Most people intuitively know that somewhere out there is an easier life and it’s probably found just on the other side of some kind of magical time management plan. I’m here to tell you that better home time management can be accomplished with a just a little planning… no magician needed. Below are some suggestions that have always worked extremely well for me.

Take Time on the Weekend to Plan Ahead

Many times if we would simply take the time to think ahead about what we’ve got going on during the coming week it would simplify our lives tremendously.

For instance, I’ve been a sports mom for 25 years. All of my kids participated in extracurricular activities. On Saturdays when I was planning my meals for the week ahead I’d think, “Ok, so Tuesday night I have this going on, Wednesday this, and Friday this.” That way I can mentally plan ahead for how I’m going to manage necessary tasks.

Plan Menus in Response to the Week’s Activities

In the case of above I would take into account what activities I’d have going on during the week and then plan menus around it. That may include:

· A quick meal like hot dogs, sloppy joes, or pizza

· A crockpot meal like beef stew

· A leftover meal like spaghetti

· A repurposed meal like taking leftover roast and making pot pie to be popped into the oven quickly

Any of these would make mealtime a much easier and less stressful event than if I’m wondering all during the day what I’m going to feed the kids that evening KNOWING that we’d probably end of going through drive through which would not be near as healthy, would be much more expensive, and would leave me feeling guilty and like a failure.

Plan Chores in Advance

I like a clean house. Crazy, I know… especially with having 4 kids. To make sure things got done sometimes I’d have to plan ahead. If one child has a particular chore… say, cleaning the kitchen… but that child has a test on Wednesday and needs extra time to study on Tuesday evening, then some foresight should let you know to plan around that.

By taking things like this into account you’re able to keep from derailing your home time management efforts and still keep things running smoothly.

Fill Free Time in Advance

One way that planning can improve how you manage your time is by filling up any free time you identify. If you’re not careful you can just fritter away small chunks of time that would… by the end of the week… amount to a significant amount of time that could have and should have been spent working on a valued task.

For instance, say you have a half hour each day in between picking up kids. There’s no way around it… you don’t have time to go home or really to do much so it’s basically a wasted half hour. You spend it in the car listening to the radio and thinking of all that you could be/should be doing at home.

OR…

On the weekend you realize that you’re going to have a half hour each day in between picking up your kids. So, you pick out book you’ve been dying to read and enjoy your forced relaxation time. You have no idea how many books I’ve been able to read using small chunks of time like that.

So instead of being irritated I’m elated. How’s that for planning ahead?

By the way, do you want to learn more about Home Time Management? If so, then download my info packed mp3 that clearly explains Key Concepts About Time Management. Not knowing even a single one of these may be why you’re struggling. Or, visit my website… Mary Segers for more information.

Is there a topic you’d like me to cover? Make a suggestion in one of two ways: (1) Below my article is a Get Involved section or (2) In my Expert Author Bio page (a light bulb to the right).

A suggestion box will open and you can submit a topic or title.