“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Thanks, Steve.
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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 Kids - Time SpongeSubmitted by phillipingham on October 10, 2007 - 1:46pm.
Firstly, congrats to Merlin on the parent club membership. My kids aren't that old (7 & 4) but I've noticed that their demands on my time are constant but in different ways. From full time carer when they are new borns through the "difficult" toddler times to now where I seem to be taking them places. I guess as they grow older still it'll be demands on my time (but at different times, "can you pick me up from the pub?") In the early days its definitely a case of cracking the sleep patterns. If you're lucky Merlin, you'll have a baby that likes to be awake in the daylight!! There seems to be a lot of debate at the moment (in the UK anyway) as to how soon you should move baby from the parental bedroom to their own rooms. We did this after several months and this seemed to condition them well to going to sleep. They went to sleep on their own, I was talking to a Mum the other day who still has to stay in the room with their child until they fall asleep. Time with Maddy will be precious so having an hour or two at the end of the day on your own is golden. However much time I spend with my kids the pleasure I get out of it is more than they will ever know. Watching them learn to walk, swim, ride a bike and the looks on their faces when they finally crack it are priceless. My worst times are when I have to work away from home, I miss them. Its heart breaking talking to them on the phone, but even worse when I leave at a time when they are about (I normally try to leave the house before they wake) » POSTED IN:
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