Time management!!! I have no clue.

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Mar 27, 2017

I make lists of things I have/want to do. Every Sunday. I organize them by class, errands/me stuff and kids stuff. I know exactly what I need to do every week, and of course I can add/delete things as necessary.

I put small things like "take girls to gymnastics" to "make flashcards for Micro" to "go for a walk".

I use this Moleskine Classic Notebook, Pocket, Ruled, Black, Hard Cover (3.5 x 5.5): Moleskine: 5

Gangsteroids · Mar 27, 2017

Use a planner, first and foremost with monthly and weekly / daily pages. Use the monthly calendar for school due dates / deadlines, events, and appointments. You don't need to plan out every microdetail of your day (sets you up for failure, things do go wrong) but it will give you an idea of the things you should be doing. Use three categories to make sure you're getting the things done that you need to every day. Ex: High, Medium, Low Priority tasks. Take five minutes each night to plan for your next day and pull your tasks from your monthly calendar. Write things on your monthly calendar as they come up.

Combine tasks- work out with your kids by playing, have them help you with chores, have older kids help with meal prep, set up a "study time" where all of you are doing homework together. Depending on how old your kids are, be firm on bedtime- must be in bed by X:XX with teeth brushed, jammies on, etc. Take a day / few hours every so often (as you can afford timewise) to hang out with your kids doing something they love, like going to the park, having a fun meal at a place they enjoy, having a playdate, etc.

Also, MEAL PREP. You would be surprised how much time it really takes to make food every day if you're cooking for you and your whole family on a daily basis (and how much can get wasted...). You'll save time and money and ensure that you're eating enough. Plan out some meals that you can make in bulk for the week and put them in containers- ex: chicken and rice with veggies, spaghetti and meatballs, stews, casseroles, etc. You can even plan them out to ensure you're meeting specific macro goals. Make foods your kids will eat reheated. And make enough for the whole week for ALL of you- make sure to have enough snacks on hand too. If you have a kid going through a growth spurt and is eating a lot, plan for that. For your family I would probably make four or five recipes on the weekend in bulk to make enough for each person for the week. Also can make bulk batches of pancakes, waffles, muffins, smoothie packs, even oatmeal for the week for breakfast.

No one is perfect, no one can do all of this every day of every week their whole life without taking a break- be sure to have some "me" time! But hopefully this can help you with some ideas of what to incorporate. (I want to stress meal prep... saves SO much time!)

Wiggly Litchi · Mar 27, 2017

Going to agree with what the previous posters have said;

meal prep is absolutely huge, or if you're not a fan of that you can always come up with recipes that you can literally throw in a pot and forget (I love curries for this reason!)

Tons of stuff can be made in advance and reheated -rice, baked potatoes, pasta dishes, pancakes, muffins, oatmeal (google refrigerator oatmeal!) - learning how to do this will stop you from reaching for unhealthy convenience foods.

Plan, plan, plan. Don't plan down to the minute - make sure you leave room to be flexible, but it's definitely time to get into the swing of things and start prioritizing.

Have the kids etc help out more at home if they're old enough; even younger children can be taught to clean up after themselves if you add it to part of a pre-bedtime routine where everyone gets together to put toys away.

Make a routine, and stick to it. Once you fall into a good rhythm, the rest will follow.

TofuSandwich, ASN, RN · Mar 28, 2017

You've gotten great advice, and I would add to accept that you won't be able to do it all. Some weeks, you won't be able to spend as much time with the kids or work out, or eat as well as you might like. And that's ok. Sleep is the most important because you can't do any of the other things well without it. Prioritize sleep even if you have to cut back time spent on something else more than you'd like.The time that you can devote will be more productive if you are well rested. And remember that it is a difficult time, but it isn't forever and it will be worth it when you get your license.