Interruptions can add hours to the time you need to prepare that major project at the office. What to do? Create your own privacy. Here are some suggestions from Jeffrey J. Meyer, author of "If You Haven't Got the Time to Do It Right, When Will You Find the Time to Do It Over?" (Simon and Schuster):
- Disappear. Abandon your office by reserving a conference room or somewhere else others can't readily find you.- Stay home. If the kids are at school and the spouse at work, the kitchen table can be a good place to spread out that project - away from the telephone calls and door-knockers.
- Announce you'll be off for the day, then come in. You can find peace in your own office, especially if you tell your secretary to continue telling anyone who calls that you're off.
- ALWAYS PARK YOUR CAR in the same general vicinity, especially at the grocery store. That way the grocery boy and you won't have to go on safari with bags of groceries every time you leave the store. This also holds true for malls and other large shopping centers frequented often.
- STREAMLINE THE WARDROBES of every family member. Uncluttered drawers and closets makes choosing and maintaining clothes a snap, especially younger children whose closets tend to bulge as they outgrow clothes rapidly. Donate the excess to a worthy cause or trade with another family.
- TO REMOVE an appliqued pullover sweater or gown without dislodging the sequins, seed pearls or beads, apply any thin garment, like a slip, over it and remove as usual. Source: Lendine Hill, Memphis, Tenn.
- WHILE SHOPPING, especially during special sales, stock up on gifts for differing occasions. Then when birthdays, annniversaries, house warmings and other gift-giving occasions arrive, go shopping in your closets. This saves time, money and eliminates last-minute frenzies.
- FOR A QUICK and ecologically sound air freshener, mix your out-of-date spices such as cinnamon, allspice or cloves with water in the top of a candlelit potpourri pot. Source: Rebecca Bobbitt, Memphis, Tenn.