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Opportunity Knocks © 2005, Pam & Tom Hughes
In this hectic, fast-paced world in which we live, a lot of our disorganization seems to revolve around finding the time to actually do something about it. The simple truth is, we really can’t “find” any more time, we can only make the time we have more effective. So, what can we do when “Opportunity Knocks” and we have a little time to spare and want to make the most of it? Can you make a list of 9 things you could do in 9 minutes or less to help keep the clutter at bay? What about sorting through last week’s mail and eliminating all the junk stuff, isolating the bills, and creating a read pile? Or maybe freshening up the bathroom? Or discarding all the out-of-date coupons? Once you have that list label it “9 Minute Opportunity Knocks” and let’s use it to develop a couple of other ones. Are there some things that you could do that take 5 minutes or less when “opportunity knocks”…maybe picking up all the loose newspapers around the house or separating your catalogs from your magazines and paring them down a bit…perhaps putting all your cosmetics away or gathering all the empty hangers in your closet and putting them together for easy grabbing when needed? You get the idea. List them under a “5 Minute Opportunity Knocks” list. Now think about things that might take about 30 minutes or less to accomplish and do the same thing. Perhaps in 30 minutes you could clean out a junk drawer or work on a shelf in the pantry. You might be able to gather up all the sports equipment and put it back in the sports center or work on freshening up the garden or tool center. Or you might clean out your cosmetics drawer. There’s your “30 Minute Opportunity Knocks” list! Okay, place these lists in a little notebook and put it where you can find it or write the activities down on individual index cards grouped by time – one activity per card, noting the time estimate on each card. When you find yourself with a few extra minutes and really don’t need the down time, then pull out the list or pick from one of the cards and “just do it”! Over time you’ll recognize if you’ve accurately estimated the times and you can revise the lists if needed. You may also come up with other ideas to add to the lists. Remember, the lists are simply there to help you focus when that sudden “Opportunity Knocks”.
“Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly
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“30 Minute Opportunity Knocks List - Clean out your cosmetics drawer. |
