Absolutely Essential Organizing Tools Part 4 – A Stop Watch

This is the fourth article in a series detailing the essential tools necessary to have on hand as you are starting to get organized. Monday we talked about calendars. Tuesday we talked about notebooks. Yesterday was all about file folders. Today I suggest you look into getting a stop watch.

Most of us are use to thinking of time in 30 minute blocks. Maybe watching all of those sitcoms when we were kids programmed us this way. Think about a chore. How long does it take you to do it? Chances are that 10 minutes ago, your standard answer would have been 30 minutes or maybe an hour regardless of the task.

Use a stop watch to actually time your regular chores. You would be genuinely surprised how many tasks take less than 10 minutes. It only takes me 6 minutes to mop my kitchen floor. I sweep while the bucket is filling, then mop. I was sure it took me 30 minutes until I timed it. Somehow, timing the job and realizing just how very quickly I could get it out of the way, took all of the dread out of the job.

Start making a list in one of your notebooks that breaks jobs up by time intervals. Then the next time you have 5, 10 or 15 motivated minutes, you can knock out a chore without breaking a sweat. This simple little trick will take tons of weight out of your to-do list.

Some Examples And Some Fun Timers

Each of these are stop watches.  Some have timers and additional features.

• Polder 3 in 1 Timer, Clock & Stopwatch, White
• Triple Bel Timer ™
• CDN Digital Timer on Rope, Red
• CDN Big Digits Digital Timer
• Digital 20 Hour Dual Kitchen Timer by Polder®

Most of the timers below are in really fun shapes or have a fun feature.

• Ladybug Timer – LB17A
• Vintage Magnetic Kitchen Timer
• Cheeseburger Kitchen Timer
• Egghead Timer
• Chef’s Quad-Timer

Shortcuts

You will pick up a tip or hint from time to time from your friends, your families, and even websites like this one. As you get better implementing the shortcut, make sure to adjust your chore times. And take note if the old way was actually better for you. Remember, what works for one person does not always work for another.

Your Timing

Have you ever timed your chores before? Were you pleased or disappointed with how much time a task took? Would thinking of time in 10 minute intervals instead of 30 affect how you planned your day?