With so many online personal time management tools, just choosing one can be daunting and time consuming!

Fortunately, expert time coach Elizabeth Grace Saunders has done the work for you. Elizabeth’s helpful article on, Design*Sponge, breaks down online calendars, to do lists, social media management tools and syncing options to help you function optimally. Check out her easy-to-navigate comparisons now. Then choose the tool that works best for you!

Read Elizabeth’s article, “Biz Ladies: How to Organize your Life with Online Tools”

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E® a time coaching and training company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident and accomplished through an exclusive Schedule Makeover^TM process. Real Life E® also increases employee productivity, satisfaction and work/life balance through custom training programs.

Elizabeth has appeared in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of 2010 by Stiletto Woman and as a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Mashable, and many other media outlets.

Building a routine for your pet is mutually beneficial. Taking 20-30 minutes to walk your dog before tackling your next project can give you just the respite you need to clear your mind and get pumped up to move forward. Plus, walking your dog enforces a strong leadership position with your pet. For most dogs, trotting around by themselves in the backyard can be rather boring. Check out these tips to ensure that both you and your furry friend are getting the healthy exercise and mental stimulation you both need.

In addition to exercise, dogs crave love and attention and thrive on an established routine. This is especially important in terms of potty breaks and feeding times. Also, dogs need enough sleep to function effectively. If possible, consider designating an area of the house, such as a cushion or crate, for your dog, and keep your own bed a dog-free zone. This will allow your pet to have some ownership of his own special space and will ensure that you get a full night’s sleep as well. Take a peek at this Ideal Dog Schedule written from the perspective of a dog. Then tweak it to your own daily schedule and your pet’s preferences.

As part of your pup’s schedule, try incorporating a 10 minute block of training time everyday. Here’s a List of 10 Commands Every Dog Should Know. Don’t stress about you or your dog performing perfectly. Make it a fun activity to break up your day, and an opportunity for much-needed bonding time. When your dog masters some of these commands, you may be surprised how his overall behavior improves too.

Now that you have a playful, obedient, well-fed pup, you’ll want to show off your pride and joy. Make sure your dog’s well-groomed and that you keep up on necessary hygiene needs. Most dogs are pretty good self-groomers, but it’s important that you keep up on monthly flea and tick care and perform maintenance on their nails, eyes, and ears as needed. This can be done by Establishing a Grooming Routine.

Now, grab the leash, pick up that brush, or fill up that food bowl! But most of all, have fun! Your beloved dog is waiting for you!

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is the founder and CEO of Real Life E®, which provides life coaching for individuals who struggle with time management.

Elizabeth Saunders was recently featured on the Radical Parenting website with tools and helpful advice on how to set clear expectations and create a manageable plan of attack for your teens’ chores. Check out the introduction to Elizabeth’s article below for practical advice on creating and sharing a cleaner home with a very happy family!

How to Take the Stress Out of Weekly Chores

Chores: One of the most dreaded words for any teenager and one of the most frustrating ones for any parent.

Is there a way for families to split up tasks without major fights and headaches? Fortunately, the answer is, “Yes!” But how you achieve that goal is a little different for each household.

That’s why Elizabeth Grace Saunders, the founder of Real Life E® time coaching, has developed this choose your own adventure-style guide for making (and keeping) a chore schedule based on her experience coaching many parents on time management.

Let the adventure begin!…

To read the rest of Elizabeth’s insightful article, please visit the Radical Parenting Website!

About Real Life E®

If you are struggling with work/life balance, now’s the time to see exactly how and where you spend your precious time. With work, home and relationship responsibilities competing for your attention, it can be easy for important basics like healthy meals and regular sleep to be squeezed out.

The virtual Work/Life Balance Calculator from CNN.com is a wonderful resource that shows how you allocate your time throughout each day and over the course of an average week.

With categories including “Meals,” “Commute,” and “Leisure,” you can see how you currently divide your time, and then make adjustments to create your ideal schedule. The hours you spend on each activity are calculated by percentage, and the color coded pie-graph is an effective, eye-opening visual aid.

There are 168 hours in a week. How will you spend them? Get calculating!

