CHS Blog

Time Management Tips for Working Parents

Time Management Tips for Working Parents
Posted on September 19, 2018 by CHS

Learning to manage time is often a daunting task for working parents with school-age children. Juggling your children’s school and after-school activities can often seem like a full time job itself. It can get even more hectic once you add in your work schedule, homework and projects, doctor’s appointments, and parent-teacher conferences. Our blog will discuss tips for time management to help working parents enjoy family time more efficiently.

Family Planner
Use a family planner to write down all of your family members’ activities. Write down all the important schedules, events, appointments, and bill due dates so that it will be easier for your family to keep track of everything that’s going on. Having a planner and a to-do list will help you stay organized with all of your family activities.

Decide what is Important
Before planning social obligations, personal activities, and family activities, consider which activities are the most important for your family. For example, is eating together as a family most important to you? Or, maybe reading together as a family is more valuable to you. Once you understand your priorities, you can say no to less important events and make time for those that are priorities. Saying “no” to extra activities may be hard if you feel socially obligated to participate, but this will help you stay happier and feel less stressed in the long run.

Try Not to Overschedule
Children are often involved in multiple extracurricular activities, which can make time management even more difficult for parents. Driving the kids to practice, picking them up, attending sport matches and performances, and participating in social events can seem like a never ending cycle. While we want children to excel in various activities, it is important to understand that, like us, children have limited energy. Help your child feel less overwhelmed by spreading activities out through the different seasons of the year. For example, you can schedule swimming lessons in the summer, art classes in the fall, martial arts during winter, and dance classes in the spring.

Involve Everyone
Assign various tasks to each family member so that everyone pitches in with household chores. Based on their age, your child may be able to make his own bed, put his toys away, clean his room, wash dishes, do the laundry, take out the trash, and eventually make simple meals. All these tasks are something he will need to know when he grows up, so starting early is a good idea. This will help your child to build life skills that will benefit him later in life. You can also give your child an allowance for completing his chores to keep him motivated and to help him learn about budgeting. When each family member helps out around the house, there is more time for everyone to do other activities like reading, homework, family trips, or simply relaxing from a busy schedule.

Finish Paperwork ASAP
When you come home after a long day of work, it is easy to put aside paperwork, like bills and answering birthday invitations, for a later time. However, putting things off can eventually leave you with a big pile of paperwork and cause you to forget things or rush to get it done at the last minute. Try to take care of paperwork as soon as you receive it. Once you complete the paperwork, write down any important dates in your planner and file the papers for safekeeping.

Your Child’s School Bag
When you ask your child how their day was during dinner time, she may tell you about all the exciting things that happened, but she might forget to show you the letters her teacher sent home or party invitations from friends. Make it a routine to check your child’s school bag every day to make sure nothing important is missed.

Understanding the Important Things in Your Life
With a hectic schedule, there are times we forget the important things in our life. Watch this video on the most valuable lesson for a happier life using a jar, large rocks, small pebbles, and sand. This is a valuable lesson for all ages about why it is important to focus on what is important first.

References and Sources

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