Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.
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Time management for parents
MIkael Lindberg | Oct 10 2007
The excellent news that Merlin is joining the parent flock prompted me to write this post. I became a parent about a year ago and I've been battling the "loss" of about 8-16 hours of every day to parenting and the unpredictability element that babies bring to your schedule. I'm interested in hearing what other parents have done in order to keep a grip on their schedule and their lives. For me, the most extreme effect was that I decided to change jobs in order to do something I really like, despite having to take a 50% pay cut. I just can't afford to waste hours doing things that doesn't make me happy. I've also taken a few hints from Merlin and now carry a small note pad (sort of a hipster PDA) in my pocket at all times for capture purposes. I think my previous attempts at GTD has failed just because I havn't needed it enough. Now, I can't survive without it. As for handling the unpredictability element of children, my wife and I have a system where we try to never replan the current day schedule but instead handle exceptions as far into the future as possible. This keeps our schedules reasonably stable. What are your experiences? 58 Comments
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Knowing what you can do whenSubmitted by wood.tang on October 10, 2007 - 7:03am.
Damn you for beating me to this! The best skill I've learned from being a parent is that you really have to firewall your time, and understand when you can and can't do certain things. I've had my laptop lid slammed on my fingers too many times to think I can get away with sneaking a peek at email while my son is awake, so I just got really good at putting all that stuff on the back burner until I have time by myself. It actually makes me more efficient when I do get a chance to sit down and work, because I know the time is limited. I get more done during a two-hour nap than I do during the entire day when he's at grandma's house. And you're exactly right, a low-tech solution like a notepad, something easy to carry around and resilient against spilled milk and getting thrown across the room, comes in super handy. » POSTED IN:
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