About Real Life E®

Inside My Mind

I hesitate to talk too much…about the specifics of how I personally organize my day for a few reasons:

• I don’t want to seem self absorbed.
• I know from coaching clients around the world that custom plans based on the right strategies work better than copying someone else’s exact techniques.
• I’m an ENFJ and not all–but many–of my clients are Myers Briggs INFP or ISFP so they sometimes need a bit different approach.

But that being said, much of what I do is teaching people how to develop the mindset and skill set of an organized person so I’m pulling back the curtain on my life. In the upcoming posts, you’ll learn about not only what I do on a daily basis but also get inside my mind on what I’m thinking throughout the process.

See below for a close look at how I start my morning…

I hope this helps you and demonstrates that I’m authentically living a life of accomplishing more with peace and confidence!

Elizabeth’s Morning Routine

My internal clock is set to 6 a.m. This is awesome on weekdays because it’s usually not a problem for me to get up when my happy nature sounds alarm goes off. It’s not so awesome on the weekends when I’ve stayed up later than 11 p.m. and want to sleep in–but can’t.

If I wake up with unpleasant thoughts in my head (perhaps from a weird dream) I  sometimes lay in bed a bit past 6 a.m. so I can process the negative emotions. I then get up and immediately grab my Bible and my journal from my nightstand and take them downstairs to the dining room and put them in my designated spot.

I love the fact that the house is quiet, and I’m alone at this hour. It’s very peaceful and my mind can wander and get lost in thoughts without interruption. I start my fabulous Bunn coffee maker (only 4 minutes to brew a whole pot!) and then put together a simple breakfast.

As I gather my food, I usually make a rough sketch in my mind of what I plan on eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way, I know that I’m getting some variety in my three meals and enough healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. I also make note of anything that I need to buy in my “Grocery” note in my phone.

Now it’s time to sit down and eat. As I munch, I read a short passage and then take time to ponder what it means to me. Usually during my pondering time, I go back for seconds on breakfast food. (I eat small portions so I can go back for more!)

Next, I take time to meditate. Depending on my mood, this can take many different forms:

• Writing in a prayer journal.
• Listening to an affirmations CD.
• Laying on the living room floor staring at the ceiling and sorting out my thoughts.
• Going on a walk through my neighborhood (usually just on the weekends)

After my meditation time, I’m typically feeling peaceful, energized and in control of my emotions. As they would say in the excellent book Switch, my “elephant” is happy so now the “rider” can start to direct my focus.

Around 7:30 a.m., I start to transition from being to doing… I put away breakfast food and clean up any dishes. I go around the house fluffing pillows, shutting cabinets, collecting up stray items and generally reassuring myself that everything is in order in my physical environment so that I can more or less ignore it for the next 8 hours.

I then shower and get ready for the day completely if I need to leave the house for an appointment during work hours. (I have a tendency to underestimate how long it can take to get ready and get out of the house.) If I’m not going out until the evening, then I just put on clothes for going on a walk at lunch and leave doing hair, make up and jewelry until the end of the day so everything is “fresh.”

Sometime between 8 and 8:30 a.m., I sit down at my computer and begin my morning processing and planning routine… to be fully explained in an upcoming post…

To your brilliance!

Your time coach,

Elizabeth

P.S.-Rest assured! I don’t recommend that all of my time coaching clients get up at 6 a.m.! That’s just what works for me.

P.P.S.–Feel free to share your insights on morning routines.

About Real Life E®

Not to fear! We’ve done the research on some of the most popular time management and task organization tools on the web. This post offers a practical comparison of some of the best online tools.

From the most basic, to more complex, these sites will help keep you organized. Going virtual with your lists will allow you to stay on track even on the go. To your brilliance!

To-Do List Resources

www.tadalist.com

Summary: Simple and straightforward, Ta-da List is like your basic paper to-do list, only electronic!

Price: Free

Compatibility: Works with the most popular web browsers (IE 6/7, Firefox 2, and Safari 2), and with Mac, PC, and iPhone.

How it Works: Check a box and the to-do is marked, “Done!”

Sharing: Keep your lists private, or share them with your friends, family, or co-workers

Other Info: Ta-da List also offers a paid, upgraded version of their to-do list for businesses called Backpack.

