HOW TO SET PRIORITIES

So how do you set priorities? Obviously you cannot just stop working or give up on taking care of the children or your home in order to maximize

your time. There will always be priorities in your schedule that are set by someone else or that simply need to be cared for because of their nature.

The key here is how a person spends their time when it comes to circumstances over which they have a choice. You have a choice as to how much recreation you have every week. You have a choice as to whether or not you'll volunteer for your child's school project or sit on the phone for an hour while your friend drones on and on.

YOUR PRIORITIES

One thing to remember about priorities is that you may let other people set those for you, and you may be allowing their priorities to overshadow yours. When you take on a volunteer project for your child's school, this is a priority for your child, his or her teacher, and the school. But is it your priority? When you take up a volunteer project through church or a civic organization, is this something really important to you or is it more important to these other people?

This can happen too with recreation. Is going out with friends really something you enjoy and get the most out of, or is it more of a priority for them? Are you going because you've always gone or feel obligated? When a friend or your mom calls and talks on the phone for an hour, how important is this conversation to you? Are you perhaps allowing what's important to someone else to become important to you, more so than your real goals?

If you can keep these thoughts in mind when you set your priorities and keep your calendar, you'll realize how your own important tasks and goals need to come first and how to set the work of others on the back burner.

SCHEDULE AND CALENDAR

A good schedule is going to be necessary in order to set priorities and stick with them. Go over your calendar and see where your priorities have fallen; if you have no time in your calendar to work toward what is important to you, but find that you're always doing for other people, then you've lost sight of your own priorities.

When something is a priority for you, it makes its way onto your calendar whether you realize it or not. Every morning when you go to work, your job has become a priority on your calendar. When you shower, make dinner, go grocery shopping, and do all these things without even considering them, they have time and space on your calendar even if you don't necessarily write them down.

Letting your own priorities slip will mean that you now need to work them into your calendar and your schedule, even writing them down if necessary. On Tuesday night you'll be in school getting your advanced degree no matter what, every weekend you're going for a job on Saturday afternoon no matter what, and so on.

Scheduling means omitting some things that should not be a priority for you and adding in those things that should be. Once you realize your own priorities and realize how you've let other people and their concerns take precedence over yours, then this will be much easier for you.

LEARNING TO DELEGATE

How often do you delegate tasks in order to get done the things you want to get done? There may be many things that cannot and should not be delegated. Your children need attention from you as does your spouse or partner. When at work there are things that you simply must do yourself as you have no other options. You might not be able to afford to pay someone to clean your house, care for your lawn, do your laundry, and so on.

But often delegating can be done in many ways that you wouldn't imagine. And if you delegate some tasks this means opening up your schedule so that you can work toward those goals you have.

Let's take a look at some ways you can delegate tasks at home and on the job so that you can maximize your time.

IN THE FAMILY

It's a sad fact that even career women today still wind up doing the majority share of the housework, child raising, and chores caring for the home. Whatever the reason for this, it's good for the entire family to consider how things can and should be delegated so that chores are shared more equally.

Here are some examples of how this can happen:

• If both adults in the home work, why must mom always make dinner?

Assign nights when your husband or partner will prepare dinner

completely. Or trade off - one will make dinner if the other gets the children their breakfast in the morning and prepares their lunches for the day.

• You can also trade off other chores. One cooks but the other does dishes. One does laundry each week and the other cleans the house.

• Trade days when you run errands or take the children to school.

• As children get older, they can and should be helping out around the house as well. Younger children can set and clear the table, bring their dirty clothes to the laundry room, and pick up their own toys. Older children can do yard work, housework, cooking, making their own lunch, laundry, and chores such as these.

It may take a few family meetings, a chore chart, or other methods to get everyone on board but it can and should be done. Not only will delegating tasks in the home free up your time, it will also teach everyone responsibility and keep any one person from being overwhelmed as well.

AT HOME

As the family pitches in and you delegate responsibility to others, there may be additional ways you can delegate chores and jobs. While you might not be able to afford a full-time household staff, there are more affordable ways to get help and to delegate at home.

• Neighborhood children can help with yard work, walking a dog, or even house cleaning. You may even know someone from your church or religious organization that would be very affordable when it comes to this type of help.

• If there is a college nearby, even a community college, you may be able to advertise the help you need around the home and the price

• you're willing to pay. Often college students are willing to do small chores or babysitting for an affordable price.

• If you're caring for an aging parent or disabled spouse or child, you may be able to have a visiting nurse or home health aide visit on a regular basis. This may be reimbursed through your insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

• Other family members should also be pitching in when it comes to aging spouses or family that needs care. Your own siblings, aunts and uncles, and other relatives can and should help with these situations.

If you put your mind to it you may find that there are many ways you can get help around the house and delegate certain chores and tasks without spending a fortune on professional help. However, you may also want to consider if the price you pay for a professional is worth the time you save as well. A cleaning company, a professional lawn care service, or someone to tutor your child and assist with homework can be worth the few dollars you pay if it means getting your time back in exchange.

AT WORK

Can you delegate chores and tasks at work? Sometimes the answer is legitimately no; there are reasons why you must do certain jobs on your own. Others may not be qualified and these things may just be your job to do. But chances are you can find ways to delegate tasks at work so that you are using your time effectively there as well.

For example, can you have someone from the clerical staff help you with minor typing or filing? Can someone return basic phone calls for you? Is it possible to teach someone, such as the receptionist, some basic

responsibilities of your paperwork so that he or she can handle these things for you?

There might also be times when you do have staff on hand that can assist with different responsibilities but you're hesitant to have them do this. You may not trust their work or just don't know how to speak up. In any event, delegating at work will mean getting the most out of the time you do have so that projects are completely properly and effectively.