Busy Mom’s Guide to Back-To-School Time Management

It’s August. Take a deep breath, I have some bad news. Whatever you have left of the summer is not nearly enough to accomplish those grand plans you made in May. The good news – no, great news – is that it’s more than enough time to master back-to-school time management like it’s your job. You can even still squeeze in a bit of frugal fun before the crickets get too loud. Here’s how;

Begin with the end (of summer) in mind.

Choose your remaining goals for the summer wisely. Most of us watch our wallet pretty closely these days – but your time budget is just as important. If you had grand plans for a week at the beach, days at the water park a family camping weekend – either pick just one or modify. What about a day-trip to the beach (not a week)? Grab another family and visit a nearby park or pond for fishing. Consider backyard camping – it’s easy to do and the kids will think you’re a little whacky – but cool.

Limit extra curricular commitments this year.

Before you capitulate to last year’s crazy sports-dance-gymnastics-youthgroup schedule – stop. Although it’s true that high school students are under more pressure than ever to cultivate an extracurricular resume that rivals that of a young Leonardo DaVinci – younger kids need time at home, time to rest, and time to metabolize all that they’re encountering in the great big world. Here is where “less is more” is really true. If last year felt hard because you had few family meals at home, or little margin to make sense of it all, resolve to do less this year. Start by removing one weekly commitment per person – and discuss your choices as a family.

Get out your tools.

Most of us have everything we need to get a grip on our time and schedule. Here’s one gadget you may never have used: your oven or stove timer – use it to manage your time for everything from household chores to homework to conflict resolution. When I’m having guests and need to get the house clean, I determine my total time available for the job, break it down into two or three stages, and budget my time. If I have 3 big tasks and 90 minutes – you guessed it: my timers are set at 30 minute intervals. When kids argue, we set the timer for each one to make their case, then a final timer for them to work out the resolution. Ten minutes max.

De-clutter.

It’s that time/space thing. You can’t really be uber-efficient with your time if your space is all cluttered and you can’t find your planner, your kids’ vaccination records or that fall baseball schedule. Devote some time to the de-cluttering of your home office or kitchen desk, and make a folder with each household member’s name; as you sort through docs, receipts, and paper scraps (!) file them accordingly.

Lower your expectations.

Often, we’re our own worst critics. A wise old owl once told me, “Don’t try to fix everything at once. Be happy with one percent improvement. But start.” I’ve never forgotten it. When I’m faced with a huge, overwhelming task or problem, I ask myself what would it would take to make just a little better with the, say, five minutes I have right now. As I work quickly to achieve that small improvement and then stop when my time is up, I realize I can do just a little more. The momentum is invigorating, what was a huge task becomes smaller and my hope rises.

So, breathe deeply this August as you plan for a strong year ahead. And remember, you can’t really “save” time…you can only spend it. Spend it wisely, and you’ll be a happy, busy mom. Check out some of my great back to school ideas and back to school lists to help you get moving on your planning! (Pinterest)