plete the job than it would a professional,
and you run the risk of botching the works
to the point where you have to hire some
one anyway
—la then something else I'd like to be
doing, should be doing, at the same time?
If there is, and if you can afford it, hire
someone.
— Will I enjoy working on the job or
teak? Is there any benefit to doing a task
yourself? Roofwork can provide a good
aerobic workout and wallpapering might
just be plain old fun (especially if you've
seen a few too many Jerry Lewis and Laurel
and Hardy movies). Many of us are Mr. and
Ms Fix-lts at heart, and there is a private
sense of satisfaction and achievement in a
job well done. Don’t cheat yourself out of
that hands-on good feeling, but don't force
it down your throat.
— Can / afford to hire someone else?
Many times it just doesn't make economic
sense to parcel out a task. Yes, it would be
wonderful to have a full-time chef in your
kitchen, but let's be realistic.
Obviously, we're not talking about full
time help here. But there are advantages to
considering part-time, task-specific help in
your personal life, just as there will be ad
vantages to the same in your professional
life. If, as the old saying goes, time is
money, then you'll have to decide how
much of each to spend in order to get the
job done.
Visit laundry, dry cleaner and repair
shops on your way to work each morn
ing—with pick-ups scheduled tor your
return trip—and liberate your weekends
and evenings from the personal
maintenance chores that can clutter
your free time
If you're one of those who entertains
at home because you have to. get your
obligations out of the way with one big
year-end (or middle-year) bash. Invite
everyone. It could save you time and
money. Food and drink can be simpler
and cheaper at a blow-out than at a sit
down dinner party.
Set your watch five minutes fast, to
make sure you’re running ahead of
schedule. Of course, most of us are too
smart to fool ourselves so easily, but the
trick here is to keep yourself so busy you
forget you're operating on Personal
Savings Time.
Work on your ability to do more than
one thing at a time. We re not talking
about walking and chewing gum here.
But you can save time if you’re smart
about combining certain tasks. Vbu can
watch the news while you aacercise,
dean the kitchen while you talk on the
phone, and balance your checkbook
when a busy caller puts you on hold.
Avoid long lines. Even if you've got
some work to do while you’re welting,
long lines can really drain you of
precious time Bank or shop at off hours,
renew your driver's license by mail, and
put off seeing hit movies until a week or
two after they open. Yes, good things
come to those who wait, but not if
they’re waiting in a ridiculously long
line.
Consider getting a computer. It's not
as expensive as you might think. Com
puters will save big chunks of time in
your career, and in your personal life aa
well. Xbu can pay your bids, prepare
your taxes, develop a working budget
and read consolidated news Items from
every major newspaper in the country,
all with the stroke of a key. Through
dozens of popular tele-text retrieval
systems, you can also pull up-to-date in
formation from the world financial
markets, indexed biographies of local
and world leaders, and recent reviews of
your favorite restaurants. A computer
can put anything and everything you'll
need or want to know at your fingertips,
at any hour of the day.
Tty to forestall major repairs on your
car, your house or apartment, your
stereo or your television, whenever
possible. Follow regular maintenance
schedules and fix things at the first sign
of disrepair, however alight.
Schedule your own personal
maintenance check-ups (doctor, den
tist, accountant..) on the same day, or in
the same week, if possible. These ap
pointments can get Ir. the way of your
day-to-day routine, and it makes good
sense to clump them together so that
they got out of the way quickly.
Shop at home. The wonders of mail
order allow you to buy everything you
could possibly need (and some things
you couldn't possibly ever use) from the
comfort of your easy chair. You can
peruse catalogs on your way to work or
in the bathtub. Find established com
panies with good records of order fulfill
ment and customer service and go on a
home shopping spree.
Buy non-perishable household goods
in bulk, at one time. Toilet articles, paper
goods, canned foods can all be bought
for long-term use to minimize shopping
trips. Buy the family or jumbo sizes
when appropriate, even if you’re living
on your own.
EM left-overs. When you cook, make
enough for the next day's meal, too.
When you've gone to all the trouble to
prepare a nice meal, why spoil It by hav
ing to do it all over again tomorrow?
Get an answering machine. There’s
no need to hang around your house or
apartment kMe, waiting for important
calls that never come when they're sup
posed to. Lat the phone answer itself
and you can return the call when you’ve
got the time. You can also use the
machine to help screen your calls.
Practice saying, "No!" At home, as at
work, you might find yourself taking on
more than you can handle. Avoid ap
pointments that get in the way of what's
really important to you. Come on, you
dpnt really want to meet your room
mate’s best friend's babysitter tor
drinks, do you?