time management

Listmania!

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Lists are an important part of planning any big project, but the wedding industry has fetishized lists: the checklist is the most used tool in a planners vocabulary to keep things organized and under control.  So here it is – my top five list of tips about lists:

1)   Stay Flexible. Sticking too strictly to a list can derail any good plan.  Allow for some flexibility- don’t make plans/time/life less efficient because of your list.

2)   Stay Realistic.  Nothing feels worse than not accomplishing goals – so when you put too much on one list, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.  If your list is do-able, you’ll get it done and feel great.

3)   Stay Calm.  Sometimes writing down everything you need to do can be overwhelming!  If lists freak you out, try limiting yours to three or five items at a time.  If you’re still panicky, maybe they aren’t the best organizational tool for you.

4)   Stay focused.  Use the list to keep you on task.  Dawdling in front of the candles at the craft store? Check the list.  Where are you supposed to be? Re-orient yourself around the task at hand and get on with your productive day.

5)   Stay happy.  All tough stuff on the list will wear you down.  Make sure you tack on a task or stop that makes you happy! A milkshake, or visit to a favorite local park, make sure to put yourself on the list.  You’re important too!

So there you have it, a list about lists. Ready to make your own? Get going!

 

Be well, and love well.

 

Dinah

It’s 8:00am. Do You Know Where Your “Me Time” Is?

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Sometimes, before the alarm clock goes off in the morning, I wake up on my own.  It’s a good feeling, knowing that I’ve gotten the right amount of sleep that I needed that night.  But by far the best part is looking at the clock and seeing that it’s a full hour before I am supposed to be awake and getting ready for the day.  An hour I can use however I want, with no strings attached.

English: The face of a black windup alarm clock
English: The face of a black windup alarm clock (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Because I wasn’t meant to be awake, I feel like a kid in a candy store choosing how to spend what I call “stolen time.”  I force myself to cross folding laundry or paying bills off the list, and do something delicious – like reading some of that novel I can’t ever seem to get to, or painting my toenails.  Or both!

Everyone needs “me time.”  OK, the phrase is corny and overused, but the concept is WAY underused.  Make sure you make time for yourself, even if you have to steal it!

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah

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What’s The Best Use Of Wedding Planning Time? Hint: You’re not going to “like” it.

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Planning a wedding can feel like a black hole where you throw your time. Remember those days when you went out for drinks? As Spring hits, the weather is making us all long to put on some shorts and go play. So what’s the most efficient way to plan, so we can get out and enjoy the beautiful weather? Well, for starters, finish reading this blog and power down your shiny screen. Bottom line: you gotta stop pinning, liking and tweeting to focus and get things done.

Photo by Deirdre Buck

Don’t get me wrong.  Wedding websites, blogs and software have moved event planning lightyears ahead of where we were. But then you get to the “rabbit hole” type of phenomenon like Pinterest.  You start out admiring a pretty veil someone posted, and three hours later you’re in a pinning frenzy finding recipes, houses to buy, cars you like…it can spin out of control.

So if you want to get out and enjoy the cherry blossoms, tiptoe through the tulips or just have general fun in the sun, put away the electronics, get down to the task at hand and try not to get distracted. Ready, set, focus!

See you in the park…we’ll be the ones putting up the wedding arbor. Watch it with the frisbee. K?

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah

 

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