The focus of this series is to give simple tips and tricks to help ease the hectic life. Simple living creates positive changes in places you can’t even imagine. Those small changes can make a significant impact. Is your baby between the ages of 1 minute to 100,000 minutes, and do you want to create a loving, positive atmosphere for them? Then you are in the right place!
LeahJacobson CD(DONA)
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Simplifying Life with Time Management
Families can accomplish more by doing less!!
Table of Contents
Wondering where the time goes?
Today’s world is fast-paced and hectic, and life is flashing before your eyes. As a parent, the last thing you want (most times) is the time to get away from you. Especially when you are a busy stay-at-home mom (or dad) tackling the daily house chores, running errands, and chasing kiddos around. By the end of the day, you didn’t get what you needed to do done, are frustrated and stressed for not spending quality time with your family, and are just beyond exhausted. As a stay-at-home mom, I have been there, and let’s be honest, if I don’t organize my day, it ends up being that way.
I’m now at the point where my kids are in school full-time, but I continue to have a full day. There have been many hours of trial and error, crying in a corner, and many failed attempts to find more time in the day. Do you want to know why? Because I tried to multitask and take on everything at once. I didn’t manage my time, and I didn’t prioritize.
Don’t waste time! That saying, “Kids grow up way too fast.” One reason that is so true is that we don’t take the time to enjoy what matters most. Our lives end up too busy because we take on WAY too much.
Do you feel like that sometimes, or lots of times?
Don’t worry; you are not alone and don’t have to throw in the towel. This is one reason I created this simplifying life series, to help you get through this journey. We are all in this together, and a rule book has never been designed for parents. We help each other get through this.
Ready to love life again, to have more time, especially time to spend with your family? Want to hear the key to finding that time? Here it is… Keeping it simple. You can accomplish more by doing less.
Do you not finish your tasks because there are too many?
- Keep it simple!
- Prioritize your tasks. If there is something that can be put aside for later, move it down on your to-do list.
- Avoid multitasking!
- Manage time, block chunks of time, and assign certain tasks to that chunk of time.
- Take self-care breaks (read more on self-care)-this is a must! Trust me. I wish I found out years ago that self-care benefits my family.
- Use a daily planner (read more on daily planning)
Since each day brings something new, creating a schedule and sticking with it can de-stress the day and make you feel like you can spend better quality time with family or have more time in the day.
And let’s be honest here, if we are stressed out by the day, we start to let everything slide.
Neuropsychologist Dr. Cynthia Kubu discussed multitasking in the Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials Dec. 2020 article. My favorite statement she made was, “The more we multitask, the less we accomplish.”
Too much multitasking?
Let’s talk about multitasking for a minute. I don’t care what people say, but in my opinion, ALL moms are superheroes, but if we keep adding more all at once, ALL will suffer. We all need help and simplicity in our lives to be happy and feel accomplished.
Why does multitasking backfire?
I know, some days, you feel like the master at multitasking; you are drinking your coffee, holding the baby, replying to emails, and signing into a conference call. Maybe you even started meal prepping in between those email replies. In reality, did it work? Do you feel accomplished? Do you even know what you wrote in those email replies?
We are created to be mono-taskers; our brains can only focus on one task at a time. So, in reality, we are hindering our performance and end up being less efficient and more likely to make a mistake, forget that the stove is on, or worse!
Now we know why we always feel so stressed and deflated. Our brains are on overdrive when we try to multitask.
Let’s talk about how we can avoid multitasking and start managing our time so we can live life!
So what is time management anyway?
It is simply managing time. Put a name to every minute or hour of the day. For example: If you know that you need to clean the kitchen and let’s say it takes you 30 mins, and you know the baby goes down for a nap at 11 am, schedule that kitchen task at 11 am. Then, after 30 minutes, see what duty is scheduled at 11:30 am and focus on the 11:30 task then. And if the kitchen only takes 20 minutes that day, you have 10 minutes of free time, which can be an added self-care time.
If you have a kiddo that is ready for you to read a book to them, use that extra 10 mins and sit down and read the book with them. Or, add reading time to the schedule. Reading time is at 11:30 and right before lunch prep at 11:45.
*Don’t forget to talk to your kids, say, “I can’t wait to read that book with you, and I will at 11:30 when the kitchen is cleaned, and we have a few minutes before lunchtime, you can play with your toys while mommy cleans”.
How can time blocks help?
Think about it if you chose to tackle one task at a time. I know, as a mom, sometimes that seems impossible, but hear me out. If we block certain times out to do a specific task, it gets done, and it gets done efficiently and correctly. Then you feel good and motivated to conquer the next task or play with the kiddos for a few minutes. You can now focus on what matters most at that moment. Take one moment at a time.
How else can time blocks help? Fact: When you are juggling everything, all of life’s most precious things are negatively impacted. You don’t want that. Time blocking can keep you from juggling everything.
Tips for Time Management:
- First and most important, be flexible. Adjust as needed. Life happens, and sometimes you have to rearrange the day. Flexibility, Flexibility, Flexibility! I know, sometimes it’s easier said than done.
- Be reasonable. Life will hardly ever slow down, so set appropriate limits with that to-do list.
- Ban the technology for a while; tune into what matters most.
- Be ok with not having the house spotless. (Learn more about Simplifying life with decluttering and quick cleaning) Sign up to receive updates on future posts below.
- Be creative with your schedule. Below are a few sample daily schedules to get some ideas on tackling the day. Pro Tip: When creating your plan, group similar tasks around each other. Especially with household chores.
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Hello!
I am Leah. Welcome to The Loving Cedar LLC. Here is where you will find parenting tips and tricks to help you simplify life.
I would love to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments or concerns. Please reach out to me. I’m always learning new ways to simplify life, and would love to hear your suggestions!
