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2009-04-28

A Handy-Dandy Tool for the Home Manager

Tools for the Chief Home Officer
Image by Irargerich

I've posted about time management quite a bit already--I've talked about efficient grocery shopping, using a feed reader, the art and science of planning ahead, and most recently iGoogle. But for me there will probably never be enough learning about time management. Because I really, really stink at it.

If you've come to know me a little bit by now, you know that I'm naturally disorganized and absent minded. I've lived most of my life in a state of chaos. Although I'm learning about planning and organizing, I'm still (and probably always will be) quite absent minded. So, I need to rely on tools that help keep me on track and jog my memory about really, really simple things.

My right-hand "man" is my planner. I'm sure I'll write about that in the future. Today I'm going to write about my left-hand "man". My left-hand "man" is my sports watch.

I really love beautiful things, and this watch is not really a thing of beauty--except in the sense of what it does for me. Many people have written about the beauty of using a timer for home management tasks, but my sports watch is definitely a step up!

Here's why:

1. It has it's own timer. And it's strapped to my body.
My dad used to say to me when I was a kid, "Brianna Joy, you'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed onto your shoulders." And, well, he's probably still right. I don't always hear my kitchen timer, but it's pretty hard to miss the beeping when it's connected to my arm. Actually, I've even done that a time or two, but certainly not as often as I would otherwise.

2. It has an interval timer.
This is super useful when I'm doing laundry. I usually have it set to beep in a cycle of drying and washing times. This way I have far fewer incidents of soured clothes sitting forgotten in the washer. You would not believe how many times I've rewashed loads of clothes without my watch to remind me! Plus, it keeps me moving in a cycle from one load to the next on the days I have more than one load of laundry. Without my watch, I'd forget to keep it going.

3. It has multiple alarms.
I would never remember to give my son his allergy medicine if I didn't have an alarm set every single day for 5:00. I also have an alarm set for bedtime--I need that little push about an hour before lights out to start turning my thinking in that direction, or I don't make it into bed at a decent hour. Any time I need an extra reminder for something, I set my alarm.

4. It has a stopwatch.
To keep myself motivated, I often make a task into some kind of game. One of those games is to see just how fast I can complete a certain job. Enter the stopwatch--let the race begin!

5. It tells me the date.
When you live in the world of absent mindedness, you're pretty much never aware of what the date is. This comes in handy at the doctor's office when I'm dating a paper I'm signing, or at the bank when I'm filling out that deposit slip.

6. It tells me the time.
Obviously. But without my watch, I'm much more likely to be late, to get distracted, to lose track of time, and to come home to a harried husband who is wondering where the heck I've been for the two hours the kids have been screaming.

Using a sports watch. It definitely works for me.

Do you use a sports watch? Any other tips for me?

8 comments:

Kirsty said...

LOVE IT! (As usual :D) I had never thought to use my sports watch in this way! Another reason to replace the battery. I love the interval idea. Thank you thanks :)

Phoebe @ GettingFreedom said...

What a great tip! I never would have thought of using a sports watch to help with keeping me on task. Hhmmm--now, to find me a stop watch! :)

Jenn @ Beautiful Calling said...

Oh...I think I may have to get one. I know them come in pink as I've seen them at Walmart. I always set my timer when baking (duh!) but for some reason, I never hear it. I usually smell burnt cookies and race to the kitchen. My husband always says "the timer went off didn't you hear it?" No, No I didn't or I would have rescued the cookies before they became burnt offerings!

Something strapped to my body may be more effective lol.

Eos Mom said...

You took the words right out of my mouth, although you've found more uses for your watch than I have for mine... but just being able to keep track of time and date helps me a ton, and mine lights up so I can read the time in the dark (helpful with an infant). Now, to figure out how to work the alarm....

Anonymous said...

Wow Briana, we are more alike than I thought. I don't have a sports watch, but like to wear a watch for the obvious. What I do use for the alarm/calander feature is my cell phone. I use it for the most mundane tasks, like picking up my kids from school. It is basicly my daily planner and my way of not forgeting things most people don't need an alarm to remember to do. Good idea on laundry!

Cynthia m

Anonymous said...

I like this idea, I use a timer often and due to my hearing problem...you can probably figure out the end of that sentence!

I want to try this tomorrow! I wrote about using a timer on my blog, also.

http://angelamills.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/my-timer-my-friend/

Julie Bagamary said...

Great tip! I use my timer for many of the same things and invisioned a sports stop watch hanging around your neck. Since I don't like a watch, maybe a sports stop watch might work for me.

Anonymous said...

I just have to say Amen!!

I've been using my watch in this fashion fro about a year now - ever since taking meds at particular times of day depended on my health. And being naturally late and disorganized, I could NEVER remember!

Its so great to know I'm not alone!

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