Don’t rely on your memory to get you through the tasks you need to get done. Write everything you need to do down in one spot and be prepared to reference this list often in order to achieve all of your goals.  Even if a task seems minor or mundane, write it down. Your daily planner should be filled with small comments like "Call Steve," "Look up profit margins" or "Email boss." Make sure you carry a notepad with you at all times and write down tasks as they come up. You think you will remember to write them down later, but you may not. The simple addition of a daily calendar or planner to your set of organizational tools will help you organize time efficiently. Write down every new deadline, assignment or meeting that gets added to your schedule. Take time each morning to review your calendar for the day so you know what's ahead of you. Organize your schedule by avoiding overbooking yourself or committing yourself to too many projects or events at once. Check your calendar before agreeing to anything to verify that the time needed is free. This will keep your time organized and keep you in touch with your regular schedule. Organize your time productively by removing elements that could be distractions or cause you to get off track and behind schedule. Keep the television and video game system out of the area where you study or do the bills so you will focus on the tasks that need to be done first and save the fun stuff for later. Manage your time wisely by planning to accomplish the most important or time-sensitive tasks first. Note these in your schedule with a special color highlighter or a small sticker. Schedule these top-priority tasks first to give yourself enough time to complete them, then work on less time-sensitive things around the prioritized ones.  Be ready to change your priorities from time to time. Things do come up last minute and will require your immediate attention. You will have to stop what you are doing and refocus your energy and time on this last minute objective from time to time. Just be sure it does not occur too often. If you find yourself consistently rearranging your priorities throughout the day, something is wrong. While minor adjustments to one's schedule can be expected, having to make consistent adjustments probably means you are not prioritizing properly in the first place. Allow yourself a realistic amount of time to complete each task. If you think something will take between a half hour and an hour to complete, give yourself the full hour. Being realistic about how long something will take will prevent you from getting overwhelmed or behind schedule. It is always safer to err on the side of caution and give yourself more time than you will need. If you finish your task early, you will be free to move on to the next task- which ultimately should not impact your productivity. Remember to include times for the everyday basics, like eating and showering, in your schedule. These might seem like second nature, but it's important to allow time for them among your other scheduled tasks to ensure that you don't skip them and that they don't put you behind schedule. Use simple reminders in addition to your daily planner to help remember important tasks or deadlines. Use sticky notes or voice or text alerts on your cell phone at certain times to remind yourself to do something or that you have something scheduled. This backup system will help keep you from forgetting things.  Avoid relying on other people to remind you about something. They are just as likely to forget it as you are. If something is extremely important, arrange multiple reminders for yourself. You can overlook a single sticky note or phone alert. Ask someone else for help and delegate smaller tasks if needed. It will benefit your schedule overall if you swallow your pride and ask someone to pitch in with a few small chores around the house or with taking care of dinner on a busy weeknight.   Make sure you delegate responsibilities to qualified people. Someone getting the work done is not enough. You want them to get the work done well. Don't make a habit of pawning off your work others. It does not reflect good time management skills. It just makes you look lazy and unmotivated. From time to time, it is necessary to take a step back and analyze what you accomplished, how well you performed, and how much time it took. Taking stock of these aspects of your work and life can help you make changes to your schedule and daily pattern of operation, producing surprisingly effective results. Working too hard or too often can lead to a burnout, making it difficult to focus on even the simplest tasks. So, take some time to celebrate what you have accomplished from time to time and reward yourself with something you truly enjoy.  Make sure your down time is dedicated to enjoying yourself. Turn off your work phone and avoid answering emails. If you are mixing work with your leisure time, you really aren't rewarding yourself or avoiding burn out. If you work Monday to Friday, take the weekend off. If you have been working for three months straight on one project, take a brief vacation when you are finished with it.

Summary: Write everything down. Use a calendar. Avoid double-committing. Omit distractions. Prioritize your tasks. Be realistic. Schedule the basics. Use a reminder system. Ask for help. Gauge your productivity. Reward yourself.


to make tea. Traditionally, jasmine buds are steeped in teas for a fragrant herbal tea. Although you can grow your jasmine as a strictly decorative plant, harvesting its buds can help you get more use out of it. You can also cut jasmine flower stems with shears and transfer them to a vase as an indoor decoration. As your jasmine's flower buds develop, wait until they are green but not yet opened. Use your hands or pruning shears to pick as many jasmine buds as you need for your tea or oil. Use the jasmine buds immediately after picking for ideal freshness, particularly if you're making tea. Place the jasmine buds on a baking sheet and set the oven to 200 °F (93 °C). Keep the buds in the oven for 2-3 hours or until the jasmine buds are completely dry to the touch. You can store the dried jasmine buds in an airtight container to help them last longer. Bring a kettle of water to a boil and steep the jasmine in the water for about 2-5 minutes. After steeping the water, turn off the stove and pour the water into a cup to serve.  The ratio of jasmine buds to water should be about 1 tablespoon (15 mL) to 8 ounces (230 g). You can also mix the jasmine buds with black or green tea leaves for a stronger flavor.

Summary: Harvest jasmine Pluck green, unopened jasmine buds at the stem. Dry the jasmine buds in an oven. Steep the dried jasmine buds in water to make herbal tea.


With regard to the fine print of any agreement or advertisement, there will be certain questions you hope to address based on the information provided. Make a list of questions you want to find the answer to in the text and skim through it accordingly. Having clear reading goals can improve your concentration and increase your reading efficiency. For example, before reading a phone contract, ask, "What are the fees for going over the monthly data limit?". While reading all of the fine print in contracts is challenging, looking for keywords is a good way to seek out the information you need. This information may be regarding late fees, transaction fees, and any other terms that may mean you getting charged more than what you are bargaining for. Some important words and phrases to be on the lookout for are:  "Automatic renewal clause": a clause allowing a company to automatically renew your contract if you do not contact them to cancel by a certain time. "Liability waiver": the company is freeing itself from all liability regarding loss or injury. "Early termination fees": this refers to the penalties established for cancelling a contract early, which can be exorbitantly high. "Unilateral amendment clause": means that the company can alter the terms of your contract at any time. If the fine print of a contract or agreement is thousands of words long and you can't commit to reading it all the way through, skip to the end. Many companies put important information about charges and fees towards the end of the fine print in their contracts, in the hopes that no one will read that far. Credit card applications, for instance, contain up to 5,000 words on average, making it less likely for customers to read all the relevant information detailed about high interest rates and late payment fees.
Summary: Make a list of questions. Look for key words. Skip to the end.