Tuesday's Tip - Think on Paper

Whenever you are planning your day or thinking through your goals, do it on paper. It makes your thinking sharper and more focused.

A written To-Do List is more likely to get done. A written goal is more likely to get achieved.

With written lists you also have the satisfaction of ticking things off once you achieve them, making you feel more successful, like a winner.

Writing things down also helps you prioritise since you see in front of you all the things that need to be done. It makes you a better planner and helps getting things done.

File Management - Decluttering your Computer

Are you spending way too much time looking for your files, documents, digital pictures, etc. ? Then it's probably time for some organising and decluttering on your computer.

Set up folders for each person who uses the computer, then subfolders for each category of files that this person uses. Some subfolders might need subfolders again, simply depending on how complex you want or need your system to be.

A home filing system on your computer could look like this:

This could be a system for digital photos:

Once you have set up the system, go through the files, delete the ones you no longer need (decluttering part), then move the files into their appropriate new homes.

For digital pictures, delete all blurry, out of focus, under/overexposed pictures or ones that you have no idea what they're actually showing, then again, reassign logical locations.

This process will probably take several hours, depending on how many files you have accumulated, but it is time well spent. It will save time in the  long run - lots of time.

For new files, make sure you give the files meaningful names (not just letter.doc or invoice.xls), then store your file in a place that makes sense to you.

If you're not sure how to do any of this, there are online tutorials on file management or visit a class at a local college. If you're in the Nottingham area, you can contact me for help. As part of my services, I also offer one-on-one IT tutoring.

Tuesday's Tip - Easy Bill Management

The best way to deal with bills, especially recurring ones, is to set up a Direct Debit. The bills get paid automatically. You quite often get to choose when the money gets taken out of your account, at the beginning of the month, at the end, on the 15th, etc. And you don't have to worry about forgetting to pay a bill,  getting into arrears and having to pay late fees.

Another great advantage is that many companies will offer a discount if you pay by DD since it is also easier for them. Which means you will save money.

And if you check your bank statements on a regular basis you can be sure that the correct amounts are taken from your account. In many years of paying bills this way, I have to say, I have never had a single occurrence of the wrong amount being taken from my account.

What to do with your decluttered books

So you have finally decided to sort out your bookshelf, and the space around it, and the pile of books next to the couch, and .... wherever else there were books, books and more books.

You sorted out books that you've read, and you know you'll never read again, books that you know you'll never read, books that your kids have grown out of years ago and you don't ever intend to give to your grandchildren. And of course all the books from your ex who emigrated to Australia five years ago and has no intention of ever repossessing those books. In other words you are only left with the books you (and your family) love and you are sure you want to keep.

Now what are you going to do with all those books piled high in boxes, bin liners etc.? Of course you could simply put them in your paper recycling bin. But there are some really good alternatives.

Here is a list of "What to do with all those books"

• You can take them to a charity shop. Charity shops always welcome books, since they are a good seller. If they are in sellable condition they will be put on the shelves, otherwise the charity will recycle them. Oxfam have now even specialised book shops who will also take your old videos, DVDs, music CDs and even cassettes and records.
• Take them to work and leave them in your "chill out zone" (if you have one or offer them to colleagues at work
• Organise a "book swapping party" with friends. Who knows, it might even turn into a bookclub.
• List your books on www.readitswapit.co.uk . It's free to join and you send books to people who request them from you via email.
• Donate to your local library. They will be welcome. Books should be in good condition. What can't be used, will be recycled by the library or sold to boost funds.
• If you want to make money yourself, then why not sell your books on one of the following
• car boot sales
• ebay
• www.abebooks.co.uk
• www.booklovers.co.uk
• www.greenmetropolis.com (5p from every sale is donated to the Woodland Trust)
• www.sellstudentbooks.co.uk
• or google "sell second hand books" for even more options

This if of course not an exhaustive list what you can do with your books. If you have any other ideas I haven't mentioned please feel free to comment.

Tuesday's Tip - Time Yourself

In one of my first posts at the beginning of October I mentioned Flylady's 15 minute rule ("You can do anything for 15 minutes") or 10 minutes if you prefer my way. And this week's main post about Cybercrastinating also has a timing element.

