There are only 24 hours and it hardly seems enough, and that is why I am sharing these Back to School Time Management Ideas with you. There is so much to do and so little time to do it, it is easy for things to slip through the cracks. Trying to manage everything your children need for school and hustling from one activity to the next can be overwhelming. Here are some time management ideas to help when back to school arrives.
Back to School Time Management Ideas
Plan ahead for the rest of the week
Plan on Sunday for the rest of the week as well as a plan for the mornings, the evening before. When you plan in advance, this helps eliminate some of the thinking work that can take up time. On Sunday, plan all of your lunches, dinners, and breakfasts. This won’t just help keep everything organized, you never have to think “what am I going to make for dinner tonight?” it also helps manage your grocery budget as well. When you know all the ingredients, you can make a list. This helps not to over buy items you have as well as avoid purchasing items you don’t need. In the evenings, have everything set up for the next morning. That means having all the clothes laid out, lunches packed, make sure homework is finished and papers are all signed. Getting everything packed in backpacks and ready to go will give you extra time in the morning, so you don’t feel rushed. This is the ultimate time management tip!
Make more time!
Want some more time? Wake up earlier. When the kids are still sleeping, and you have no little hands to hang on you, there is a lot you can accomplish. You can shower in peace, get ready for the day and just enjoy the moment where you can sip on your coffee and catch up on a good book. Starting out the day without the madness of rushing out the door can make the rest of your day go a lot smoother. It is worth losing the extra sleep time.
Create a good homework environment
Set up a homework station. This is not only helps your kids focus on their work, but also helps eliminate any time searching the house for white out or highlighters by having everything in one area. Keep a list that your kids can write on all school supplies they need or running out of throughout the year to make sure they always have a good supply. It is also great to have a box that can store all their school work and art projects. This is great to have just in case they or you ever want to go back and pull up past work. It also helps eliminate all of those loose papers invading your home as well.
Hold back so you don’t get overwhelmed
As a parent, we can’t help but want to sign them up for every activity or even volunteer for every opportunity. This can make not only yourself, but your children overwhelmed making it hard to focus cause them and you can feel like you are just running around every day. It is important to make time to just relax. Choose only the activities your kids really want to participate in. You should also only volunteer for the activities that you feel passionate about and feel like you can fully give your time and a 100% deduction too. This will allow you and your children time to relax and spend quality time with each other as well.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help
Ask for help. It’s a difficult one for all of us, but sometimes it is the best option of trying to save yourself some time. This can be having someone help pick up your child while you run an errand or watching the kids so that you can get some work done around the house. A great idea is partnering up with another mom to agree to watch her children if she watches yours. This way you both can accomplish many tasks and actually get things done, leaving more quality time you can spend with your kids. Remember, asking for help is not a weakness and can easily help you with time management without sacrificing important parts of your life.
Get orderly at home
Keep your home clean and organized. When everything is in its proper place and cleaned up, it makes it a lot easier to find things. This also means teaching not only your children, but husband as well that when they take something out to use it, it needs to go back into its proper place. This helps everyone so they are not regularly taking the time to search the house to find what they need. This can be one of the biggest time wasters. Keeping things organized is particularly useful when you are in a hurry.
Choose priorities wisely
Always prioritize your time. Make a list and see which tasks need to accomplish first, which can wait a week and ongoing projects. By writing this list, it will help you focus on finishing your tasks, and it is a nice feeling to check each item off. You won’t forget anything or let anything fall through the cracks. Teach this skill to your children regarding their homework and help them put their homework in perspective and know how to focus on accomplishing tasks. These are life skill tools that they will use for the rest of their lives.
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I love the homework station idea! Homework is always an issue here. I’m excited to try this! Thank you for sharing!