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Over the years, I've studied time management books, taken courses in time management, and taught time management to clients and groups. What I've found is that some time management strategies work better than others for parents of children with special needs, whose lives tend to be hectic and unpredictable. Here are ten of my favorite time management strategies -- the ones that have proven most effective in the context of life with a child with special needs.
1. Take time for time management.
Set aside a few minutes every morning and every evening to go over your calendar and your to-do list.
2. Delegate anything and everything possible.
Even if you save only a few minutes per delegated task, by the end of the day or week, this can add up to literally hours of saved time.
3. Stop doing things you don't need to or don't want to be doing.
You're spending more time on these than you might think!
4. Allow most of what you do to be "good enough."
Chances are, your "good enough" is everyone else's "excellent!"
5. Cut back on commitments.
Drop some commitments entirely, and reduce your involvement in others.
6. Segment your to-do list into "now" and "later" lists.
Long, all-encompassing to-do lists can be discouraging. A to-do list showing only those tasks of immediate concern feels much more doable.
7. Keep your entryway and your kitchen organized.
When you do this, days run SO much more smoothly, both for you and for the whole family.
8. Schedule regular times in your day and week for putting things away.
For example, every evening after dinner. Or every Saturday morning. Just minutes a day keeps clutter at bay!
9. Stay one step ahead of these two basic needs: food and laundry.
Choose one day of the week for meal planning and grocery shopping. Choose another day as your weekly laundry day. (If you need more than one day per week for these, that's fine - just make sure you keep it consistent!)
10. Perhaps most importantly, take care of yourself.
You are infinitely more efficient and productive when you eat well, get some exercise, and get a decent amount of sleep. You're better able to implement and stick with your time management strategies, too!
Good time management means arranging your life in a way that allows you to do what matters to you most. Start using these strategies, and soon you'll have more time for you, your children, family, friends ... whatever's truly important to you in life
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