Time Saving Tips Archives - Premier Concierge

July 19, 2018 by Misty Keown

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Small Changes can mean Big Results!

Have you heard of the “butterfly effect?” Where one small change at one place has large effects elsewhere: such as the beating of a butterfly’s wings causing small changes that, when magnified, cause a shift in weather. Yet, how does this apply to our daily lives?

One way is to realize that our small actions add up to create big results. For example, try waking up 20 minutes earlier each day and using the extra time to be productive. Twenty minutes less sleep does not sound like much but multiply that over a year’s time and you have added 121.6 hours to your productive time!

At Premier Concierge, our purpose is to add value to your life by taking on tasks you cannot find the time to do yourself and help you apply the “butterfly effect” to your life. Think of how you could use that time for greater productivity!

Simple tasks like running errands, paying your bills, managing home repair projects, or planning an event can be overwhelming. Let us handle your to-do list so you can live your life to the fullest each day. Call Premier Concierge today and let us show you our “butterfly effect”!

December 20, 2017 by Misty Keown

What to expect in 2018

We surveyed what experts and worthy sources are saying one might expect in 2018 and chose a few to share that might interest you.

What to expect from Apple in 2018 – from CNET, by Ben Fox Rubin and Alfred Ng

3 new versions of the Apple X iPhone and New iPhone SE
To be competitive with Samsung
Siri in a home voice assistance devise to compete with Alexa and Echo
Augmented Reality goggles to compete with Microsoft and Facebook’s offering
A touchscreen Mac, maybe?

You can listen to the entire interview at:

https://www.cnet.com/news/what-to-expect-from-apple-in-2018-the-359-ep-330/

What to expect in travel in 2018 – by Christopher Elliott

Higher airfare and hotel prices
Alternatives to the hurricane-damaged Caribbean such as the Spanish island of Tenerife
Going North to Alaska, Canada, Iceland and the Nordic countries
Avoiding troubled spots such as Turkey
Artificial Intelligent travel applications
Safe travel services and tools such as the government’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

You can see the entire article at: http://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-now/travelers-heres-what-to-expect-in-2018/465-413fd081-7e51-401a-8024-171ba1732338?scroll=0

What to expect from the US economy – from Bloomberg, by Tim Duy

Solid growth in financial markets
Anticipate 3 rate hikes by the fed
Low inflation

You can see the entire article at https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-12-11/expect-the-fed-to-stand-by-its-2018-outlook

We hope you find our email newsletters helpful. Please let us know if we can assist you in finding more TIME to do what you really want to do in life! https://premierconcierge.net/contact-us/

April 1, 2016 by Misty Keown

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Small Changes can mean Big Results

Simple tasks like running errands, managing home repair projects, or planning an event can be overwhelming. Let us handle your to-do list so you can live your life to the fullest each day. Call Premier Concierge today and let us show you our “butterfly effect”!

February 21, 2016 by Tricia Bartlett

Reclaim Your Time!

How much of your time is used productively? For one week, use your calendar to record activities for the week as if you were billing for them. Is there time that is wasted on unproductive activities, appointments or unnecessary “obligations”?
Any activity or conversation that is important to your success and well-being should have a time assigned to it. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Make time for both career and personal time.
Take time every day to schedule your day. Whether first thing in the morning or as you wrap up your day, plan your day to get the most of every moment!
Take time before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. Take time afterward to determine whether your desired result was achieved.
Schedule a time each day to answer email and return phone calls. Do not instantly give people your time unless it is absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate response.

With a little planning, you CAN reclaim your time!

May 31, 2015 by Misty Keown

Keeping Your Home Safe While on Vacation

Many of us are getting ready for a summer getaway or a family vacation. While you are away, here are a few tips to keep your home safe and sound.

1. Lock all doors and windows. Use deadbolts, dowels or locking pins in sliding-glass doors and windows. You can purchase additional locks to prevent your windows and sliding doors from opening. A locksmith or handyman can install additional locks on doors.

