Manage Time – “Spending” Wisely

I will freely admit there are nights when I look back on my day and wonder, “What in the world did I get done today?” and say, “Almost nothing.”

I have tried a few time management techniques over the years with sporadic success and a lot of failure.

I have tried super strict schedules (i.e. rise at 6:30 AM, 15 minutes for breakfast, 10 minutes for shower, 30 minutes to get dressed, and do hair and make-up, etc…). These types of schedules leave me feeling frustrated because at 6:40 I discover that there was a diaper blowout last night, or at 7:05 orange juice is spilled all over the table and floor, or someone puked on the way out the door, ad infinitum. Trying to keep a household with 6 different variables (aka. people) on a tight schedule is exhausting and near impossible. I don’t like to feel that I am always behind or always failing.

I have also tried making a daily to-do list. This worked a little better for me. It let me see what I needed to get done and prioritize it, and I loved the feeling of crossing things off. But I eventually stopped doing it because I started to hate the list. There was always a list! And it just wouldn’t go away. And most days I couldn’t get through it all so I had to write down the same things for the next day. And that was demotivating.

A variation of the daily to-do list is assigning certain tasks to certain days. For example, laundry day is Tuesday, and bathrooms are on Saturday, etc… But things always come up and then I fall behind and once again I feel like I can’t catch up.

I have come to the conclusion that I feel the same way about time as I do about money. It is way too easy to spend, and I wish I had more.

I often think that others have more time than I do. But that is not true. EVERYONE has the same amount of time to spend every day.

Isn’t it interesting that we say we “spend” time? I try not to let my money just run away from me, so why would I let my time do that?

Here are a four basic time-managing principles, stolen from money management, which help me spend my time more wisely:

First- Know how much I have to spend.

There are 1,440 minutes in a day. It sounds like a lot, but I spend somewhere between 240 and 480 of those sleeping everyday. And another 30-40 changing diapers. 100 more are spent on preparing meals, and 45 more eating them. Then there is getting myself ready (about 45 minutes), getting kids ready (30 minutes minimum, if they actually cooperate), and washing dishes (20 minutes). That leaves me about 680 minutes to do EVERYTHING ELSE! That is less than half. I’d say that’s a pretty limited budget.

Second- Prioritize my spending. 

The first thing I do with money is set aside what is needed for essentials; rent, groceries, utilities, etc… We buy things in order of importance. Spending time is the same.

Before I start my day I make a mental list of the things that absolutely MUST be done. My husband is often involved in this process. We talk about what is coming up on our schedules and what we hope to get done. Knowing what is most important keeps me from becoming distracted by non-essential things.

If my list gets too long, I might consider writing it down as a to-do list. Often I find that lots of things can be put off. It is a procrastinator’s way of looking at things, I know. But this allows me to be there for my family when they need me, which is most important. Playing with my kids is often spontaneous. Having the freedom to just stop what I am doing and play, knowing that what I am working on can wait, is wonderful!

Third- Keep track of what I spend.

When I am budgeting money I keep a record of what I buy and how much it costs. This allows me to see where I can cut back so that I can be sure to spend what I need, where I need it in the future.

Managing time is no different. If I feel like I don’t have time, looking back on my day to see what I did gives me a better perspective. Sometimes I find that time was spent on unexpected things popping up all day, or it could be that I spent 4 hours surfing Facebook. Either way, I have a starting point for the next day.

My favorite way of recounting my time budget is telling my husband about my day. He is a great sport and listens to me babble on and on. This gives me a feeling of accountability. Knowing I will tell someone what I did gives extra motivation to be wise in my time spending.

Fourth- Save for a rainy day. 

I feel better and in control when we have money set aside for emergencies or unexpected expenses. Saving up time is no different! I save time by not packing in too many activities in one day. This leaves room for unexpected delays. I save time when I get things done early, because I avoid putting myself into “crunch-time.” I save time by scheduling specific days to do fun things. Saving time is as fun as saving money!

The similarities between time management and money management can go on and on.

The most important thing to keep in mind is what I am investing in, and what kind of return it has. I’ve always heard to invest in the future. That’s my kids. My family.

When I spend on them, I always spend well. 🙂