For most of us summer means taking time to recharge our batteries and spend quality time with family. Vacation is also about choosing what we want to do on our own timeline. Whether you are going away for vacation or enjoying a ‘staycation,’ quiet time is a great opportunity to get organized in small ways that make a big impact when the rat race begins again in the fall.
Whether you are sitting on a beach, in a plane, or on your back deck, here are 10 ways to spend some of those lazy hours:
1. Organize your cell phone. Delete unwanted items and add missing contacts. Add names you call often to save time. Even if you don’t have the phone number, you can add the number later.
2. Learn how to truly use your phone. Do you have a new phone and not know how to use it to its fullest potential? Take the time to search around and focus in on what you want to know. If you have a smart phone, go on the company’s website and find answers.
3. Take your ‘reading pile’ when you travel. We all have a reading pile, so carry your accumulated unread magazines and miscellaneous mail with you and throw it away as you read it.
4. Clean out your computer. If you are like me, you take your computer with you when you travel. Use the time to delete unwanted files, reorganize documents into folders, and put old files into other file folders to avoid cluttering current projects.
5. Write down your list of future ‘wants.’ Having a list of the things you want to purchase, big and small, now and in the future, makes it easier to avoid spending money on things you don’t need and really can’t afford. Keep the list on your smartphone under Notes.
6. Do a ‘brain dump.’ When we’re away from home, it doesn’t mean our minds suddenly slow down. A brain dump means writing down everything that’s on our minds so we don’t forget what’s important. Putting our mental ‘lists’ in writing also helps us organize our thoughts.
7. Cut down on calls from telemarketers. Call 1-888-382-1222 and register all the phone numbers you don’t want telemarketers to use. You can also register online at www.donotcall.gov, but calling is easy. Your registration will not expire.
8. Opt out of credit card offers. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) to get your name and address removed from the main consumer credit reporting agencies mailing lists: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.
9. Clean out your purse/wallet/briefcase. How much do you REALLY need to carry with you? Most of the time, we aren’t in a third world country where the conveniences of life aren’t readily available. Don’t burden yourself by carrying around everything you or anyone else needs to survive every catastrophe.
10. Schedule fun stuff and down time. Place entries on your calendar for family time, long weekends, vacations, and personal projects to ensure you’ll take the time to do it.
Finally, did you know the word leisure comes from the Latin licere, meaning ‘to be permitted’? Many of us have to permit ourselves to be leisurely so make sure you take time off and use a little of that time to get organized so you have time for the joyful things in life!
“Joy is not in things: it is in us.” Richard Wagner, German author
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