2. Remove any hidden keys outside. That plastic rock with a key inside is a dead giveaway to the trained eye much less the one under the welcome mat or over the door frame.

3. Utilize your curtains to make your house appear lived in. Leave window blinds and curtains in normal daytime positions without exposing valuables.

4. Pretend you’re still there. Use timers on lights, radios and televisions to give the illusion that someone is home.

5. Watch what you post or tweet. Thieves have been known to track people on social media, learning their patterns, building profiles for target customers and looking for a post from out of town to give them the green light to enter your home. Never announce travel plans or whereabouts on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. Wait until you get home to post your travel blog and photos. Turn off location based tagging on your pictures or remove geotags with a metadata removal tool if you publish photos on the Internet while you are away.

6. Stop Mail & Deliveries. Stop newspapers and other deliveries while you are away. Put a hold on your mail or make arrangements to have your mail picked up. This also helps prevent identity theft.

7. Talk to your neighbors. Ask a neighbor to watch your home and report any suspicious activity. Have a neighbor pick up anything left at your door or on your driveway. Invite a neighbor or family member to park a vehicle in your driveway. Leave your itinerary with a neighbor so you can be contacted in an emergency.

8. Secure the garage door. Disconnect your electronic garage door opener and place a padlock on the garage door track.

9. Don’t forget the doggie door. Lock or secure all pet doors no matter how small. You don’t want to be surprised to learn someone crawled through your doggie door.

10. Secure your pets. If you leave your pets at home, make sure someone checks on them. Otherwise, take them along for a vacation or send them to a pet palace while you are away.

11. Set the alarm. Set your burglar alarm and notify your alarm company that you will be away. Also, provide the alarm company with an up-to-date always set your alarm list of people to contact in case you cannot be reached.

12. Finally, relax and enjoy your summer vacation with your family and friends!

Please let Premier Concierge know if you can use our assistance. We can help with a simple service referral or provide a complete package to keep your home safe while you are away!

April 12, 2015 by Misty Keown

Making the Most of Our Time

Did you know there are only 168 hours in a week? It may seem like plenty of time when viewed as a total but we are all challenged to make the most of the same amount of time. Unfortunately, you cannot borrow time or loan it. Time is often viewed as the most valuable asset we have because you can get more money, but not more time. So, when you find a few extra minutes, it’s sweet!

To get a better handle on your time, let’s start with a review of where we spend our time. Think of the common, mundane tasks that we do that we don’t think much about. Here are a few:

Yard Work
Laundry
House cleaning
Household chores
Minor repairs
Home maintenance
Going to the store
Pick up at the cleaners
Waiting for service providers

Take a moment and calculate how much time you spend each week on these basic, everyday tasks.

Your Total Weekly Hours on Common Tasks____________________

The Value of your Time

Now, let’s determine the value of your time. For our example, if we assume that your gross income is $150,000 per year and you spend 50 hours per week engaged in work, your hourly rate is $60.00

Example: Calculating the Value of Time

Gross income = 150,000
Total Hours Worked = 50 hours per week X 50 weeks = 2500
$150,000 / 2500 = $60.00

Take a moment to calculate your actual hourly rate

Your Gross Income = $___________
Your Total Hours worked = _______
Your Hourly Rate = Gross income / hours worked = Your hourly rate =$ ________

If you are working 50 hours per week, you have 118 hours left to:

Sleep
Eat
Personal Care
Family
Errands
Shopping
Time for You

Wow, did you know you were paying yourself as much as $60 per hour to do basic daily tasks like laundry? Now that you know the value of your time, how will you change the way you use it?

Outsourcing, the Key to your Success!

Outsourcing in the workplace has become very common. Businesses strive to become more efficient by focusing on the tasks and activities they do best and hire others to do the rest. We can do this in our personal lives as well. In fact, busy executives have been doing this for years with help of their personal assistants. Today, most of us do not have a personal assistant at work or at home. But, we can still outsource specific tasks to others at an hourly rate less than our own rate.

