Have you planned for your week ahead?

If you want to make sure you’ll be ultra-efficient throughout the coming week try incorporating one of these quick tips into your routine;

• Ensure that you (and your partner) go through your diaries & family calendar to check who should be where and when.  Make arrangements early for attending to children & their hectic social lives!
• Sync your electronic calendars, so that you don’t miss appointments & reminders when you are on the go.  So that’s your smartphone & Outlook/iCal done.
• Be prepared for your upcoming appointments. Being a Girl Guide wasn’t wasted on me!  There’s nothing worse than having a panic 10 minutes before you are due to leave for somewhere because you haven’t got things ready.  Check the night before – get as much as you can to one side & you’re good to go!
• Plan meals and food shopping for the week, if you can.  Life can be so hectic and mealtimes come around sooner than you think!  A half hour spent checking your whereabouts, meal needs or likes will save you double that by having everything ready in advance. If you can bulk cook meals in one go, even better!  A larger serving of mince, for instance, will do for spaghetti bolognaise AND a cottage pie!
• Get your clothes ironed and ready for the week.  Check the 5 day forecast, think of your upcoming activities and make a note of what you want to wear to each of them.
• Get any forms, occasion cards, reply slips filled out and ready for posting or handing in at school.  You rarely have time in the morning to start reading forms, filling out cheques and finding an envelope, so doing it early will pay dividends!

Try it!  I’m certain that you’ll notice the difference to your stress levels on a Monday morning!!