Backpack is an intranet for your business. You create a “page” that keeps documents, discussions, and schedules in one place all the time with content sharing options.

www.toodledo.com

Summary: Organize and track your tasks in more than just a list format. The calendar view option is great for big-picture, visual learners.

Price: Free

Compatibility: Mac, Windows, most mobile devices; Ability to import tasks from Palm OS PDA, Microsoft Outlook, Apple’s iCal, and other online to-do lists

How it Works: Tag and track projects by priority and in sub-folders. Keep track of estimated time spent on a project versus the actual time spent. Even assign personal goals to individual tasks allowing you to see how the way you spend your time contributes to long-term goals.

Sharing: Public or private, with other collaboration options available

www.evernote.com

Summary: Much more than task management, EverNote is great for keeping track of the mis-mash of all those little things in life that you want to remember too (receipts, trip itineraries, even wine labels!)

With tons of fun and practical web software applications, techies can take this organizer as far as they want. Check out EverNote’s extensive array of Desktop and Web Services (or as they call it, the EverNote “Trunk”)

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Mac OS X, PC’s, iPhone, and other mobile devices; Applications for linking your Twitter and social media accounts too

How it Works: Type a text note, clip a web page, snap a photo, or grab a screenshot. Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made search-able. Add tags or organize your notes into different virtual notebooks. Search for notes by keywords, titles, and tags.

Sharing: Public or private- your choice depending on what you need to organize

www.rememberthemilk.com

Summary: Similar to EverNote, but a bit more basic. Though Remember The Milk also has dozens of mobile and desktop applications, this service is focused more on task management, tracking, and organization.

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Gmail, Outlook, and more. Sync with iCal and Google Calendar too.

How it Works: Create a list, set due dates, then get reminders to any of your mobile devices, email, and social media accounts.

Add notes to your list, and use the maps feature to track where you have to go to accomplish each task. Even print a hard copy of your list or weekly planner.

Check out this Tour of Things to Do with Remember The Milk

Sharing: Keep your tasks private, publish them publicly, or send to your choice of contacts

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth has appeared in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of 2010 by Stiletto Woman and as a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Mashable, and many other media outlets.

Is your tummy rumbling at the end of a long day’s work?

Then a basic crock pot is one of the best time-saving kitchen investments. Throw your ingredients in the pot, and enjoy being greeted by the smell of a simmering dinner ready to eat when you arrive home. Check out:

• This huge variety of Slow Cooker Recipes
• More Crock Pot Ideas- Feasts to slim-down dinners

To have the discipline to wait for meals that may require a tad more preparation, keep some healthy snacks in your car. That way you won’t be so ravenous on your commute home and be tempted to pull in the drive-thru.

Consider snacks that won’t perish too quickly, such as:

• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
• Dried Fruit (raisins, apricots, cherries, craisins, fruit leathers)
• Granola Bars, Rice Cakes
• Popcorn, Sunflower Seeds
• More Perfect Portable Snack Ideas

Now, if you already are home, make the most of your time. Whether you’re writing a report, watching TV, or catching up on housecleaning, make these opportunities to multi-task. For instance, while doing laundry, plug in the crock pot, throw 3 or 4 sweet potatoes in the oven to bake, or even let a turkey breast roast. You can then eat this pre-prepped food throughout the week.

Try freezing your fresh-cooked vegetables in sealable bags (or even just buy already frozen ones). A simple stir fry on a weeknight is as easy as throwing your vegetables in a pan with some oil, a few tablespoons of bottled stir-fry sauce, and some meat from that turkey you roasted while paying the bills!

• 10 Minute Ramen Stir Fry
• 15 Minute Apple Chicken Stir Fry

With an abundance of fresh fruit this summer, use these same freezing tricks with your juicey summer berries. Freeze extra blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or even sliced peaches in ziploc baggies. For a cool and refreshing breakfast or dinner, put frozen fruit, yogurt, and juice in a blender, and you have an on-the-go or a savor-on-the-patio meal ready in just minutes! Adding a tablespoon of ground flax seed, protien powder, or even tofu will pack an extra punch to your liquid lunch. Have fun and experiment! Check out out these recipes:

• Healthy Smoothie Snacks- not just for kids!
• From Classic to Crazy Smoothies- vegan and dairy-free varieties too!