Most people have a hard time delegating substantial work after years of being in control of every aspect of their business and personal life. The assistants you hire, or outsourced help, can typically be faster and better at doing things than you are. Outsourcing will help you remain focused on the important things in your life and relieve your stress at the same time. You may also find that you have TIME for a life outside of your business. Let’s take a look at some easy ways to outsource.

Outsourcing Resources

Family – Spouse, Children, Siblings, Parents
Friends – Your best friend, your worst friend?
Neighbors – “You watch my house, I’ll watch yours”
Staff – Your Assistant, Team Members, Volunteers
Semi Professionals – Maid Service, Nanny, Concierges
Professionals – Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants

Tips for Better Outsourcing

You get what you pay for. Free is not always free and cheap is not always cheap. There are hidden costs and risks associated with free and cheap. I have had much more success by seeking out those who charge a bit more

Be clear. No matter what the skill level is for the person you’re managing, it’s always good to be as clear as possible. Write down the task, discuss the time line, determine what to do if something changes, and describe the expected outcome

Test the waters. Always start with a small project to see how they do. If they do good work, then incorporate more complicated projects.

Be respectful.These are people trying to make a living, trying to make your life easier. Be nice. Be generous. Be patient. Say thank you!

Finding Extra Time is Sweet!

Imagine that you have been focused on a task list and you find you are done with your “to do’s” and still have some time left over. I call these sweet little moments of extra time. Think of how good you feel when you are done and have time!

Resources

For more tips and ideas on managing time, check out these resources

The 168 Hour Week by Kevin Hogan
The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

December 30, 2014 by Misty Keown

Goal Setting and Time Management for 2015

Do you know anyone who is a Six Sigma practitioner? These people are skilled at establishing processes that generate results. They see themselves as agents of change and that is exactly what many of us need and want in 2015, change.

As you think of your goals for the coming year, consider using the acronym SMART which stands for Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented, Reasonable, and Timely. The details look something like this:

Specific – Specific goals are more likely to be achieved than nonspecific goals. Some questions to consider:

Who is involved?
What do you want to accomplish?
When? Establish a time frame.
Why? Determine the specific reason, purpose or benefits of achieving a goal.

Measurable – Measuring progress toward a goal helps people stay on track, reach target dates and experience achievement. Staying on track will result in a continuous improvement cycle that leads to motivation and goal attainment.

Action Oriented – To keep from becoming overwhelmed, goals should be broken down into action steps. Each step moves a person closer to successful goal achievement.

Reasonable – Avoid setting unreasonable expectations. Personal and situational factors may influence the ability to reach a goal. Some personal factors to consider are tiredness, physical well-being and other commitments.

Timely – Define start and end points to the goal. Maintain commitment to these deadlines. Goals without deadlines or schedules for completion tend to be put aside for the day-to-day crises that invariably arise.

This leads right into TIME management. While TIME cannot be actually managed, we as people can manage what actions we take, how long the actions take, and the results generated with the TIME. One of the easiest ways I know to check my usage of TIME is to keep a journal for 24 hours. List what you do in 15 or 30 minute increments. At the end of the 24 hour period, evaluate what you did and what you would like to change. What habits would you like to change?

I hope this information is useful as you begin a new year. If so, please let me know. I enjoy hearing from my readers and clients. For more details on SMART goals and TIME Management check out the following article: http://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/change-management-implementation/set-smart-goals-better-manage-time/

October 1, 2014 by Misty Keown

Fall Closet Organization

We always talk about spring cleaning, and organizing our closets, but there’s something to be said for doing a little sprucing up for fall, too. This is the ideal time to clean out your summer wardrobe and replace it with your winter wardrobe. Check out a few tips below:

Keep what works; toss what doesn’t. This is a great time to take stock of what you wore, what you didn’t, and what’s worth keeping for next year. Donate items in good condition; toss anything that’s not.

Take your winter clothes/furs/coats out of storage, and put your summer things into storage. Or, if you have hidden winter clothes on high shelves, in hard-to-reach places, now is the time to take them down and hang or fold them in more accessible places.

