When it comes to the big things — parties, the holidays, vacations — many of us are excellent planners. We know we won't forget to cook the main course or make a hotel reservation because we have the big planning down to a science.

It's the ordinary tasks of everyday that could stand a little planning.  How often do you ask yourself these questions:

• What am I going to wear today?
• What's for dinner?
• What are we going to do this evening?

It's amazing how much precious time you can waste dealing with these mundane questions.  You can regain this time with the judicious use of planning.

Pick one day a week when you choose outfits for the week ahead.  You can generally get reasonably reliable weather reports 10 days out.  Do it so that you have enough time to do laundry or mending or ironing.  You can write your plans on a calendar or just hang the outfits in order in your closet.  When you wake up, that's one less thing you need to do.  (Don't forget to plan outfits for your workout or special events.)

You can also plan meals a week at a time.  I recommend doing it on the day your newspaper publishes supermarket specials (or when you get home from your farmers' market visit).  This allows you to make the best use of seasonal produce and special deals.  You can also plan your meals so that you can use the leftovers for new meals or for lunches.

As for free evenings — when I actualy get one, I like to make sure that I always have the basics handy — a good book, material to write letters, a craft to work on, a small task to complete. 

It's amazing how investing time in planning lets you enjoy the time you have so much more fully.