Managing your own schedule: Difficult
Balancing your schedule with your significant other’s: Very difficult
Balancing your schedule with your kids: There is no balance, there is only survival

Balancing a hectic schedule with your family, girlfriend, husband, child, or even roommates can be extremely difficult. Before you rip up the calendar and scream about it, try this:

1. Regular check in

Pick a time during the weekend to discuss the coming week’s schedule. When are your most stressful points? When are your partner’s? When will you need help? When can you offer help? When can you plan some mutual relaxation time? When is that unlikely to happen? Going over the week from a more global perspective can help set up realistic expectations for the week ahead.

2. Priorities

When family time management conversations break down it’s sometimes a result of conflicting priorities rather than conflicting schedules. Your husband does his best work in the evening…but that’s when you want to spend together time relaxing. You are a morning person and feel a burst of productivity in the morning…but that’s when you’re scrambling to get the kids ready for the day. Talking about each other’s priorities can help pre-empt schedule arguments later on.

3. Flexibility

When we over schedule ourselves or have an unexpected emergency, it’s frustrating, but we have nobody to be frustrated with but ourselves. When other people are involved, it’s tempting to blame them. Remember, spouses have bad days too. Babies know when you’re in a hurry and choose THAT MOMENT to blow out their diapers. (That’s what they babble about when they get together. I’ve seen it happen.) Cut the other people in your life the same slack you cut yourself.

There is no magic solution that makes the balancing act easy. It’s hard work, but we do it for the people we love.

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips

Focus is one of the biggest buzzwords when it comes to time management. I’m so unfocused today! I can’t seem to focus on what’s important! I keep getting distracted! Sound familiar? It’s true, focus is one of the vital components of a productive day. So then why is it so difficult? Here are the three main reasons we lose focus:

1. Looking for excuses

Whether we realize it or not, when we’re doing a task we dislike, we look for reasons to stop. We call these things “distractions,” but they can function as excuses. For example, “Oh darn! I can’t finish this task because these emails just came through.” Try not to catch yourself prowling for reasons to switch tasks.

2. Don’t have a goal

It’s hard to focus when you don’t know what you’re focusing on! If you catch yourself jumping haphazardly from one task to the next, you may realize it’s because you haven’t clearly defined what you should be working on. Try taking out a blank piece of paper and writing the task or goal in the middle. It may sound silly, but the clear, visual reminder of what your focus SHOULD be helps tune out the other tasks that aren’t on deck just yet.

3. Failing to predict distractions

Many of the things that distract us aren’t unexpected and in fact we can take proactive steps to prevent them. For example, putting your smartphone out of reach, filtering your email, and asking coworkers to come back later. Also remember to use your knowledge of your energy patterns to your advantage. Not an afternoon person? Don’t save your most challenging tasks for the afternoon!

Focus is not something that just “happens,” we must actively take steps to achieve the mindset!

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips

Focus is not something that just “happens,” we must actively take steps to achieve the mindset!