Coping with the Time Crunch > NetSparsh - Viral Content you Love & Share

Home
>
Time Management
>
Coping with the Time Crunch

Coping with the Time Crunch

"There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." -Malcolm Forbes (1919 - 1990)

My son is 17 months old. (OK, all you seasoned parents out there, stop laughing!) I work full time, commute an hour to work each day, cook most meals, attempt other household chores and try to carve out a small amount of time for myself and my partner each day. Did I mention the 2 dogs and 5 cats? I understand lack of time. In today's fast-paced, technology driven world, most of us feel stressed at not having enough time in each day to do what needs to be done. For parents, this pressure can be overwhelming. Not only are we trying to conduct our own lives in a manner that Oprah would be proud of (eating healthy, exercising daily, living our best life), and building relationships that even Dr. Phil couldn't find fault with, but we're also attempting to raise healthy, happy, well-adjusted children in a world that most often seems in direct opposition to those ideals. Where do we find time for family, work, personal development, the chores of daily living, oh, and sleep? The truth is, many of us don't. We do the "have to's", an occasional "want to" and feel guilty about not doing the rest.

Focus on Your Accomplishments

It seems to be human nature to beat ourselves up over the things we didn't get done, or didn't do as well as we'd hoped. These negative thoughts do nothing to improve your life. Instead of lying in bed at night frustrated over the mountain of work left undone, reflect on the things you did do. They don't have to be big things, even little things add up, and indeed, probably did add up to comprise the biggest portion of your day. A list might include:

made sure the kids ate breakfast

fed the dog

locked the front door

returned an important phone call

started a report

filled the car with gas

noticed that your child's picture had a great-looking tree in it

wiped off the kitchen counter

made macaroni and cheese for dinner

let the dog outside before he peed on the carpet

You accomplished hundreds of things today, and probably did them all well. There is no use in poisoning the way you feel about yourself by focusing on the things you did not get around to today.

Let Go of the Guilt

This may sound strange, but guilt is selfish. It takes away time and energy from you, your family, and other priorities. Know that you are making the best decisions you know how to make, and are doing the best you know how to do at any given moment, and allow yourself to feel good about those facts. Release yourself from the grip of guilt and allow positive feelings to take its place. As you start feeling better about yourself and less guilty, you may even find you have some extra energy at the end of the day or an extra smile for your child.

Really Consider Your Priorities

It makes sense to say we are going to focus on the positive and give up guilt, but being humans, it's not that easy to do. That's where priorities come into play. When you hear, or read, someone suggesting that you consider your priorities, what does that mean to you? For some, that means realizing that spending time with family is more important than extra time spent at work hopes of a promotion, for others it means studying and going back to school is more important than two hours in front of the TV at night.

These large-scope priorities are certainly important, but I suggest you even think on a more basic level than that; think on the level of day-to-day tasks. Ask if it is more important today for you to take a walk outside with your two-year old or to cook the meal you'd planned that will take an hour. Is it more important today to do the laundry or to read the childcare magazine that's been sitting on the kitchen table for a month? Is it more important today that you send a birthday card to your cousin or sweep the kitchen floor? What kind of mood are you in or is a family member in? Where will your energies make the most difference to you or your loved ones today, at this moment?

I'm not suggesting that the laundry can pile up for weeks or that you should always eat fast food. I am suggesting that you cannot do all of the things you want to do, so many of the things you can do should be done consciously, and you should feel good that you've made a choice about how to spend your valuable time.

You cannot make more time in a day, but you can reframe the way you think about what you accomplish during a limited amount of time. This will help you to feel better about yourself and your life. Celebrate your accomplishments, don't give guilt a chance to consume your energies, and make conscious choices about your priorities each day. The day is yours ? feel good about the ways you spend it!

The following information must be included if you reprint this article:

Dakota Duncan, Freelancer

Considering your own internet business? I've done a lot of searching and this is the BEST, most thorough course you'll find on the web, and it is FREE. Just send a blank email to: [email protected] or go directly to http://services.sitesell.com/kjd.html

About The Author

Dakota Duncan has her degree in Cross-Cultural Counseling and Communication. She's spent much of her professional career working at a non-profit health organization located in the Pacific Northwest. The birth of her son in April of 2002 has had a profound impact on her life and her vision of the future.

[email protected]

In The News:

This RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news

Mac Rumors
Verizon Announces Updated 'Smart Family' iOS App With Screen ...
Mac Rumors
Verizon today announced the evolution of its existing "FamilyBase" parental controls product into "Smart Family," a redesigned app...
Verizon Smart Family | Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless
Keep track of the kids, limit screen time and block inappropriate content with Verizon Smart Family | About VerizonVerizon
Introducing Verizon Smart FamilyYouTube
Android and Me
all 28 news articles »

ComputerworldUK
Best time management software
ComputerworldUK
The benefits of time management tools are crucial for business users, especially for those that may work remotely they can help in prioritising tasks, planning meetings and managing projects - all a great benefit for busy workers that may have a lot to ...

LubbockOnline.com
Business strategist featured at Lubbock Christian University seminar
LubbockOnline.com
The seminar focused on leadership, productivity and looking at longtime business issues with a 21st century mindset. Hundreds of students and local professionals attended. Vaden said the concept of time management is a misnomer, since time will ...

Business 2 Community
Why Stress Management and Time Management Go Hand in Hand
Business 2 Community
Better preparation for meetings is another way stress management and time management go hand in hand. Planning ahead for meetings includes creating meeting agendas. When you create meeting agendas it helps you stay on track throughout meetings. Getting ...

RisMedia.com (press release)
Taming the Time Management Monster
RisMedia.com (press release)
Seventy-two percent of more than 5,000 REALTORS® have told Dirk Zeller that their No. 1 business challenge is time management. “No other business or life challenge even comes close to the problem of managing our time,” he says. Zeller, CEO of Real ...

Harvard Business Review
4 Ways to Teach Your Kids About Work (Without Adding More to Your Plate)
Harvard Business Review
And the tips don't take any additional time. In fact, you can increase time with your children without losing work time or adding more to your already full plate. By doing things a bit differently, you benefit your task list, your children, and ...

Southern New Hampshire University
SNHU Alumna, Globetrotter Earned Her MBA While Traveling the Globe
Southern New Hampshire University
The skills and techniques she used in basketball readily transferred to the classroom - and will aid her throughout her life, no matter where her career takes her. "Time management; in the classroom, you have to stay prepared, turn in your homework ...

Verge Campus (blog)
7 Time Management Tips For Academic Success
Verge Campus (blog)
One of the most important skills your high school should've taught you, but probably didn't, is how to manage your time well. The reason why so many students are procrastinators, why everyone defaults to cramming, and why everyone has at least two ...

Influencive
Use These 11 Time Management Techniques to Stretch the Hours in Your Day
Influencive
It's not about adding time to your day, it's about making the most of the time you spend working. Young Entrepreneur Council. Use These 11 Time Management Techniques to Stretch the Hours in Your Day. 118. SHARES. ShareTweetLinkedin · Flipboard. As an ...

Entrepreneur
21 Time Management Hacks Successful People Do Daily
Entrepreneur
21 Time Management Hacks Successful People Do Daily. Learn these secrets to managing your time effectively. Start Slideshow. gzorgz / iStock.com. GOBankingRates • Content Provider. This story originally appeared on GOBankingRates. No matter what your ...

Google News

Coping with the Time Crunch

Time Management Time Management