the power hour, and i don't even mean televangelist kind either

Earlier this week I shared about the tickler file I built as a result of the time management class I took a few weeks ago.

The instructor, who is wonderful, by the way, has a blog where she periodically posts about topics related to her field of study, which is psychology (surprise) and more specifically, the application of psychology in the workplace.  (How many points for that sentence?)

I came across a post about what she calls the power hour. In this, she describes a practice her friends have, which they've dubbed the power hour.  Through the week, they keep track of all the stuff that needs to be done around the house - repairs, special chores, whatever.  Saturday morning, they set a timer for an hour and they go around doing stuff on the list, task by task by task.  When the timer goes off, they stop.  Anything that didn't get done goes on the list for next weekend.

May I exclaim for a minute?  This is an AWESOME idea!

It harkens to some of the FlyLady principles - especially the part about setting the timer and stopping when it goes off.  And then BEING OK with the whole list not being done.

And because there are two of them puttering around doing stuff, they're getting two hours worth of work done.  Who has time in their schedule to spent two hours on housework?  But an hour on a weekend is something that most folks could make happen, I'd wager.  And do you have any idea how much you can get done in an hour, when all you're doing in that hour is getting stuff done?  It's HUGE.  Note: having the time limit ensures your whole weekend isn't swallowed up by to-dos.  Doesn't that spell relief?

Plus, what a great reason to procrastinate productively!  It's so easy to see a need for something - a repair, a fix, a hack, whatever - and get sidetracked by it.  Either you're distracted by it, trying to remember to get it done and wondering when you'll be able to make time and feeling guilty by not getting it done already, or you have to bring everything to a screeching halt and fix it immediately.  Neither of these is a good option. Take three seconds, write it down, and trust yourself to take care of it in the right time. Having a list, and a set time to handle the list, is a great option.  

This is a fine example of teamwork, too, for all us cohabitants.  I haven't had gobs of marital experience, having been married less than a year, but I have learned by now that teamwork is a great way to approach things, especially shared things like a home.  In doing so, the pressure is off of me to do everything, and it's off him too.  We aren't martyrs to our roles and we support each other equally.  I don't feel like I'm coming home to a second full-time job, and he doesn't feel like he has too much on his shoulders, either.

We're young.  We don't have a whole lot of money.  And we're both busy with semi-erratic schedules.  We're just getting started in our lives together and we're figuring things out.  What are some of YOUR life-hacks to take care of the odds and ends of living while you're too busy having a life?