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Time Management for Parents
Plenty of—in fact, far too many—parents feel out of control with their hectic and out-of-control lives filled with
work, family, home, and social demands and obligations. Does this sound like you? If so, it’s time to stop the
insanity, follow some time management tips, and get some control over your life.
“But time management is too much work!” you may protest. Not so. Time management for parents is actually less
complicated than you might think, and the payoffs are more than worth it.
First, establishing your priorities is critical to your success in time management. What are your values? What is
most important to you? We feel the “time crunch” most often when too much time is being spent on undesirable
activities, and not enough time doing the things we like. Take some time to figure about what you want. These are
your priorities.
Second, learn to say “no.” Time management for parents is often a problem because they find themselves too
involved, under too many obligations and overly committed. Even if you are involved in something you enjoy, if it
doesn’t match your priorities and if you’re feeling overburdened, say “no.” Not only will this free up more time
for you, but it will relieve a lot of stress.
Next, instead of focusing on scheduling out every minute of your day, focus on seeking balance in your life as
parents, as a family, and as individuals. Time management for parents involves following your own natural rhythms;
your periods of high energy and low energy. Try your best to plan your day’s activities and tasks based on your own
natural periods of higher energy. In addition, learn to focus your thoughts and energies to the task, activity, or
moment as they occur so you’re completely distraction-free; for example, if you are working from home on a task,
put your whole self into it until you are finished (don’t start daydreaming, surfing the Internet, or answering
phone calls); then mentally shut it off.
If you’ve dedicated time to a personal hobby, focus solely on that activity. Don’t think about work, your do-list,
your money problems, or what you have to do next. Completely absorb yourself in your activity. This is a great tip
for better time management for parents: making the most of your time allotted to each activity.
Now it’s time to start setting goals based on your priorities. This step of time management for parents is the most
comprehensive. You now know what you want your life to look like, your life is free of unnecessary activities,
you’ve learned to focus on each task, activity, or moment as they occur, and you’re dedicated to achieving a more
balanced and simple life. Start thinking of what goals you need to set in order to have the life you want. Get a
large piece of paper and call it your “Goal Sheet.” Write down some general goals as well as some specific goals
related to time management, and write down specific strategies and timelines in measurable quantities for achieving
those goals.
You’ll also want to keep track of all your activities and “things to do.” Invest in some notebooks and calendars,
and use them the best way that you see fit; that will work the best for you. Calendars tend to work best for
birthdays, social commitments, meetings, parties, get-togethers with friends and family, vacations, appointments,
large payment due dates (rent, mortgage), etc. Use notebooks for your daily to-do lists as well as for deadlines
and projects if you work from home.
Time management for parents is possible, and it doesn’t have to be painful, either.
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