Time management for parents
Submitted by caid on October 10, 2007 - 1:03am.
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?
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Healthy sleep habits
This can be controversial, so do what works for you. I’m not saying this works for everyone.
With our first child (now 3 1/2 years old), my wife and I barely slept for the first 3 months, because he was an incredibly fussy sleeper. He would only sleep on one of our shoulders. Luckily, I can operate with very little sleep usually. But, after 3 months of little sleep, I was beyond beat.
We instituted a version of cry it out. I know that sounds cruel and unusal to many people. But, the first morning I went to pick him up from his crib, he was grinning from ear to ear and had slept through most of the night - interuppted by a feeding of course.
Not only was my son happy, but since we had a rigid 7:30 p.m. bedtime, my wife and I regained 2 - 2.5 hours every night to catch up with each other and temporarily recharge our batteries.
Again, it may not be for everyone, but it worked for us. Without that time at night to recharge, I would not have been the Dad I wanted to be.
If you’re interested, check out the book - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.
JR