It’s that time of year when most people start thinking about goals and resolutions for the new year. You know what I’m talking about – those things we think we should do but we don’t really want to do. Somehow, though, with the start of a new year, we have fresh motivation and think this …
Continue reading “Tired of Failed New Year’s Resolutions? Try It This Way Instead”
By Patty Gardner The holidays can be tricky for people who are already on a tight budget with their time, money and stress level. I know I already have more to do than I can possibly do and the holidays just about push me over the edge. But it doesn’t have to be that way. …
Continue reading “10 Tips for Surviving and Thriving This Holiday Season”
By Patty Gardner Thanksgiving is coming, and it’s going to be at my house again (like it has been for the last 20 years or more). I’ve hosted so many times that I can almost plan the menu and prepare the food with my eyes closed. But I don’t. And even though I know what …
Continue reading “Thanksgiving is Coming! Is your Planner Ready?!”
By Patty Gardner I’m pretty sure that all time management experts recommend using a personal planning system of some sort. It can be anything: an electronic planner, your smart phone, a paper planner (my personal favorite), your computer or tablet, or even notebooks, steno or legal pads, or index cards. It doesn’t matter what you …
By Patty Gardner Do you act or react? “Acting” is definitely a less stressful way to live but most people spend their life RE-acting. What is reacting? Being late to an appointment because you’re gathering the stuff you need at the last minute. Being late to an appointment because you can’t find your keys or bag …
Continue reading “5 Ways Your Planner Can Help You Act, Instead of React”
By Patty Gardner Do you ever neglect your planner because it seems like too much trouble? There are things you can do to make it easier to use. 1. Take it with you as much as possible. Keep it in your purse or bag or hand, but take it with you. If it isn’t with you, you …
Continue reading “Use Your Planner: 9 Tips for Making it Easier”
By Patty Gardner To-do list? A-Z tabs? Calendar? No. None of those. The most important part of my planner is the notes page. Yes, you read that right – the notes page. I’ve been using Franklin Covey’s two pages per day for 20 years and the Notes page has been and will continue to be the most …
By Patty Gardner Have you ever had a big project you needed to do but you were completely overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start? The solution to that problem is simple – break the project down into smaller steps. Here are a couple of examples from my life. I have two quilt projects going …
Continue reading “How to Keep a Big Project From Stressing You Out!”
By Patty Gardner Do you ever feel like planning is a waste of time? As soon as you get your list made, everything changes! Or you start out strong but then it all falls apart. And when you finally sit down at night and evaluate your day, you did little or nothing of what was …
By Patty Gardner A weekly planning session makes all the difference in whether my week is smooth or rocky. Starting the week with a plan in place allows me to make changes as needed (and believe me, there are always plenty) and get things done. Here’s what I do: My weekly planning session takes place …
By Patty Gardner Do you make tomorrow’s to-do list before you go to bed or first thing in the morning? I’ve always made my list the night before and I think that works better for these eight reasons: 1. If I make tomorrow’s list before I go to bed, I sleep better. I have a …
Continue reading “8 Reasons Why it’s Better to Make Your To-Do List the Day Before”
I know that sounds crazy. A to-do list is a list of things to do. What more could there be? Actually, there’s actually a lot more. Like: 1. Choosing the right to-do’s based on importance. It’s tempting sometimes (okay, always) to do the things that are easy, fun or the most satisfying. But those aren’t usually the …
Continue reading “There’s More To a To-Do List Than To-Do’s”
By Patty Gardner Have you ever heard the saying, “Your lack of planning does not create an emergency for me?” I love that saying and wish life really worked that way. But it doesn’t. The fact is that other people’s lack of planning creates emergencies for me all the time (and honestly, sometimes it’s me …
Continue reading “Your Lack of Planning Does Not Create An Emergency For Me – Or Does It?”
By Patty Gardner Planners are extremely effective tools for helping you keep your ducks in a row. I’ve been using a planner for 20 years. Before that I had a calendar and a to-do list. My family knows that if I don’t use my planner, bad things happen. In case you’re skeptical about the benefits …
by Patty Gardner I don’t mind cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, making a grocery list or running errands, but please don’t ask me to organize a space in my house. I’m NOT good at organizing and I don’t enjoy doing it. It actually stresses me out to look at an empty closet or cabinet and know …
Continue reading “6 Questions to Consider When Organizing a Space”
By Patty Gardner Have you ever had a few extra minutes before the next thing but didn’t think it was enough time to do anything or didn’t know what to do so instead you surfed the net or played a game on your phone or just did nothing? That’s not to say it isn’t okay to sometimes do …
By Patty Gardner Having guests for dinner? Sometimes having guests is more stressful than fun but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 10 ways you can entertain and have fun at the same time. 1. Choose a simple menu. When you’re having guests is NOT the time to try new recipes and …
By Patty Gardner My husband is the most efficient person I know. I, on the other hand, have to work at it. I’m somewhere between a messy and a born organized with ADHD thrown into the mix. But during the last 30 years of being married to Mr. Efficient, I’m observed some interesting things he …
By Patty Gardner Have you ever had a big project you needed to do but you were completely overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start? The solution to that problem is simple – break the project down into smaller steps. Here are a couple of examples from my life. I have two quilt projects …
Continue reading “How to Keep a Big Project From Stressing You Out!”
By Patty Gardner There’s nothing worse than standing in a parking lot filled with cars and having no clue where your car is parked. I’ve had that happen a couple of times and it was so awful that I’ve tried very hard never to let it happen again. So if you hate that feeling, too, …
Continue reading “5 Ways to Keep From Losing Your Car in a Parking Lot”
