Time Management Archives - According To Frankie

Never Forget Your Shopping List Again

Posted on April 8, 2015 by frankiesaucier

Never forget your shopping list again. image by Ex-Smith. www.accordingtofrankie.com

Sometimes I don’t know how I don’t think of these things sooner. If you’re like me, you’ve spent many hours taking inventory of your house before you run out for a shopping trip. Say it’s the grocery store. You look in the pantry, you grab the pen and paper, and start making that list. Because, you know… you don’t want to buy things you don’t need, and you don’t want to forget why you’re there. But then the dog is barking to be let out, the phone rings, the kids can’t find something, and you’re like “if we don’t leave now, we’ll never get to the store!” So you hurry to the store and guess what’s not there? The grocery list. Then, you close your eyes really tightly and start mumbling to yourself in your best attempt to summon a memory of the items on the list. When you get home, the item you needed most, the whole reason you were going to the store, escaped your memory, and is now there, mocking you from the grocery list on the counter. Sigh.

A couple weeks ago I was walking to the office to look for the grocery list and it hit me. You know what I never forget to take to the store with me (well, hardly ever forget)? My cell phone! You know what my cell phone comes with? A “notes” feature! And my cell phone is also connected to my tablet, and to the same notes feature! I could type my grocery list out on my notes app from my phone or my tablet and just take that to the store! Brilliant. Late, but brilliant.

I haven’t written a paper list since, and I haven’t forgotten an item at the store either. I’ll also be saving a little bit of money on those cute “to do list” pads. If you’ve already thought of this, kudos! If not, feel free to take this idea and run with it. Happy shopping!

How to Clean Your House Quickly

Posted on March 28, 2014 by frankiesaucier

Sweep, Sweep. Photo by donger. http://www.flickr.com/photos/52668482@N00/54354784

Ok, who loves cleaning all day long? If you answered “I do, I do!” then put down your phone or tablet and grab a sponge. If you’re like me, and you love a clean house, but would rather be doing something else, this might be helpful.

I do not have a maid service or laundry service. I’m betting you don’t either. Even if you can make room in your budget, you’re still spending money on that instead of something fun. But, we only have a limited amount of time on the planet, and time is money too. So, what can you do? For me, the answer is this: I try to be efficient. Being an only child, I got first dibs on money for doing chores when I was little. But, like other kids, I wanted to spend my time goofing around. So, I’d hang around most of the day, and an hour before my mom got home I’d zoom around and clean the whole house. Now, my mom would probably question the quality of my work; but now that it’s my own house, I have a bit more incentive to do a better job.

How to Clean Your House Quickly – According to Frankie

Gather, sort, and start the laundry. Move on to step 2, but periodically check the laundry to keep it moving. Fold immediately so it doesn’t wrinkle, unless you have the steam option.
Pick a room in one corner of your house.
Start by picking something up. Any one thing.
Decide whether something belongs in that room or out of that room. If it belongs in the room, put it away. If it belongs in another room, put it outside the door in a pile.
Put everything away that belongs in the room. Remember, pick something up only once and put that one thing away.
Repeat steps 1-4 for every room in the house. As you move to a new room, take the things from the pile that belong in that room. With practice, you can survey the room and find multiple things to grab and distribute them on your way to the far side of the room.
Dust the house.
Clean the bathrooms (or convince someone else to do that, if you can!)
Vacuum the floors (or invest in the Roomba, it’s a great way to spend that money. It vacuums all surfaces while you’re picking up clutter or not even home. I love mine)
Mop the floors (or convince someone else.)
Finish up that laundry by folding and putting it all away immediately. I do this by again picking something up only once and folding it right away. I make piles of like things and then put those like things in sections of the laundry basket. Then, put things away one room at a time, as explained before.

Now, every evening, take 5-10 minutes to pick up all the tidbits that are not where they need to be. Run the dishwasher, wipe the counters. If you do this, then you might find that you have more time on the weekends to do…well, things that are more fun!

8 Steps to Efficiently Updating Your Wardrobe

Posted on March 18, 2014 by frankiesaucier

: Closetcloset factory / Foter / CC BY-ND

Looked in your closet lately? Want to wear that striped skirt but have nothing to wear it with? And why do you have 5 pair of brown shoes but mostly black clothes? That happens to me. It seems that with every season change some goblin has come and stolen half of the pieces I thought I remembered having. Since seasons are changing now, I thought I’d share these 7 steps to efficiently updating your wardrobe.

