Your challenges with time management and tips to combat them!
I hear all the time that parents have challenges managing their time to get their workouts in with all the other responsibilities they have in life. And I get it! I’ve been there myself.
I wanted to understand more circumstances than just my own so I asked other parents what they find most challenging about time management. Here are their responses!
Person 1: I’m a teacher and it’s a very time-consuming job. I really enjoy exercising but I feel so tired after teaching all day that I sometimes need to rest after work. I don’t know how to fit everything in at times.
Person 2: Having a child with lots of appointments and hospitalizations I find myself low on time in general. Also while having my child on top of all that it’s extremely hard to keep the house clean, cook, and work full time. It’s crazy.
Person 3: It was easier with my last job because I had set times. But now I never know when I’ll get off work. I actually got up around 3AM to work out and have quiet time before work. It’s a lot harder for me to work out in the afternoons when I get home because I am so tired. I still get up between 3 and 4 and I have 45 minutes to one hour drive. I know it’s just something I need to do. I just always feel exhausted.
You can relate to one of these right? Or maybe you can’t but you have a similar answer to the question “what challenges do you have with time management?”
I know it can be hard and with so much on our plates as parents it can be stressful. I want to assure you that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can manage your time to fit in everything you need to!
Here are my tips for better time management:
First, prioritize what needs to get done. I like to break it up into 3 categories: Me, Work, Family - write a list and put each of your responsibilities and wants into the appropriate category.
Use Google calendar or a planner with a daily time schedule. Time block your calendar so you can visually see where you have time available, what’s taking up your time, and where you can make adjustments.
Look at your week ahead. Don’t wait til the day you have obligations to get them on your schedule. Look ahead to the next week and set yourself up. I know things come up and that’s fine. But in order to have efficient time management you don’t want to fly by the seat of your pants.
Family - what needs to get done for the family? (school drop off, pick up, after school events, extracurricular activities). Do you NEED to do this or can you split it up with your significant other for help? Write those in the calendar/planner.
Work - Do you have a set work schedule or is it more flexible? If it’s set, write that down. If it’s flexible, make sure that you write down your work meetings. You can work the rest around those meetings and other obligations.
Me - Focus on one change you want to incorporate into your schedule. For example, working out 3-4 days per week. Make the ME list non-negotiables. (school drop off, meetings, and your workouts).
Now take a look at your calendar/planner. Where do you see gaps where you can squeeze in 30-40 minutes for your workouts? When you find a spot, write workouts into your calendar/planner.
Remember, not every day is going to go according to plan, be flexible & give yourself grace but don’t let YOUR time go first. See what else can be moved around before you move your workout or other goal. Once you have the workouts done and have made them a regular part of your day then you can work on adding a new change/habit.
This takes consistency, planning, and intentionality. It’s possible and worth it.
Needing help with your time management? No problem, I just did a live training in my free FB group. You can watch that here: Fit Parent Kettlebell Kickstart Facebook Group