Balancing work, family, and personal wellness can be daunting. Who would want to get out of the door in the morning in a huff? However, at any point in the day, you can be thrown random small tasks that can ruin your schedule. There are times that these random responsibilities can ruin your mood and state of mind. That would lead to you taking it out on your work, family, and friends.
It should not stay that way. Here are some ways to improve your productivity:
Prepare Ahead
Preparing ahead can help you get out in the morning smoothly. Start with picking out your clothes and having them pressed and cleaned the night before. Doing so eliminates spending so much time looking for clothes to wear. Prepare your meals during the weekend, as well. Make sure to pack your briefcase or bag the night before your workday. Check if your devices, documents, and projects are on it.
This action also applies to your children. Teach your children to pack their bags so that they won’t forget their homework, permission slips, and books that they need the next day. Create a routine for your children in the morning, from making their beds and cleaning up for school to packing their lunches.
Avoid Time Wasters
Creating a tight schedule is the right way to go. Don’t let any non-urgent tasks interrupt you. Avoid checking your email, pay non-urgent bills, or doing a load of laundry in the mornings. Set up a monthly planner for the family so that you can keep track of the chores, schedules, and birthdays that every person in the house needs to remember.
Allow Time Buffers in Arranging Your Schedule
Establishing a schedule for you and your family is the right way to productivity. However, you should still set a few minutes in between plans to accommodate any sudden changes on your day. This way, you won’t get caught off guard should you need to pick up your kid (who suddenly got a stomach ache) from school or help a friend in need when you’re out running errands.
Delegate Some Activities
No one likes chores, but we have to do them anyway. A workaround is to delegate some of them to someone else. You can hire people to do your errands so that you can save time and energy. There are apps and websites like Amazon, where you can buy groceries and have them delivered right to your doorstep. Technology has helped make our lives easier, letting us hire people to clean our homes or pay our bills in the comfort of our living rooms. That may sound expensive; however, if you factor in the energy and time you should have otherwise spent with your family, it will be worth it.
Keep Your Health in Check
Schedule some downtime for yourself. Get some time off, relax, and turn down some requests. Do some hobbies that you may enjoy, like painting, turning some garden room ideas into reality, and reading books.
Make sure to get enough sleep. Poor sleep weakens your immune system and brings down your productivity even in your personal life. It also impairs your memory, judgment, and concentration. To help with this, be strict with your bedtime routine. Start with shutting off phones and electronics an hour before bed, avoid drinking coffee in the evenings, and practice meditating.
Keeping your tasks and routines organized can help you function better in other areas of your life. Managing these all boil down to preparing ahead and being intentional. Taking these ideas in mind would help you take on your day without any problems.