Life can be stressful!
Every one reading this article, however, can enjoy a more stress-free life with effective home time management.
Think hard about the things that cause you stress at home. I’ll name a few that I can think of along with the corresponding suggested solutions.
Stressor: Spouse/Kids in Need of Attention
When a spouse or a child is desiring attention it’s particularly stressful because (1) We want to spend time with them, (2) We’d probably rather be doing that than whatever else we’re doing such as mopping floors, and (3) We feel like failures at marriage or parenting if we feel we don’t spend enough time with them.
We lay in bed later imagining our kids ending up in prison because we didn’t take time away from mopping the floor to look at the boo-boo we bandaged only 15 minutes before.
Solutions include:
1.) Have your spouse or child help in some of the things you do…like cooking. They need to learn anyway and it’s something they can learn at almost any age.
2.) Have your spouse or child take over some of your responsibilities which will free up some of your time which you can then spend on them. That’s what you call a win-win situation.
3.) Plan time for them into your day. Getting more efficient in other areas can help you make the time.
Stressor: A House in Need of Cleaning
If you’re anything like me a dirty house stresses you. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t need a perfectly cleaned house, but I like it clean and smelling good. It’s a reflection on my womanhood. (No hate mail please…I’m entitled to my thoughts even if they do seem dysfunctional to some.)
Many women…and men…feel the same way. There are several solutions.
1.) Ask for help from your spouse
2.) Give your kids chores and expect them to follow through (this is NOT hard when you find their motivators)
3.) Commit to weekly cleaning…before things get bad
4.) Learn speed cleaning techniques
Stressor: Meal Time Madness
You’ve seen the zombie-resembling people walking around in the grocery stores desperately seeking what’s for dinner…as if it’s hiding. I’ve been guilty of it myself. That’s how I knew I didn’t want to live that way. With effective home time management that’s never an issue.
Solutions can consist of:
1.) Creating menus
2.) Basing the menus on what the week looks like for your family.
3.) Creating some super quick meals for those days when things just keep popping up.
Today was a perfect example of things popping up. My daughter is a bookkeeper and today her computer wouldn’t turn on. Being the dutiful mother that I am, I finished up what I was doing and headed out the door…but the car wouldn’t start. BUMMER! After cleaning my cables, checking all fluids, and then waiting for a jump, I was finally able to go to my favorite parts store, have them hook up their little machine to the car, and found out I had a bad battery. Got that fixed and then headed over to my daughter’s house. After digging around with her cords I fixed the problem and a full two hours later was back at home.
Fortunately, a roast was already in the crockpot because dinner had already been planned and was being executed (pun intended) before I’d even left the house.
