“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
POSTED IN:
 Man-to-Man to ZoneSubmitted by berchman on October 10, 2007 - 5:39pm.
I am the father of 3 terrific boys (7, 4.5, 16 months). Finding this post in my RSS reader and then reading comments made me think of some things.
I look back on having one kid and I think I could handle that blindfolded while juggling 2 chainsaws in my right hand. Seriously though the combination of spouse, parent, and business owner is a challenging mix. Particularly without any sort of systems in place to help manage, organize and prioritize. I worked from a home office for the first 2 years of my new business. Then sleep deprivation set in. Too many days of interruption in the office only to have Papa stay up late (2-3am) to catch up on everything only to get up by 7am to get the kiddos off to school, etc. I now have an office 5 miles from home. Separation of personal and professional is key, at least for me. It has made me be better about managing my time. I'm no where near a zen master in time management, but it is getting better--slowly--but better. I've been using GTD for a couple of years now. I have fallen off the wagon 3 times. Systems crash and you start to use your head for keeping track of everything. One thing for sure is you need to figure out what system works for you, keep tweaking it, and be flexible. Last bit. Meditation is huge. Take 20-30 minutes a day to get "mind like silence." » POSTED IN:
|
|
| EXPLORE 43Folders | THE GOOD STUFF |
