Smartphone alarms + thematic music = Less Nagging

Do you look up at the clock in the morning and realize that, yes, your family is behind schedule, again?

Do you have a hard time remembering to stop to eat lunch, leave for the day, or floss your teeth?

Consider enlisting your smartphone for help! Set thematic songs as alarm ringtones for critical or forgettable parts of your routines.

Songs catch our attention more than clocks or even timers, and are easily recognized by kids too young to read a clock.

Start by picking one or two trouble spots. These might be transitions, like waking or leaving for school, or good habits you want to cultivate, like consistently eating lunch or cleaning your desk before stopping for the day.

This playlist can get you started: http://proforganizer.com/about/routinesplaylist/ 

Add more songs as necessary to support your family’s daily routine. With small kids, songs every 5-10 minutes throughout morning routine and bedtime routine makes it easier to be firm and consistent, improves everyone’s ability to estimate time, and replaces nagging with dancing!

It might take some experimenting to find out which times work best for each step, and which steps need to be added. Ask the kids which songs would keep them on track, and what they want a reminder about! Challenge the kids to “beat the pajama song.”

Every few months, delete any alarms that you regularly ignore, adjust the times of others if needed, and add new songs to keep things fresh and relevant.

And be sure to listen to Kate Carpenter’s song “Orderly and Organized.” If professional organizers had a theme song, this might be it!  The link is:

http://www.broadjam.com/player/player.php?mediaID=572528

Organizing your routines is easier than you think!  For more organizing tips, visit www.NapoMichigan.com. 

Article written by Melanie Sobocinski, of Prof Organizer LLC, NAPO Chapter Member.

Choosing and Using a Calendar

Calendars are the most basic and widely-used tool of time management.

Calendars link events and actions to a particular date and time.

Calendars also serve as a record of the past. 

Endless variations exist. Choosing one can be daunting: a traditional paper wall calendar or desk planner? An erasable whiteboard? A computer-based solution?


 

Before deciding, make a wish list.

 

Consider:

▪   Context:

 

Will you be using the calendar in one location?

Or do you need something portable?

▪   Complexity:

 

How many events are you scheduling each day?

How many people need to refer to it?

▪   Control:

 

Will you be the only one adding, revising, and deleting events?

Or do others need to contribute to it?

▪   Aesthetics:

 

Do you want your calendar to delight or inspire?

Do you want to frame time by the day, the week, or the month?

Winnowing through the options becomes a much saner task when you know which features are essential. Try different designs and types to learn which features support you and which get in your way. Keep in mind that a style that works well for one phase in life may not function at all when your needs shift.

An unused calendar is just a piece of clutter.

 

People who use a calendar effectively:

▪   Consult it before making appointments (to avoid double-booking)

▪   Record every appointment (if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen), and

▪   Refer to it frequently (at least twice a day: in the morning so that you keep your commitments; in the evening so that you’re prepared for tomorrow).

Caution: use only one calendar at a time. Multiple calendars generate chaos!!

For more organizing tips, visit www.napomichigan.com.

Article submitted by Chapter member Melanie Sobocinski, owner of

Prof Organizer LLC.