Time Management Tips For

Eliminating Irritations

The remote control for the television in our master bedroom stopped working more than six months ago. On numerous occasions since then, I have stood in front of this television and pressed the arrow keys to manually surf the channels. On one particularly frustrating evening, I was tediously making my way from channel 54 to channel 5 when I decided to do something about the problem.

My first stop was the pantry where I selected four AA batteries to replace the old ones that were in the remote control. To my surprise and delight, that was all that was needed to get the device working again.

Although I was pleased to have eliminated the problem, I was also angry at myself for waiting so long to address an issue that, in the end, took just five minutes to fix. If you, like me, have unresolved issues that can be fixed in less time than you have spent thinking about them, here's how to get mad enough to do something about eliminating irritations.

Write irritations down as you encounter them. Cupboards that are out of control. Paper piles that dare to be sorted. Buttons that need to be replaced. All merit a place on your To Do list if they annoy you or members of your family.

A -  Assess priorities.

As your list grows, determine the time it will take you to correct a problem and the satisfaction you will receive from completing it. This way, whether you have five minutes or fifty to spare, you will know which issues to address in the time allotted.

D -   Do something.

As your schedule permits, tackle the problems that will give you the greatest satisfaction in the least amount of time.

This side of heaven will never be problem free, but it can be problem-less as we make a list, assess priorities, and do something to live a more stress-free life, by eliminating one irritation at a time.