5 Easy Ways to Manage Busy Times When life and work are busy, there never seems to be enough time in the day. You can navigate hectic times with ease when you use these five tips: Establish a firm deadline for decision making. Then, mark your calendar to take action. For example, schedule one hour to look online and check reviews for the best smartphone, then schedule the purchase for 2:00 p.m. that Thursday. Remember your personal systems. Eating the same breakfast, exercising on a schedule and only taking appointments during set time-windows are simple ways you can streamline things. Leverage technology. Automate as much of your workload as you can. For instance, you can free up your time by using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, setting up automatic bill pay, and subscribing to a newsletter service instead of writing your own. Use smartphone smarts. Stop juggling to-do lists in your mind (or texting yourself), and get an organizer app like Any.do or Awesome Note. Know your quadrants. Stephen Covey built a billion dollar empire with a single time-management exercise. By determining which items are (1) immediate and important deadlines, (2) long-term goals, (3) distracting or lower priority activities, or (4) activities yielding little value, you can clarify your workdays. Mortgage Bonds have moved lower in recent weeks, but were able to rally due to the mixed Jobs Report. Home loan rates remain attractive, and this season is a great time to consider a home purchase or refinance. Let me know if I can answer any questions at all for you or your clients. As always, feel free to pass these helpful tips along to your friends, family and colleagues! Cheers! ~Colleen Santos, Utah County REALTOR