I'm a "Get to the Point" type of person. My time is precious to me. I have a hard time dealing with what I consider ‘wasted time'. Some people may tell me to stop and smell the roses; well I have smelled the roses and I much prefer completing a project on time or working in my yard or going to the park with my family.

I know I'm not the only person to prefer spending time on a task or hobby, then accomplishing nothing. So I thought I would take you through a typical day and provide a list of "Time Management Tips".

• Plan Your Day: Everyday you should have a "game-plan" of what you are going to accomplish. Your game-plan should be realistic and created at the start of your day or in the evening for the following day. This way, if you accomplish everything in your game-plan, you won't feel like you're wasting time when you smell the roses.

• Prepare The Night Before: Avoid a frantic start to your day by getting things ready the night before. Pick out clothes, pack your lunch, setup the coffee maker, etc. There is no worse way to start your morning than finding out all your pants are dirty or you've made coffee only to find out that you are out of sugar. Start the morning off efficiently.

• Adjust Your Work Hours: If you commute in a heavy traffic region consider adjusting your work hours. By going in early and leaving early or vice-versa you could free up time wasted in congested rush hour traffic. Talk with your boss or HR, many companies are flexible on when you can start and end work.

• Create An Agenda For Meetings: When setting up a meeting, create an agenda of topics to discuss then send it to everyone invited. This way everyone will be prepared for the topics and less likely to forget something, which can cause another meeting. Make sure you stick to the agenda, a "time waster" can quickly derail a meeting by going off on something that is not on the agenda.
• Watch TV On Your Own Time: Don't adjust you're schedule around TV shows. Get a DVR and record your favorite shows, this way you can watch them when you're ready and can fast forward through commercials. You can also watch your TV shows online. Most of the major TV Networks stream their shows soon after the show airs with few or no commercials.

Hopefully these tips help you avoid "wasted time". If you have any additional time saving tips, I'd love to hear them.

So it's that time of year where some people are dancin' in the streets with joy while others are looking a bit more dejected and downtrodden - time for the kids (and teachers) to go back to school!  Regardless of which camp you're in (the happy dancin' folks or the "so-sad-I just-lost-my-freedom" group), there are some simple tips that can help to keep the sanity in your household at this time of year:

• Don't wait until the last minute to get your school supplies (yes I realize you will have to get some last minute or special request items after school has started but take advantage of the sales and special offers as they come up.  It won't hurt to stock up on the things you know you'll need like pens, notebooks and even non-perishable lunch sized snacks for the brown bag.
• There will be a myriad of activities and extra-curricular clubs.  Keep all equipment, special gear or clothing for activities in one location.  Put dance shoes & leotard, musical instrument & sheet music, jersey, spikes & pads or whatever you may need for a specific activity into a container in your room (a plastic crate or box in the closet works well) or if you have the space, somewhere near the door that you use to leave for school so you'll see it and remember it.
• Get ready the night before to prevent morning stress.  Put things needed for the next day together the night before.  Don't forget homework, books, permission slips, lunch/lunch money, afterschool stuff, etc.  It's even a good idea to lay out what you are going to wear the next day (that way you know it's clean/ready to go.)
• Keep a central family calendar or planner where everyone's activities are listed.  Each person should keep his or her own planner but then as a family, there should be one central location where everyone can look to see what's happening.  A large wall calendar or planner can work wonders.  There are some good options with plenty of space for writing or color coding for each member of the family.  Be sure to list appointments, reminders, long-term projects and special events. Don't forget birthdays, family events/vacation, games, practices, dances and countdowns to key events like graduations.

Now, these are only a few ideas, I'm sure there are tons of others.  Share how you keep the household sanity when it's back to school time?

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