The eLearners News Blog : Time Management

Free online course in stress management

AndriaL — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:17:00 GMT

Could you use some stress management?

Holidays, finals approaching, the job market, the last of this stubborn winter, money woes, traffic...

There never seems to be a shortage of reasons to be stressed, but luckily, University of Florida is offering a free, seven-part series in stress management that you can access here. There's no registration needed, which is great, because who needs another login and password to remember?

In the seven lessons, you'll learn plenty, including:

What causes stress
How your body reacts to stress
How to relieve stress using physical techniques
How visualization can help

As removing stress from your life is completely impossible, learning to deal with what's stressing you—both mentally and physically—is important for a longer, happier, healthier life.

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Earlier Dinners = Easier Evenings

JenniferA — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Hopefully everyone is adjusting to the new back-to-school schedule (for adults and kids!). With the addition of homework and running around for extra-curricular activities, the dinner hour may be getting more and more stressful. One thing that has worked for us is eating dinner as soon as the kids get home from school. Here are the benefits:

The kids are always hungry when they get home. Instead of offering a snack, make this the usual time for dinner. Their growling stomachs are a great motivator to get them to help with the rest of the dinner preparation.
The problem with having dinner later is that the pace of the evening hours can become rather hectic. You can easily get worn out by tackling the meal prep, eating dinner, meal clean-up, helping with homework, and getting kids ready for bed without much of a break in-between. By spreading these out you can work at a slower pace and avoid getting worn out and frustrated.
By having dinner right when the kids get home they can take a break from schoolwork. Who wants to deal with homework right after spending hours in school anyhow? This way kids can sit down and catch up with their family right when they get home. Later in the evening they can take care of their homework and parents will be more focused with helping since they won't be busy getting dinner ready.
The decreased stress from avoiding the dinner/homework/ready for bed rush may mean that your family will enjoy a little leisure time together by playing games or watching a movie. If anyone gets hungry later in the evening there's still plenty of time for a healthy snack.

Earlier dinners won't solve all of the issues with the weekday evening chaos, but it may allow for a slower pace and a more enjoyable time together as a family. Give it a try and see how it goes.

Jennifer Applin is a freelance writer, wife and mother of four. She spends her days cooking, cleaning and caring for little ones, and her nights writing about parenting, pregnancy, and the quest for peace (as in peace and quiet—there is such a thing, right?).

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Have you heard about Cozi?

JenniferA — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Do you struggle with updating the various planners and calendars your family uses? Do you write out a grocery list only to realize once you get to the store that you forgot it? Then Cozi can help.

What is Cozi? Their Web site describes it as:

"Designed especially for busy families, Cozi is a FREE Web service that helps you manage your family calendar, track your to-do and shopping lists, organize your chores and stay in touch with each other when you're on the go. All you need to get started is a Cozi account—it's quick and easy and no downloads required. You can access all the information you enter in Cozi from any PC with Internet access or from any mobile phone."

Cozi's features include:

* a user-friendly family calendar with different viewing and printing options
* the ability to create and manage the many lists needed to keep your home running smoothly
* access anytime, anyplace from any mobile phone or Internet browser
* the ability to synchronize your schedule with home or work PCs, cell phones, Outlook, or other electronic calendars
* the ability to send messages, schedule updates and reminders to keep everyone up to date
* a fun family journal feature and photo collage screensaver

As a family of six I really like the color-coded calendar. Each member is assigned a color which makes viewing the schedule easy on the eyes. You can even assign a color to other recurring events such as bills to be paid or birthdays to remember.

My family also loves the photo collage screen saver feature. You know all of those digital pictures that you intend to print someday but just don't get to? Well now you can view them in collage format on your computer. We've enjoyed watching photos pop up on the computer that we had long forgotten about.

These are just a few of the great features from Cozi. To learn about more ways Cozi can help keep your family on the same page check out these Cozi Tips.

Signing up is easy (Oh and did I mention it's FREE?!?). Just check out Cozi.com and you can take managing your family's schedule to the next level.

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Fundraiser Alternative-Just Write A Check Instead!

JenniferA — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:30:00 GMT

It's back to school time and that means getting bombarded every month or so with fundraisers. I understand the fundraising needs of schools and clubs. With the constant school budget constraints it seems funding for "extras" isn't available and it's up to the parents to make up the difference. Participating in fundraisers may sound like a great solution to help out your child's soccer team or the parent's club, but there may be a better way.

Do a little digging and find out what percentage of your child's fundraising efforts really goes to the club or program. Then do the math. If they are selling pizza kits at $15 a piece and only make $3.00 off of each one, you can spend $45 for three kits and the school is only getting $9. Financially you'd be better off just giving the school the $9 and the other $36 you'd have left can go a lot further than just paying for three pizzas.

There are other benefits to this approach as well. You won't have to hassle with keeping track of all of the fundraising dates (when the orders are due, when you pick the items up, when the money is due, etc.). Of course your child won't receive their token "prize" for participating, but this may be a blessing as well. You won't have to deal with their hurt feeling when their prize breaks five minutes after being opened (which always happens).

So this year instead of ordering overpriced cookie dough you don't need or an entertainment book you stick in a cupboard and forget about, just simply write a check instead. Look at your budget and figure out how much you'd like to give to each organization and make a direct donation. You'll be glad you did.

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Easy Holiday Planning Starts Now

JenniferA — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Holiday Planning…what!?! We're still walking around with sand in our shoes. How can we even begin to think about the holidays? Well, if you think about it just a little right now you won't be stressing out in December.

You've got to love the Internet and all of its endless (and free) examples of our lives being made easier. Take for example the Web site OrganizedChristmas.com. First they have their Holiday Grand Plan which is an 18-week program to get your house *** and span in time for the holidays. All of the big jobs are broken down into little jobs, complete with printable checklists and calendars, so you won't be embarrassed to host those holiday gatherings. The Holiday Grand Plan starts August 31^st, so you better hop to it! Organizedchristmas.com also has the Christmas Countdown which runs from Oct 26^st to Dec 6^st. Here you'll find weekly themes, a printable holiday planner, daily messages, and even an interactive community at Organized Christmas Message Boards. The site also includes great ideas for holiday gifts and crafts (nothing beats giving a homemade gift-and savings a little $$$ while you're at it!).

If you're looking to save even more money this holiday season (and who isn't, right?!), then check out these great money-saving tips:

Budgeting
Holiday Cards
Gift Wrap
Decorating
Hosting & Entertainment
Making The Most Of Your Wish List
Homemade Gifts
Shopping-Getting The Best Price
Shopping-Getting The Most Out Of Your Money
Shopping-Buy Now, Save Later

Another great site that takes you step-by-step with a great "plan of attack" is Families With Purpose. You can sign up for their "8-Week Plan to a Frazzle Free Christmas" which includes a free e-book along with weekly and daily reminders to keep you on track. The 8-week plan gets it all done by the second week in December and leaves you a couple of weeks to just sit back and enjoy the festivities!

A round-up of sites keeping you organized this holiday season wouldn't be complete without visiting Flylady. Anyone who has ever had an issue dealing with controlling clutter is familiar with Flylady. She also has a plan for "Cruising Through the Holidays." Download Flylady's Holiday Control Journal and baby-step your way through your holiday to-do list. Before you know it you will have accomplished it all and have time left to savor the season!

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