8 Steps to Efficiently Updating Your Wardrobe

Look Through Magazines – Before you even open your closet door, grab a copy of your favorite fashion magazine and see what people are wearing right now. It’s easy to get distracted by the over-the-top makeup, hair and clothing combinations, so I recommend you focus on the fabrics and the cuts of the clothing.
Decide on Occasion – Wardrobes can sometimes become unbalanced, either heavy on weekend wear or chock full of work clothes.
Inventory the Closet – Ok, take a deep breath. Open the closet door. What do you see? Try on everything. Every. Single. Thing. If it’s worn out, faded, ill-fitting or hasn’t been worn in over a year, toss it out. Seriously.
See What’s Missing – Now survey the quality pieces left hanging. What do you lack to create the types of looks you enjoyed from the magazines?
Take Pictures – Grab your cell phone and take a picture of the contents of your closet. Include shoes if you like.
Make a List – Make a quick list of the items you’re lacking. Black skirt, tan shoes, etc.
Understand Your Body Type – Buy pieces that fit your body. I recommend watching Stacy & Clinton’s Rule #8 video on TLC’s What Not To Wear
G0 Shopping! – Now hit the stores. Remember that stores like TJ Maxx and Ross are great for buying name brand pieces for less, although I recommend you remain focused. I also find that when Macy’s has a sale, you can save a lot of money. For staple items like camisoles for ladies or undershirts for men, you might save by going with store brands rather than name brands. It’s easy to get distracted by deep discounts on items you’ll never wear and don’t need. I would advise that you only buy items online if you are familiar with the brand and their sizing, or if you have special sizing that isn’t available in stores. Also, prior to shopping online, remember to search the store name with “coupon code.” I usually have success with RetailMeNot.

Following these steps can help ensure you don’t waste money buying duplicate items or items that don’t complete the look you’re going for. Also, it helps you use pieces currently in your closet to create new looks. Happy Shopping!

Long Commute? Consider Audiobooks!

Posted on March 17, 2014 by frankiesaucier

: Rush Hour Traffic in AtlantaPam Calvert / Foter / CC BY

My commute for the past four years has been at least an hour each way. Some days, it can honestly be two hours if traffic is terrible. Prior to that, I lived in Oklahoma and it took about 30 minutes to get everywhere in town, no matter where you were coming from or where you were going. But here in Atlanta, you should just settle in.

For the first year or more, I decided that radio stations were the way to go, as had always been the case for me. But I quickly learned that the bigger city of Atlanta did not translate to more music I wanted to listen to. It mostly translated to, in my opinion, more of the same. After a while I tried talk radio. And that worked for a while. I found I was getting some new information; however the information I was getting was only occasionally on a topic I was interesting in learning more about. Then, I thought I’d try satellite radio. For a few weeks it was a blast listening to old tunes from the 80’s and 90’s; however, as the days went on, I found myself bored yet again. Then, after chatting with a colleague, I came to realize that audiobooks were a possibility. Ten or more years ago, I happened upon a radio broadcast on a cross-country trip where an audioplay was being broadcast. I remember being drawn in by that experience, and feeling almost exactly like you feel when you curl up with a good book. Now, I can’t tell you the last time I had a chance to curl up with a good book. Not with twin preschoolers at home! So, I decided audiobooks might be interesting for me.

So, I started investigating options for audiobooks. Here’s what I found:

The Library – I like to try free options before I commit to any monthly fee or per-book costs. What I found was that the Georgia Public Library uses a system called OverDrive that allows residents with library cards to check out audiobooks online, for FREE. So, I went to the library, got myself a library card (hadn’t had one of those since I was 12 I think!) and used the instructions to download the Overdrive app on my phone. A neat bonus is that there are no late charges! When the designated check-out period has ended, the book is simply removed with the push of a button, and that’s that.
Audible – I signed up with Audible and have been satisfied with the experience. They typically offer one free month of service, and that gets you one free book. Then, each month after that you pay a fee which covers one book per month. If you want to read more, you pay more.

So far, between Audible and the library, I’ve read more than 60 books in the past 12 months! I know, that sounds crazy. But between elliptical time and commute time, it seems to fly by. And I’ve found that I can get by with one audible book per month and supplement with the library. That says quite a bit about the lending selection, because I only check out the nonfiction titles, and in my experience those are typically more limited than the fiction book selection.

I haven’t checked out other options, but it seems that these two can get you pretty far. If you have a long commute on the train or in your car, consider audiobooks. I feel smarter this year than I did last year, and I’m rarely frustrated by my commute anymore. It’s sort of like free college, without the tests!