Our lives are full of a variety of responsibilities and sometimes it is difficult to find time to simply relax and enjoy ourselves. With family responsibilities, work, and potentially school, how are you suppose to stay on top of everything and still find time to exercise, relax, and hopefully take a vacation once in a while?
The answer to getting more done so that you have time to relax is to practice better time management.
Review Your Current Time Management Routine
Begin by reviewing your current daily routine.
Everything you do in the course of your day consumes time, so figure out what’s most important and what can be skipped.
From there, try these 5 time management tips to get more done:
- Eliminate the time wasters so you can spend more time on the things that really matter in your day. Seems obvious, but this is the step most of us skip.
- Consolidate your errands. If you’re running errands, try to organize your trip so you can get it all done at once instead of several (gas-guzzling) trips.
- Stop procrastinating. Procrastinating can really get you into trouble and suck up time from something that really needs to get done.
- Ask for help. Many of us are independent, which can be a good thing, but its okay to ask your spouse or family to help with something. Teamwork and delegation will help all of you to get more done faster than ever.
- Create a schedule for yourself and family members within your home. Make sure that everyone sticks to it. Schedules help keep you on track and set a pace for you to follow.
Spending Quality Time With Your Family and Friends
Once you begin to better organize and manage your time, you’ll naturally create more free time that you can spend doing other things.
Perhaps you want to visit with friends more, or spend more time with your spouse and your kids.
Here are some ideas to help you have more fun. And the good thing is these ideas do not cost a ton of money either.
- Work with your kids to make a scrapbook together and allow everyone to include their own memories into the book, or you can pick up a painting or sculpting kit and design something together.
- Invite your friends over for a potluck BBQ on a Saturday afternoon instead of going out to a bar for expensive drinks.
- Pull out old blankets and pillows and show your kids how to build a fort in the family room. Kids love it when their parents join them in their imaginary world, so revert back to your childhood and be one of the kids. If they’re a little older, perhaps you can play sports or other activities together.
- Arrange a weekend trip to somewhere fun for the entire family. Perhaps it’s an amusement park, zoo, waterpark, or something fun and educational. The more fun you have together as a family the more everyone will relax.
- Take the kids to the theatre on Sunday afternoon. Matinees always cost less. Enjoy movie theatre popcorn and soda together. Not only is it relaxing, but it’s a positive reward for a week of hard work.