In this week's post I mention a very useful website and just in case you haven't read it, I just wanted to point it out again. It's a free online timing tool and can be found on www.online-stopwatch.com . You can choose from a simple countdown digital clock, but there are also funky visual ones such as egg timers, bomb with a fuse, etc. if you feel a bit more playful.

Go check it out and time yourself. You'll get so much more done that way.

Cybercrastination

Have you ever found yourself "quickly" checking Facebook, MySpace, Beebo or any of the other social networking sites, maybe "briefly" updating Twitter or messaging with a friend for "a bit" or checking one or two blogs and suddenly it's over two hours later? What just happened? Did you get sucked into a time vortex? No, not really, although that would make a great excuse. No, you simply found yourself cybercrastinating - procrastinating the modern way. Putting things off that should really be done, by doing something else, something a lot more enjoyable. And you have also done something for your social life, kept in touch with friends, maybe played a little game, all lovely stuff. Except that it kept you from doing what was on your agenda, on your To Do List or something that simply needed doing.

I really don't know what it is about the social networking sites, they have something addictive about them. I can't say that I am immune to them at all. I frequently visit one of them but I am aware what it can do to my schedule. It completely messes it up if I'm not careful.

What can you do about it? You want to stay in touch with friends via this excellent medium and that's fair enough. Here are a couple of tips what you can do:

• Decide beforehand how long you want to spend on the computer for that reason, but be realistic.
• Set a timer - this could be a kitchen timer or use a useful online tool at www.online-stopwatch.com by opening another tab in your browser or another browser window. Make sure you use the Count Down option, otherwise you simply measure how long you are surfing. Also have your speakers on, otherwise you miss the alarm bell when it goes off.
• Another option could be that you give yourself a treat for things accomplished. Allow yourself a longer session after "being good" with your To Do List for instance.
• If you are working at the computer, make sure you log out of your messenger programme so that that you are not constantly reminded who logs on or off. One distraction less.
• Again, if you do lots of your work at the computer, maybe in your home office, create yourself a "work" user account. Take out all the programmes such as web browsers, instant messengers or chat programmes and other culprits. You are less likely to constantly log off and on as different user just to hop online.
• Set up an aggregate reader programme for blogs such as Google Reader, so that all updates to blogs you like to follow are in one place. You can then decide when you want to look through those updates without wasting time trawling through all the blogs separately.

As you can see you can use technology quite well for this purpose. And why not. Let's fight the procrastination super highway by making use of it.

Tuesday's Tip - Important Nighttime Notes

This week's Tuesday's Tip ties in with the main posting this week. It's all about improving your sleep, making the "nodding off" a little bit easier.

Quite often you can't go to sleep because you think you need to remember something for the next day.

Keep a pen and pad ready on your nightstand. If you find yourself with that important thing that you suddenly remember and that you need for the next day, turn your light back on and write it down. It will only take about a minute to do but will save hours of tossing and turning while your brain multitasks with remembering and going to sleep at the same time. Your brain is basically trying to stay switched on and switching off simultaneously - not easy to achieve. Once the information is written down, you can give yourself permission to forget about it until the morning and your brain can switch off. When you wake up, the reminder will be there, right in front of you.

I have been known to put that note on my slippers so that I definitely notice it when I get up.

Something to Help you Sleep

Have you ever had the best intentions of getting a good night's rest so that you are fighting fit for a busy day ahead only to find that you simply can't go to sleep. All the thoughts of that exciting next day are racing through your head. You remind yourself, "No, I must go to sleep now!". You turn over and more thoughts keep racing round and round. When you finally nod off, your sleep is fitful and you reawaken several times. And the next day you feel sluggish due to lack of sleep.

Well, this post offers a cure for you. It works really well for me and I have also had positive feedback from other people who have tried it.

Lie on your back, your eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths. Now imagine a little cloud floating by. Take the first thing that comes to mind (that argument with your boss for instance) and imagine you put it on that cloud. Watch it float into the distance. Another cloud floats by and you put the next thing on that clutters your mind (maybe the task you have been putting off and should have done by now). Watch it float off. And so on until your head almost magically clears. Some items/people/situations need to be put on a few times until they finally drift off completely.

When you feel all calm and ready, get into your comfiest going-to-sleep position and enjoy a good night's rest.

I have found that if I do this one night, it usually lasts a few nights in a row, and my sleep pattern improves for quite a while.