Useful hours

I'm always grumbling I don't have enough time during the working week to do all the writing things I want to squeeze around the day job - and if I do manage to touch on them, they always feel rushed and somehow incomplete.

This blog post is as much for me as it is for you, as I currently only do one out of five of the following to try and claw some hours back:

1) Watch less tele
I never used to struggle with this, but with so many channels I've become more and more an addict.

2) Get up earlier in the mornings
I do this! Score! Even just an hour makes all the difference. If like me you wake up just before the alarm goes off, try to focus your mind on what you want to achieve over the next hour before you climb out of bed.

3) Be organised
ie. get prepared for the next working day by doing everything the night before. I'm hopeless, I leave it all to the morning and then rush around like a crazed person.

4) Delegate
Again, I'm rubbish. I live by the saying "if you want something done properly, do it yourself". I guess my advice on this one would be to separate out the less important stuff and give it to someone else to worry about.

5) Wants Vs Needs
My To Do lists turn into everything I've ever wanted to achieve / buy / do (OK, not quite as bad as that but still...) so only run the errands on the chores that are absolutely essential. If something can wait, let it.

Try some of the above this coming week and see how you fare.