Time Management Advice

by Margareth Montenegro

Balancing family and work can be a challenging task for a career woman. If you're not picking up the kids from soccer or making dinner, your putting a last minute proposal on your laptop. You catch yourself saying, "I have no time, I wish there were two of me so I could get things done." It is easy to fall into a routine of running in between work and going home to take care of household duties. Everyday tasks like cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, and paying the bills can spread a person too thin. By the time you realize where has the time gone, the day is over and you still have things to do. So how can you solve this problem of budgeting enough time to get things done? There really is no absolute solution, but you can manage yourself and how to use time more effeciently to get things completed.

The first thing you want to do is get organized. By getting organized you can think of what takes priority over others. Yes, everything that needs to be done is important, but think about what really matters. Set your schedule by writing everything you need to do before your week begins. Set a time for each task to be completed and allow for the unexpected. I know you may think, "Great another thing I have to make time for," but relax, do it before bedtime or during a commercial break when watching TV.

Keep an "I Did This Today" list. Write down every little thing that you are doing or have done throughout your day. Write down that you took a break and what you did during the break. You can write about how you just drove around and did nothing. Write down how having each activity done made you feel. You may realize how much time you spend on a little activity such as reading junk mail was wasted. You could have used that time wisely to do something important like reading a book you want to start or finish, maybe you could have a conversation with your child or partner.

When things are already pending and you have plans for the day, do not add on additional tasks. Do not pressure yourself into another commitment. Do not feel if you turn down an invitation you will not get invited again. Just try to spend your time on the activities that are most important to you and your family. Set you and your family free by simply saying NO.

Do not procrastinate-just get things done. You want to relieve the burden that stresses you when things do not get accomplished. You have set times for your daily activities when you planned a schedule, stick to them. If you have Caller-ID use it. Do not allow insignificant phone calls to interrupt. Get what you need to get done first, before chitchatting away. If you get an unexpected visit, expect it. Remember, you have to allow time in your schedule for the unexpected.

Keep your career life and family life separate. When you mix the two, you can feel overwhelmed. If you had a bad day at work, you do not want to bring it home and take it out on your loved ones. You may want to bring a pair of shoes to change into after you get out of work. When you change your shoes you are leaving behind your work attitude and enter into your household life with a different attitude. If you do take your work home make sure you add the time to the schedule with no interruptions. Do not be afraid or timid to ask someone for help. That friend, family member, or partner can watch your children while you are busy.

To make things easier have your family get involved. Tell your partner and children to write down the things they need to get done before their day begins. It's a way to get things in order and to start thinking about taking on one thing at a time. You will teach your children organization and independence if you allow them to maintain their own schedule. Communicate about each other's schedules. Schedules should revolve around each other's. You do not want one child's schedule conflicting with another, but sometimes it does happen. If two of your children activities run at the same time, make it a point that one time you will do this with one child and the next time is the other one's turn.

Make sure to take a break and reward yourself once everything has been accomplished from the day, the week, or the month. You must look out for yourself, too, because you have so much responsibility. Eat right, get plenty of rest, and do not forget that you need to take care of yourself. Do a workout, getting the oxygen needed to give you the energy to continue on with your day. Have a vacation set in your calendar as a reward to look forward to after you've completed everything that you needed to get done.

One of the most important things that should be on your priority list each week is setting time for you and your partner. It helps to set aside quality time alone with each other. Go to dinner, go to the movies, or stay home without the children and tackle the duties that need to get done together. Having quality time with your partner relieves some of the stress build-ups and gives a chance to communicate with each without having to think about what needs to get done immediately.

Time management is not about managing time, it is managing yourself around time. This is not an easy task to accomplish and requires a lot of practice. Once you have managed your time wisely, you will have control between work and family life. You will be more productive because you know what needs to get done and how to get it done.

By learning to spread your time wisely, you will create a household where everyone is a do-it-yourselfer. Everyone takes responsibility for him or herself, which will lighten a load and free up time to do other things. It may be a little difficult to do if there are young ones, but with young children you can at least teach them to put away their own clothes and pick up after themselves while you do something else. Remember as years pass by and things start to change, so does the way you will manage your time.