And here’s a little cheat: If you really can’t bear the thought of making dinner, pick up a fresh salad from store like Whole Foods, or if you’re a meat-eater pick up a rotisserie chicken.  Most grocery stores carry these in their deli department. You can eat the chicken as-is the night you pick it up, but you will most likely have plenty of leftovers for these type of chicken dishes:

• Add mayo, mustard, celery, and you have a quick chicken salad for sandwiches or served on a bed of greens. Get really creative by adding dried fruit and nuts!

• Toss chicken in with a jar of tomato sauce, boil some noodles, sprinkle on the parmesan, and you have an Italian feast!
• Pick up a bottle of bbq sauce, and dip the drumsticks in it, and enjoy with the frozen vegetables you have on hand.

Need More Inspiration? Try these:

• Luscious Leftover Chicken Ideas
• 15 Minute Broiled Sesame Cod

Mmmm…Getting hungry? Then get cooking! With a few minutes of well-placed preparation you can enjoy easy and healthy feasts any day of the week. Enjoy!

About Real Life E®

First of all, make planning your meals a part of your weekly routine. While it may seem like a hassle to set aside yet another small piece of time, taking the opportunity to organize your shopping list and plan meals ahead of time will save you not only time in the long run, but also money.

Decide on a day and time when you will do your grocery shopping in order to avoid costly and time consuming trips multiple times each week.

For instance, say you choose Sunday morning as your shopping day and time. Saturday afternoon, take just 15 minutes to sit down and:

• Decide what you plan to make throughout the week.
• Make a list of all the ingredients you will need for these meals.
• Keep your grocery list organized in categories such as dairy, produce, and meat. When you arrive at the store, you can pick out all your food from one department.
• To make list keeping easy, keep a pad of paper and a pencil stuck on the refrigerator, and add basic items such as milk and eggs to the list as you run out.
• Or check out these List Tools:
  • DinnerTool.com: Meal Planning & Shopping List Templates, Meal Ideas, and even Save Your Own Recipes!
  • All-in-One Printable Weekly Meal Planner and Shopping List
  • Tadalist: Lists on the go for your SmartPhone, Computer

Performing to the best of your ability requires nutritious meals throughout the day, so don’t forget foods you will need for a balanced breakfast and power-packed lunch:

• What to Eat to Power through Your Workday
• Breakfast for Dinner: Healthy and Fast
• Cheap and Healthy Brown Bag Lunch Ideas for Grownups

Once you have the food, you still may find it hard to summon up the energy to pull together a delicious, healthy dinner. Not to fear! These websites give some ideas of tasty meals you can whip together in a flash.

The 6 O’Clock Scramble: Recipes, Express Meals, Kitchen and Cooking Tips

Delish.com: Grownup Meals in Under 30 Minutes

Also, look for recipes that serve more than one person or double your recipes so that you have plenty of leftovers. You can bring these leftovers for lunch throughout the week, or even freeze them so you’ll always have something available to defrost in the microwave when you’re in a pinch.

And don’t shy away from preparing these recipes because you’re worried about kitchen cleanup.

“Two Bowl Method” makes Cleaning a Breeze!

11 Tips from a Chef for Easy, Effective Cleanup

Cooking healthfully is one of the best things you can do for your health and well-being. In fact, many people find being in the kitchen to be quite meditative.

Think of preparing dinner as a tasty, welcomed transition between your day and evening duties. Bon appetit!

About Real Life E®

Step by Step Guide for Making the Most of Google Calendar

Help from Apple: The iCal Basics

How to Sync Google Calendar with iCal on your Mac or iPhone

iCal Share: Search and Subscribe to Thousands of Fun Calendars

RemindMeLater App: Quickly Turns a Sentence into an iCal Event

Elizabeth has appeared in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC. She was selected as one of the Top 25 Amazing Women of 2010 by Stiletto Woman and as a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council featured in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Mashable, and many other media outlets.