Organize! Having your clothing in sections will make finding them a breeze. If you are feeling ambitious, you can organize by color – but just having separate pieces organized will make a difference.

Tackle your folded items. We tend to wear the same things over and over again, which means clothes at the bottom of the drawers often do not get the same attention. Clean out your drawers to make sure you still want and will wear those items; otherwise, donate or toss them.

After reading these tips, do you still need help organizing your closet? I recommend The Container Store to help improve the organization and appearance of your closet. Even with their boxes, bins, and bags, you still need TIME to do the organizing. This is where Premier Concierge can really help you. Organization is our specialty!

September 8, 2014 by Misty Keown

Getting More Time

You can get more money, but you can’t get more TIME! Or so the saying goes. But is that true? In a world where technology affects everything, can we reclaim our TIME? Is there an App for that? Maybe, maybe not, but there are proven solutions to reclaiming your TIME.

As long as we continue to spend our TIME on tasks that someone else could do more efficiently, we will be limiting the profit potential of our TIME. We also limit the “joy factor” of our TIME. Are we spending the TIME we want with others; family, friends, associates?

Most people have a hard TIME delegating tasks after years of being in control of every aspect of their life. The assistants you hire, or outsourced help, can typically be faster and better at doing things than you are. This frees up TIME for more joyful and fulfilling activities.

Outsourcing will help you remain focused on the important things in your life, like quality TIME with your family, and relieve your stress at the same TIME.

Let Premier Concierge:

Manage your household
Run your many mundane errands
Plan your next party
Organize your closets and pantry
Assist with personal shopping
Find that perfect gift
Give you back TIME & SANITY!

There are only 168 hours in a week. How much TIME are you spending on your to-do list? Do you ever have TIME to complete the list?

TIME is the most valuable asset we have! Call Premier Concierge TODAY at 972-788-1587 and reclaim your TIME!

August 11, 2014 by Tricia Bartlett

Banish the Back-to-School Busyness!

August means end-of-summer barbeques, hot weather, and long, lazy days. But it also means Back-to-School Time! Don’t let the worry of school days take away from your late summer fun. The best way to avoid the stress is to be prepared:

-With the help of your kids, make lists of essentials. What has to be replaced from last year? School supplies, backpacks, school clothes/uniforms, and lunchboxes should all be evaluated. If they need replacement, shop local store ads and online for the best deals.

-August is the time for deals on all sorts of school supplies! Consider which things you will need multiples of and buy them on sale now. Notebook paper, pencils, crayons, spiral notebooks and highlighters can be purchased in bulk while on sale and kept in a “school supply” closet. No need to run to the store when a school project comes up in the Fall!

–Be sure everyone has tried on their school shoes and clothes. Kids seem to grow by leaps and bounds over the summer! Don’t wait until the last minute to find those replacements.

-Designate a specific area for each child’s supplies. Use a shopping bag or shelf labeled for each child so everything is ready for the first week — No Stress!

-Talk to the kids now about what you expect during the school year: Do they need to lay out their school clothes every evening (let’s avoid the early morning “lost sock” hunt!)? Do backpacks have a special hook/shelf so they aren’t scattered around the house? What is the after school routine (snack/homework/sports)? If everyone knows the plan, the school day routine goes smoother and stress free!

–Be sure your children have all the necessary vaccines, checkups and paperwork required for school and sports teams. Call now for those appointments as they fill up fast!

When you’ve taken all that off the list, go back to enjoying the last few days of summer. You’ll enjoy them so much more when you are ready for the new school year!

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Small Changes can mean Big Results!

What to expect in 2018

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Small Changes can mean Big Results

Reclaim Your Time!

Keeping Your Home Safe While on Vacation

Making the Most of Our Time

Goal Setting and Time Management for 2015

Fall Closet Organization

Getting More Time

Manage your household

Run your many mundane errands

Plan your next party

Organize your closets and pantry

Assist with personal shopping

Find that perfect gift

Give you back TIME & SANITY!

Banish the Back-to-School Busyness!

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