Make Your Schedule Work For You: 4 Tips

Is your schedule so insane you feel like you’re attached to a “crazy train” going 170 miles per hour? Rather than continually feeling tired and overwhelmed, utilize the following tips to make a schedule that fosters happiness and productivity instead of irritation and exhaustion:

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Start With Necessities

Make a list of all the things you absolutely have to do every day, such as sleep seven to eight hours, spend time with your husband, spend time with your children, prepare meals, work, exercise, etc. Designate a certain amount of time for each, such as 30 minutes for working out, 45 minutes for the hubs, an hour for the kids, and so on. Once you have your “time budget” figured out you can think about optional activities, such as shopping, seeing friends and family, reading, watching a little television…you get the idea.

Remember To Say “No”

Don’t feel you have to commit to every single thing you’re asked to do. If you have time to make cookies for your son’s bake sale, great. Saying yes to one thing doesn’t mean you must agree to two or three other things, such as helping with your children’s next class assembly in addition to the aforementioned cookies. There’s only so many hours in a day, and there’s only so much you, a human being, can accomplish in any given week while still finding time for yourself. Say no. It’s okay.

Make Trades Instead Of Sacrifices

Refrain from sacrificing your time and sanity, rather make compromises and trades. For example, tell your husband that if he takes the kids to get ice cream while you stay home and lounge in the tub, you’ll arrange carpooling for the next week. Your time is precious, and there’s no point in making sacrifice after sacrifice…you’ll just end up feeling resentful of, well, everything.

Use Spare Minutes Wisely

Take advantage of five, 10, 15, etc. minutes of free time whenever you can, especially on insanely-busy days. For example, if you have 10 minutes to kill while waiting for the kids to get out of school, browse dinner recipes on your phone, send a text to your husband about taking out the garbage, and do that last bit of work you didn’t have time for earlier in the day, such as writing emails or approving blog posts. Spare minutes actually allow you to get a heck of a lot done, so don’t be idle…make excellent use of them!