Now, mind you, I’m always ready to give my opinion. Maybe a little too ready, in fact. I’ve learned far more from my clients than they’ll ever learn from me. First on that list is that there are more than one–or even two–ways to do something. At Your Service is in the business of making our clients’ lives easier, not adding more stress, so we take cues from our customers about how they want things done.

How do you become a better listener? Simple! Talk less. Really. That’s all there is to it. On a related note, we can also stop interrupting each other. Let’s focus on what the other person has to say. Try to read his or her non-verbal language, too. Did that shrug indicate they don’t care, they don’t know, or they’re just chilly? Great communicators are always great listeners.

Here’s an old saying to meditate on: God made us with two ears and one mouth for a reason.

1) Skip the Sunday paper. Sure, each week you can find more than 100 coupons in at least two inserts in most Sunday papers, but now you don’t have to wait for the newspaper. Visit the Sunday Coupon Preview website (sundaycouponpreview.com) to read the insert schedule and sign up for an email alert to get advance notice of what coupons are going to be featured in the next Sunday paper.

2) Ask your favorite grocery store to meet or beat their competitors’ prices on sale items. Bring ads from other stores to give you even more leverage.

3) Rather than sorting through mounds of paper each week, print only the coupons you want. Websites like smartSource.com ask for your zip code, then display an entire list of coupons available to you. You can print out every coupon, or just select the ones you’ll use. It’s even possible to do a targeted search to find the coupons you need.

There are savings to be had–now go get ‘em!

Cable, Telephone, Utility, or Computer Installation or Repair
Furniture and appliance deliveries
Home maintenance and repair workers
Party deliveries

You name it and At Your Service is there. 314.994.1382 or email info@AtYourServieSTLCounty.com

Create a no electronics time period every day to focus on getting things done. Shut off the gizmos and gadgets for a designated time period each day. No phones, television, radio, email, I-anythings, Twitter, Facebook, etc. etc. Just pure, blissful peace and quiet to help you concentrate on the task at hand.

Maybe it’s the first thing in the morning, your lunch time, or an hour before bedtime…when isn’t as important as scheduling your electronic timeout for the same time everyday. Make the commitment for 28 days. That’s how long behavioral experts say it takes to develop a new habit. See what happens, then re-evaluate. If unplugging works for you, you’ll be adding time to your day every 24 hours!

Routines can give your days a framework that helps you get all those everyday necessities finished. Here are some of the routines that keep Chez Collett running smoothly:

• A load of laundry put in the washer every morning, put in the dryer after work, and folded after dinner
• Dishwasher unloaded every night before bed, ready to refill after breakfast in the morning
• Drycleaning taken in every Wednesday during lunch hour and picked up on Fridays after work
• All electronic devices plugged in for recharging before bedtime

Okay, so it’s not brain surgery–but simple routines like these keep our household on track leaving us all more time to do the fun things we enjoy in our free time. I’d much rather be free to go to the lake for the weekend than have to tackle a mound of laundry.

Take some time and plot out a few routines that will put your household on automatic pilot. If you need some suggestions give At Your Service a call (314.994.1382). Our first phone consultation is absolutely free and may be all you need to get on track to simplifying your life.

A couple of weeks last winter, I didn’t preplan our menus which meant I also didn’t post them in the kitchen. Lo and behold my son complained. Seems he liked to consult the menu board so he could look forward to dinner. He’d even gotten in the habit of starting things for me if he got home before me. My lack of planning cost me money and some family harmony!

Create a plan for your weekly menus–think of it as your culinary roadmap to family peace and happiness.

Online banking is a huge timesaver!

Two words: Online Banking. If you haven’t taken the time to set it up, do it today. Start to finish, setting up online banking will take you less than two hours and I guarantee you’ll save at least that much time each month paying your bills.

Just think–no more checks to write, no stamps to buy, no envelopes to address, no late payments or late fees. Easy-Peasy. Paying bills has never been so fun.

Recurring payments like your mortgage, car payment, child care, etc. can be set up one time and will take care of themselves each month after that. Don’t worry, you can override pre-set payments at any time.

Be sure you pay yourself, each month too! You can set up an automatic draft from your checking account into your savings account. Whether you’re saving for a dream vacation, the holidays, or a new house automatic savings add up quickly.

To Do Lists to the rescue!

There are so many programs for your PC or Mac, apps for your IPad or Smartphone–to create and manage to-do lists that it’s actually kind of fun to manage your tasks. My personal favorite is Evernote. Evernote syncs to my IPad, phone and laptop, so no matter where I am I have my to-do list with me.

Evernote was inducted into the Apple “App Hall of Fame” and the New York Times says it’s one of the “Top 10 Must-Have Apps”. The basic version is free!

Of course, if you prefer, a sharp #2 pencil and a scrap of paper can keep you on task as well.

No matter the format you choose, the key is to use your to-do list each day to keep you on track. I start my list the night before and keep it going while I’m getting dressed for the day. When I’m ready to start my day, I know where I’m going and how I’m going to get there.

Check back tomorrow and all this week for more tips on how you can simplify your life!

When you get to your hotel, ask your concierge to put together a couple of flat rate boxes from the post office for you. As you pick up souvenirs and other tzotchkes drop them into your boxes. When you’re ready to head home, stuff some t-shirts around your vacation prizes to keep them safe in transit. Address the boxes to yourself and drop them back off to the concierge for sealing and mailing. Voila! No packing headaches and no worries about having to pay those extra baggage fees.