It takes different people different amounts of time to do the identical task.

Once you know you how long it takes you to do something, you may decide it’s a better use of the world’s resources to have someone else do a certain task. A “do-it-all-yourself” mentality can be a big time trap.

Good time managers calculate how long things take and build the time they need into their schedules. This is not a mysterious talent that some people are born with and you lack. It’s a simple skill anyone can learn.

Good time managers make a conscious decision to figure out how long a task will take. They simply ask themselves that question. This is a big missing link for the rest of us who say, “Okay, I’m going to do these twelve things tomorrow,” without ever pausing to consider how long each task will take.

It’s November. And along with cold weather and shopping trips, this is the month when all the parties begin. When time is tight and you have guests coming for a party you don’t want to exhaust or stress yourself by trying to make your house perfect.  But you do want your home to be welcoming, and to feel confident having people over. The best way to achieve that is to focus on spot organizing key areas of your home which your guests are most likely to see—each area should take no more than 30-60 minutes to get in shape.

Are you ready to get organized but don’t know where to start? Whether cleaning out a closet, kitchen cabinets or kid’s room, follow my S.P.A.C.E. formula to make the task manageable, methodical and rewarding. The key to succeeding with the SPACE formula is to do every one of the steps, and most importantly, to do them in order. Attack and complete one room at a time for the biggest sense of accomplishment and success. 

Nothing piles up faster than the paper in our lives, nor is anything more satisfying to clean out. Make it easier on yourself by following a few simply rules to do a quick-sort and weed. Purging Paper: Speed up the process by getting a shredder and follow these simple rules.

Finding you work/life balance isn’t always easy. You may need to get creative, like Jane did. But what if you, like Jane, work in an environment where face time is very important? Perhaps your co-workers and your boss keep different hours than you: they could begin their day at 11 a.m. while you start yours at eight. If this is the case and you are determined to keep those unusual hours, like Jane, than here are a few tips to help you succeed.

Jocelyn has been late her whole life. As a kid, she never got to school on time, even though John Jay Elementary was just down the block.  Now 56, married, with two grown children and a successful career, she is still late for work every day.  Jocelyn fills every moment with activity—going to the gym 6 times per week,  listening to books on tape as she drives, lunching with friends, attending dinner parties, scurrying to business meetings, weekend brunches, movies and museums. She’s late for them all. 

Friends tell her she has no sense of how long things take. She’s tried to be more conscious of it, to be more sensitive, making a big effort to give herself extra time. But she always gets caught up in this feeling that I've get to fit one more thing in.