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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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 A 30,000 Foot ViewSubmitted by FamilyHack on October 13, 2007 - 8:26am.
Before my wife and I do anything, we ask ourselves what effects it will have on our money, time and mobility. Some choices we've made are: I'm self employed and work at home...or anywhere. Why? It offers more upside income potential, flexible time and excellent mobility. A side benefit is I can grab naps when I need to and can see my kids a lot more than office dads. My wife doesn't work outside the home. Why? She is the best child care provider for our kids. Plus, the loss of her income is offset by not having child care expenses, work clothes/dry cleaning. We also only need one car. In addition, we eat much better food and she has more mobility than she would with a job. This is huge since we love to travel. We homeschool/unschool our kids. Why? We aren't tied to a school schedule so we wake when we want, eat when we want and travel whenever we want. No rushing out of the house everday with some stupid stressor like "we'll be late for school" And yes, the kids are socialized. That's a myth about homeschooled kids. We buy our kids clothes at Thrift Stores. Why? Parents always keep the really expensive clothes for "special occasions". In the meantime, the kids outgrow it and it goes to Goodwill. My wife scoops up top of the line designer duds that still have the tags on them for next to nothing. You would never know by looking at our kids that their clothes cost about $3.00 not $60.00. Best, Michael FamilyHack.com » POSTED IN:
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