Time Management: 3 Best Practices for Busy Parents
We’ve all heard the saying “A parent’s job is never done,” but the thing is...everyone needs a break. Much needed down time allows you to replenish your stores and make possible you and yours’ best lives. Use these 3 proven strategies (plan, prep, and delegate) to simplify your family’s day-to-day and free up valuable time.
1.) Plan.
Illuminate what you want.
Without a realistic plan, parents can easily fall into the impossible trap of chasing perfection. Since no one can do everything, it’s crucial to determine which tasks should take precedence over others. Schedule (and follow through with) hard or unappealing tasks early in the day, since they require more effort and energy. Trying to do the hard stuff when you’ve already been running around all day allows you to trick yourself more easily into pushing it to tomorrow.
2.) Prep.
Give yourself a leg up.
We’re no strangers to prepping when it comes to gym visits, dates, or the apocalypse. Prepping for the next day heads off a lot of what could become avoidable frenzy in the moment. Develop an evening ritual of prepping everything the next day will require—lunches, outfits, backpacks, etc. Research shows that, when trying to begin a new habit, using the “sandwich method” stimulates the activation of neural pathways and allows us to develop and strengthen our ability to continue the new behavior.
Did you know?
Studies show, when trying to implement a new ritual, flank it by two tasks you already do religiously. It’s easier to do something new when it’s partnered with well-established routines.
3.) Delegate.
Spend your time on what matters to you.
Using the Eisenhower planning Matrix (step #1) leaves you with a host of unimportant tasks. Some of these can wait—some can’t. All can be delegated. The only real decision to be made is whether you’ll keep the tasks in-house or outsource to a professional agency.
Which projects to outsource?
Laundry
Organizing
Construction
Landscaping
HVAC
Carpet Cleaning, etc.
Hate making the bed?
Find a reputable cleaning company (support local) to partner with, and never change your sheets personally again!
This post condenses some of current scientific literature’s most valuable insights about time management and how to use our known innate psychology to our benefit. The three strategies referenced here are asserted as helpful, based on peer-reviewed scientific literature and meta-analyses. Take the first step to a well-ordered life by reaching out to contracted services companies for your cleaning and landscaping needs. Once the extra time has given you a moment to catch your breath, go back to step #1 and start planning a well-ordered life!
