perfect for refocusing your day’s activities on a continual basis.  Brian Tracy’s book primarily targets work-related tasks, but these questions can apply to so many areas of your personal life as well.

Ask yourself these 3 questions in reference to . . .

  • Your life as a whole
  • Your career
  • Your relationships
  • Your finances
  • Your health
  • Your home projects
  • Your community involvement
  • . . . and more

[Read more…]

Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs

This post is part 1 in the series Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs.

Sanity-Saving Skills Every Busy Person Needs

Thumb through your dictionary to the word “busy,” and you’ll find a tragic photo of your weary-looking face.

Work, home, family, bills, committees you were suckered into, that broken doohickey you’ve been meaning to fix for a year – there’s no escaping the constant call of responsibilities on your shoulders.  It’s time to fight back the mayhem and carve out some downtime for yourself with an arsenal of easy-to-learn skills that you can start using today. [Read more…]

You HAVE to Do It . . . or Do You?

You HAVE to Do It or Do You

There’s just so much stuff you HAVE to do in life.  You have to go to work.  You have to make dinner and clean yours house.  You absolutely have to do your taxes each year.

But do you really?

Are you a victim of a massive list of must-do items . . . or are you unconsciously choosing to do those things?  Your to-do list may actually be a reflection of your priorities and goals.  If you look at each item on your list as something moving you one step closer to your goals — financial health, family relationships, a welcoming home, pursuit of your career dreams — you’re no longer a slave to your list.

You’re the master.

But what if your must-do list is out-of-whack with your goals?  Then it’s time to consider some alternatives!  Realign your life with your priorities.  What’s right for someone else may be totally wrong for you.  Reserve judgment, and ask yourself whether these common have-to tasks are activities you want to do or activities you’re prepared to change. [Read more…]

Multitasking: Watch T.V. and Get Things Done

Multitasking - Watch TV and Get Things Done

It’s that time again.

Every night, NBC airs nearly four hours of the Olympic games.  You know what’s going to be shown that night — maybe swimming and gymnastics, for instance — but you don’t know when.  Bob Costas drifts in and out of your living room as he transitions back and froth from one sport to another with no pre-announced schedule.  If there’s an event you particularly don’t want to miss, you may find that you need to keep your T.V. on for the entirety of those four annoyingly unpredictable hours.  Ugh!

Even during non-Olympic season, there are plenty of times that you may find yourself only sort of watching T.V.  You’ve got some downtime during commercials, your show briefly explores an uninteresting subplot, or your favorite team halts play during a time out or play review.

If you’re not choosing to invest fully in what’s airing on your T.V., you’ve got a grand opportunity to carve out some pockets of productivity.  Here are 35 ideas for things you can accomplish with one eye on your task and one on the T.V.: [Read more…]