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NEWS RELEASE
August 30, 2002-For immediate
release
Contact: The Marketing Communications Departmant
262.248.4449
press@primex-inc.com
www.chaneyinstrument.com
The Times of Your Life: Tools and Tips to
Structure and Manage Time
(ARA) - As we move into the fall and the days
grow shorter, it is a time for getting down to business, back to
school and putting our noses to the grindstone. With all of this
comes the need for structure. Sometimes it is natural, sometimes we
need help. Here are some tips and tools to help make the transition
successful.
Waking up is hard to do
An important part of making the most of
everyday is simply getting up on time, which becomes even more
difficult as the days grow shorter. It is especially hard for
children who have been free of routine for the entire summer.
According to smartkids.com, it is a good idea to ease everyone back
into a school schedule. During the last two weeks of summer,
re-introduce the fall routine by setting alarm clocks for gradually
earlier wake-up times. This will prevent a difficult transition on
the first day of school, and alleviate children’s anxieties about
not waking up and missing the bus.
A reliable alarm clock is a must for every
member of the family. “Since everybody wakes up in a different way,
there are a wide variety of alarm designs to fit every wake-up
routine,” according to the Chaney Instrument Company, a leading US
clock company which markets Acu-Rite alarm clocks. There are simple
alarms that have big, easy-to-read numbers for those who have a hard
time seeing in the morning and clock radios for those who like to
wake up gently to music.
Key-wound alarms like the Evermore are great
for traditionalists who find the gentle tic-tock of a key-wound
alarm soothing and the bell ring just loud enough. And then there
are very loud alarms, like the Alert that has a 90- to 100-decibel
buzzer, for those who need to be shaken from their beds. Acu-Rite’s
Legato has a built-in night light for a little light in the room at
night. The Verve has a hidden night-glo dial that is easy to read in
the dark and easy-to-grip setting knobs on the back for those whose
fingers are not so nimble.
Family Time
Get organized as a family. According to the
publication “Time Management and Family Issues,” being disorganized
actually wastes time. Being disorganized as a family can compound
the problem. Looking for missing pieces of paper or keys or books
takes away from productive time. But disorganization is not
necessarily genetic. Anyone can decide to become organized.
Make a schedule as a family. Spend time
thinking about what needs to get done today, or this week. What are
the deadlines? According to “Time Management and Family Issues,”
making time to create a schedule will save you time in the end. Then
prioritize. Make a to-do list and rank the items according to
importance. This will help to sort out the very important tasks from
the minor ones.
Teach your children about the importance of
scheduling time by including them in the process of setting family
goals, priorities, and timetables for necessary tasks such as
homework and practice as well as play time and extracurricular
activities. Then teach them how to match the timetables to calendars
and clocks of their own.
Tame the morning madness by creating a “launch
pad” or dedicated space, for each member of the family where they
can keep their “out-the-door” essentials such as lunchboxes,
homework, library books, car keys, etc. An empty shelf or just a
plastic bin work well for each person to have a place to store all
the items they need to leave the house in the morning. Have an alarm
in the staging area that is set to alert everyone in the house that
is time to get ready to leave.
Get the whole family in synch. Designate one
clock in the house as the clock that keeps the “official” time. Try
an Atomix clock. These clocks keep perfect time and self-adjust to
the right time according to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology every day. They even self-adjust for Daylight Saving Time
twice a year. So, when that time comes, you know that you have one
clock in the house that has the right time and one less task to
perform.
Learn to say “no.” According to “Time
Management and Family Issues,” this is the single most important
thing a busy person can do to make the best use of their time. We
are all asked to do many more things than we could ever have time
for. It is important to be selective.
For more information about clocks that will
help keep you on track, visit
www.chaneyinstrument.com. For more tips on organizing your time
visit the following web sites:
organizedhome.com;
ivillage.com;
iamnext.com;
embark.com;
monster.com;
family.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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