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The Super Secrets of Smart Schedulers

By Joseph Klein

"For mothers of young children, it's incredibly important to be smart schedulers. If they aren't, they are not going to get anything accomplished," says Jackie Hale, founder of the Web site Between Friends: Time Tips for Busy Moms, www.betweenfriends.org, which has been helping the time crunched since 1999.

To be savvy at scheduling, Hale says you must first define your personality type. "Remember the fable of the 'Tortoise and the Hare,' and their race to the finish line?" asks Hale. Which are you? "How much you accomplish in a day is really about your energy level and the manner in which you expend it." If you are a hare, you probably get a lot done in a day. The good news is that tortoises can be productive, too. "I'm a tortoise," admits Hale. "Thinking about all I should do overwhelms me and leads me to do not much at all. I know if I schedule every moment of my day from sun up to sun down, I'm not going to follow that schedule for very long." Add young children to that equation and the daily agenda gets really dicey, because there are so many distractions.

After figuring out your personality type, the next step is to decide what you want to accomplish. For a tortoise to be successful, you may need to break down bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones. "Instead of promising to clean all of your kitchen cupboards, plan to clean out one at a time. In just a few weeks, your entire kitchen will be completed," says Hale. She also advises keeping the to-do list short to avoid burn out. "What's important is that you find your own rhythms and function within them," she says. "Regardless of whether you see yourself as the hare or the tortoise, remember that at the end of the story, both of them finished the race and ultimately that's all that matters."

Now, check out these instantly useful ideas that are sure to turn you into a savvy scheduler. 

• Get a calendar that fits easily into a purse and refer to it often.
• Avoid over-scheduling and underestimating the time it takes for errands and chores. If you normally set out to accomplish five things in a day, cut it down by three.
• Learn to say "no." There is no need to give an excuse. Practice this line: "Let me check my calendar and get back to you."
• Do not schedule every moment of your day. We all need time to do nothing.
• Avoid procrastination. When you put off accomplishing something, the difficulty of the task grows.
• If you work in an office, cut down interruptions by closing your door (if you have one). Keep guest chairs away from your workspace, and let your voice mail pick up your phone calls.  Return calls when you are able.
• Be prepared for little disasters. If you have young children and work outside the home, purchase an inexpensive long bathrobe to wear over your work clothes in the morning and in the evening before you change. Spit up or drool will land on the bathrobe and save your professional image and save clean up time.
• Find daycare, doctors and other services within close proximity to your home or office. It will cut down on your driving time.
• Mail is a main source of clutter in the home. Sort and distribute mail into four piles: trash, bills, filing, and the magazine basket, which must be emptied monthly.
• Mornings are often a time trap. Try to get as much done in the evening hours, whether that's getting gas for the car, making lunches, or having your family pick out their clothes for the next day. Preparing meals that provide leftovers is a helpful, too.

Linda Frahm is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, travel, and home-related topics for national and regional magazines, as well as popular Web sites.