Time Management Strategies - A Step by Step Guide to Move You From a Firefighter to a Strategist

The creation of effective time management strategies can seem like a somewhat daunting task. It requires the ability to think and plan ahead, but this is a skill that, while not inherent in most of us, can certainly be learned. It's also a process that, with practice, becomes much easier. There are only 2 really big scary steps but, if followed and practiced, can literally change your life. Soon, you will not only be handling old problems that have plagued you with ease, but you'll also handle anything life throws at you with equal ease.

****Identify a problem -- Example: Feeling guilty about going through McDonald's drive-through on soccer practice night? You know that the junk food not only causes Junior's acne, but you also are wondering if it is interfering with his sleep patterns--if that's what has been causing him to suffer from insomnia. Also, even though he is active, you realize he's gaining a little weight. You know that you are his parent and so you should be more worried about his nutritional needs. But you just can't seem to get a plan in place and manage to have a decent dinner on those nights when he has practice. Note that it's important here that you identify the actual problem. For instance, if you identify the problem as being soccer practice night, then the logical step would be to focus on soccer practice as the problem, but it's not. Alternately, you might be tempted to identify McDonald's as the problem. Still no bingo. McDonald's is simply making sure you have something to eat. The real problem is (drum roll, please), you are not prepared for these hectic nights with something nutritious and quick. Now, if you identify that as the problem. You can come up with a solution for it. I could give you several solutions right here.

****Figure out how to not necessarily solve the problem but how you can work around it--There are limitless possibilities for creating strategies for problems. For example, I have two grandchildren who stay with me four nights per week while their mother is working. I like to see my other two grandchildren but can't handle all four at the same time. So when the two I normally have go to their father's house for the weekend, I get the other two. A major time management strategy I use (that impresses even myself) is to make the drop-offs and pick-ups at the same time and place. I meet the other sets of parents at the same time and place approximately 30 minutes away.

A super important point to note is that until a problem is correctly identified, you can't even begin to hope, much less plan for, a solution.

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