5 Tips to Improve Your Time Management

Homeschooling can be challenging if you're struggling to manage your time. Truth be told none of us can actual 'make time'; we can only manage it in better ways.  Every family has its own rhythm--thus what works for one may not work for another.  Here are some general tips that can help each of us.

1. Prioritize
Something we all know but don't always do. Identify the people, activities and tasks that you want to give yourself to each day, week, month. Here on my blog I've started a weekly practice of intention setting. In practicing this each week, it has become a habit and we typically complete everything on our lists by setting our priorities.  Find a time each day/week where you can set your priorities and give your time to that.

2. Eliminate Time-Wasters
Within each of our daily schedules we will find activities that simply waste the time we have.  Some common time-wasters include TV, email, Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, books, magazines, and talking on the phone. None of these things are bad yet they can become distractions when we should be doing something else and eat up our time. Once you identify those that are taking up your time, cut them out. Or, perhaps a more realistic way to deal with them is to set a time for them.  For example, if you're an early riser, you may be able to check email and read blogs first thing--before the day is started with your family. For me, I typically do things either first thing or last thing.  I take a break in the middle of the day to check while we're doing lunch. One days when I keep to this schedule I find I have all the time I need.

3. Set Boundaries
Your time is valuable. Are you overcommitted? Have you said yes to activities in your homeschool group, church/mosque, community group, extended family? How much are you working? Have you agreed to tasks that are putting a strain on your time and your family's? If you are overbooked in activities and responsibilities outside of your home it becomes nearly impossible to take care of things within your home without a lot of undo stress.  Set boundaries. Saying no may feel uncomfortable at the beginning but it will free you up to do the things you really want to say yes to.

4. Cut Out Unnecessary Tasks
Are there things on your 'To Do List' that you don't actually need to be doing? For example, are you doing the lion share of cleaning around your house? Can your spouse/partner or children join you in those tasks or take them over? Would creating a weekly schedule for laundry work better for your use of time instead of doing it daily? Identify tasks that others can help you with--and let them do it! You may find much more time by spreading your load and focusing on your priorities.

5. Continue Personal Development
When we use our time for personal growth and development--learning something new and/or giving our time to what we enjoy--we find that we have time and energy to give to all the other responsibilities. Challenging ourselves mentally and physically makes for a better emotional state and can add a breath of fresh air to all those mundane tasks we must do to keep life moving forward.

An added bonus:
Children learn best from good examples. By being intentional in the way we manage our time we'll also be teaching our children to do that same.  Something we all want.

What else would you add to this list? Please comment below.  Thanks.

Be well.