Eight Essential Time Management Tips for Busy Parents

Let’s accept one fact; being a parent is one of the toughest job. Managing millions of tasks in a day with kids is a challenge which every parent has to face.You may have experienced the mounting stress when a long to do list does not seem to be completed. Although, it is a difficult task, however, with learning few time management skills, you can enjoy busy life.

Time Management Tips

I am not saying that there will be no chaos or hustle in your life, but you will be able to make the most out of your time. If you are facing a chaotic life, and don’t know how to manage time with kids, you need to read this ultimate guide for time management tips:

1. Be Friends with Activity Planner:

You cannot do it all alone; keeping activity planner with you is a great idea to keep you on track of daily activities. Making a weekly or monthly plan helps you on top of every task and remember every important event. Planner is a very helpful tool especially for busy parents. The biggest benefit of keeping a planner is that it not only helps you in planning monthly activities but also helps you schedule your events for a whole year.

2. Prioritize and Focus:

It may seem tempting to complete more than one task at a time, at times it becomes necessary, but not all the time. Being a parent, it may seem fulfilling to multi-task, but it is more fulfilling to focus on each task at a time. In order to manage time well, you need to prioritize what task needs immediate attention and what can be wait. This is a good practice to inculcate time management skills in parents who face lot of difficulty in managing their daily tasks.

3. Compile a To-Do List, Daily:

It is as equally important as prioritize your daily tasks. Whether you want to shop grocery from local market or pay bills, make it a habit to prepare a to-do list for your daily tasks. It helps staying organized and prioritize your tasks. You can prioritize any task during the day, and stay more productive with less chaos and stress.

4. Complete Outdoor Tasks Simultaneously:

As a busy parent, nothing could be worse than realizing that you just entered home and forgot an important task to do before coming back home, and you have to go back again! In order to avoid this situation, plan your outdoor tasks to be done at one time, preferably earlier during the day. This way, you can save money, time, fuel and above all your energy.

5. Ask for Help When Necessary:

There are many phases in your life, when you need help for completing your tasks. There is nothing bad in asking for help especially when you have limited tie. This is a good idea especially if you are a working mom. You can ask other mom in your neighborhood or your friend to look after your kids while you are away for important things. Or better hire a housekeeper who can look after your errands and kids. This way you can find more time for your family and yourself.

6. Set Your Working Hours Accordingly:

If you are a mom and intending to grab a new job, this is tip you MUST read. You must be aware of the fact that there is going to be a huge flow of work, emails and calls from your work. You need to make sure and set your working hours i.e. your availability. Establish your working hours according to your schedule at home. For some people, weekends may not be a good time as that is their family time.

7. Practice to Say ‘No’:

Although it may seem a bit tough to follow, but yes it is absolutely true that you can cultivate this habit if you really want to develop time management skills. You don’t need attend each and every family gathering. Such events, as discussed above, you can add in your planner but not at the cost of other tasks in your schedule. Moreover, it is perfectly to say no to additional projects which you believe may consume more time.

8. Limit the Use of Internet:

With the growing popularity of social media and web browsing, internet had become one of the necessity of life. However, in fact, it is a huge time waster both for children as well as for parents. in order to ensure that you and your family does not waste time surfing on the internet, set a time limit for yourself and your family and do not exceed that time limit. This way you can save time for more productive activities with your family.