Over the last 3 weeks we have delved into some of what it means to make the most of our time.  I shared with you, questions to ask before you say “yes” to a commitment and how to get your to dos on paper.  Now, let’s move on to resources you should be using to manage your time.

One of the most important things you can do to make the most of your time is use all of your resources to get all of the things done that you need to.  

11 resources you should be using to manage your time:

1)Take advantage of the small pockets of time when the little people are sleeping:  Use the time, either in the early morning or later in the evening or nap time when the kids are in bed to get 1 or 2 things done that you find particularly challenging when they are awake.  

2)Capitalize on your natural rhythms: Are you a early bird or night owl?  Take advantage of that time of day when you are at your best to do a focused activity that needs to be accomplished.

3)Take advantage of apps on your phone or computer: Use apps to take the time out of certain tasks.  Apps can make anything from clipping coupons to managing your calendar faster.

4)Batch your tasks: Map out solid chunks of time for one kind of activity to maximize your time.   This keeps you focused and saves mental energy.  It is a way of giving yourself permission to focus all of your energy on one task and let the others be put to the back of your mind for later. Read this post by Joshua Leatherman to understand more about batching tasks.  Examples of batching are running all of your errands on one day or setting aside a large chunk of time to work on budgeting and finances.

5)Limit the amount of time spent on specific tasks:  There are certain tasks that you don’t want to allow yourself unlimited time to work on.  For those tasks, agree to spend only a certain amount of time on them and set the timer to help you move on to the next thing.

6)Delegate what you can: Are you taking advantage of the help of others in your household?  Ask for help.  Your children and other members of your family are very capable of doing chores.  Think outside the box about what they might be able to help with that will relieve you of stress.

7)Trade tasks: If there is a particular household task that you greatly dislike and another one that you really like, make a trade with someone else that hates the task you like.  Recently my husband and I swapped jobs that we were doing.  He dislikes doing the dishes and I dislike putting the kids to bed, once we realized how eager we were to do the other’s task instead it became the perfect solution.

8)Outsource: Do you have a little extra money that you can use to outsource some of the household work? This can be anything from: grocery delivery, house cleaning, a laundry service, a lawn care service, making meals at a frozen dinner place, etc.  

9)Trade Childcare: Trade childcare with another mom with similar age kids.  There is nothing like a day or half a day without the kids to help you get appointments or household tasks done.

10)Use Systems: Use routines and systems to help you make the most of your time. Get into the habit of doing specific kinds of tasks in a set routine everyday.

11)Grace: There will be times when best laid plans and intentions do not materialize and you are frustrated at your attempts at being intentional about your time.   Give yourself grace and move on.

Decide which of these resources you should be using to manage your time and make them work for you.