If you are like a lot of people I meet, you probably have too much on your plate. Your Blackberry is jam-packed with all the commitments you have to keep. At the end of the day, do you find yourself wondering where did the time go AND frustrated because there's so much more that you want to accomplish! Here are 5 Tips to help you "button up" your life so it's a lot less hectic and more streamlined. Follow these guidelines and I guarantee that life will be easier and you'll get your life back!



5 Top Ways to Systemize and Simplify

1. Stop Recreating the Wheel: Document your processes. Write down each step you take to accomplish certain tasks, such as online-billings, telephone sales-scripts, standard mail responses, or new client intake procedures. This way you don't waste your valuable time looking for what you need and re-doing your process every time. All you need to do is create a document with a list of the steps clearly defined and save it. The next time you need to do x, y or z, you've got the template or list of steps you need to take right at your fingertips. Doing this will help you to be a lot more efficient with your time, allowing you to do more of what is important to you.

2. Create a Master List of PassCodes: Ok, this tip alone is worth its weight in gold. How many times have you been unable to complete an online transaction, log into your favorite site, etc, etc all because you can't remember your username and passcode? You tie up your valuable time either A) Going through the process of creating an all new Log in OR B) you spend your precious time hunting for this information. What to do? Create a Master List of all of your usernames and passcodes and save it on your Desktop for easy access. Problem solved.

3. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate: Are you using your "Core Genius?" What I mean by this is, are you doing those things in which you excel, that are your strengths and talents? The bottom line is that you cannot make a million dollars spending time doing $20/hour jobs! Hire a Virtual and/or Personal Assistant so that all the pieces and parts of your personal and business life are taken care of so that you can use your time doing those things which are meaningful and/or profitable for you.

4. "Batching" Your Schedule: Plan your schedule so that you do similar types of tasks or projects that are similar in nature. Some of our work may require our analytical or our creative brain. You save yourself so much time if you do things that are in keeping with the state of mind that you are in instead of switching back and forth, which can be a real time waster. So "bunch" your tasks together based on what type of task they are. A huge time saver!

5. Add More "Wiggle Room" to Your Calendar: Be kind and reasonable with yourself! Are you your own slave driver? Most people tend to "underestimate how much time they actually need to complete a task or project. The result? Half-baked concepts, incomplete work, projects that take FOREVER to finish, not to mention the inner frustration you feel because you feel like you just aren't getting anywhere. It's easy to get of tou tof this mode, be more realistic when you plan and set your schedule. Give yourself extra time and space to do what you need to do. A great way to get better at this is to actually keep a time log, so that you know exactly how much time you need to do certain kinds of activities. This works great!

So there you have it, 5 top ways to claim more control of your schedule so that you are able to do what matters in your life and in your business. So go forth and be your brilliant self and have some fun while you are doing it.