Could you use a schedule that includes more flex time? That’s what efficiency is all about.
Parents who work for a living and raise children have a keen understanding of the word efficiency. They know well that it takes effort and dedication to arrange each day’s events so that everyone gets enough rest, food, social interaction, and fun.
Fortunately, there are dozens of ingenious techniques for getting the most out of each 24-hour period without losing sanity or focus.
What are the most popular tactics for getting the job done?
In addition to scheduling group events for everyone in the family, parents use all-in-one online platforms to search for college scholarship money, create weekly schedules, sell household items they no longer need, set specific times for homework help, have family meetings, assign cleaning chores to everyone, and wake up early to take advantage of private time every morning. Here are the pertinent details.
Finance College the Smart Way
Why waste energy scouring the internet for individual scholarship opportunities when you can do it all on a single platform?
If your kids are headed to college within the next couple of years, now is the time to aim at finding money to cover the expenses associated with earning a four-year degree. In the 2020s, higher education is not cheap.
Scholarship awards can cover a portion of college costs or the entire bill, depending on how successful parents and students are at finding and applying for opportunities.
That’s why so many moms and dads explore the benefits of potential scholarship opportunities to alleviate financial stress and save time. Fortunately, you can visit an online platform that makes it easy to scan hundreds of opportunities and apply for them all in one place.
The goal for busy parents is to identify as many scholarships for which their children are eligible, apply for them, and secure as much money as possible to offset the cost of getting a degree.
Sell What You Don’t Need
Selling your unneeded stuff via online auction sites is not only a quick way to fatten the family savings account. It’s also a clever approach to eliminating unsightly piles of junk and saying goodbye to household clutter.
How to get underway? Spend a weekend taking a detailed inventory of items in extra bedrooms, the garage, the attic, backyard storage sheds, the basement, and other places in your home where junk has accumulated slowly.
Then, make a categorized list showing what can be thrown away, recycled, given away, sold, or repurposed in some way. Homeowners who have children can earn a substantial amount of money by offering items for sale in online auctions.
Old-fashioned garage sales are another venue to bring in extra cash for things you no longer want or need. Remember to get written receipts for donated items.
Make a Weekly Master Schedule
Time strapped parents can make life easier by creating a weekly schedule. Try to include everything and consider utilizing an hour-by-hour format.
Most working adults who are raising families find that having a written schedule is a streamlined way to take care of daily chores in an efficient manner. Leave open blocks of time on weekends for fun family activities and outings.
Avoid the urge to fill in every blank space on the roster. The goal of the exercise is to develop an overall plan of activities week by week so that free time doesn’t get away from you.
Schedule Homework Help Sessions in Advance
Instead of assisting with homework on an as-needed basis, experiment with a strategy that was popular in past generations. Set aside an hour each weeknight to help youngsters with their homework.
That way, you won’t have to worry about getting last-minute emergency requests from children just before bedtime. Plus, it gives students a chance to get help from you on a regular basis.
Another benefit is that the scheduled sessions serve as a good way for parents to find out what’s going on in their kids’ classrooms.
Create a Cleaning Responsibility List
Keeping a house clean and tidy is a major responsibility. Parents have the power to oversee the work, take part in it, and monitor its results.
One trick that many families use is to make a responsibility chart of cleaning chores for every family member, moms and dads included.
Be sure to discuss the assignments with children so they understand what to do, when to do it, and how to go about each task. Let them know that jobs will be rotated every month or so.
Post the chart where everyone can see it and give everyone a digital version for their phones or computers.
Hold Regular Family Meetings
Most children respond well to organization and clear direction. That’s one reason so many parents use family meetings to discuss issues that affect everyone in the household. There are numerous formats that work.
If you’ve never conducted family meetings before, consider starting with weekly sessions that last no longer than 30 minutes.
Review issues about money, school, group events, upcoming outings, etc. Be sure to let each child have a few minutes of floor time to say whatever is on their mind.
Weekly discussions are an ideal way for everyone to touch base and for children to get help with troubling situations. Communicating as a family instills a sense of security and confidence in young children.
Wake Up Before the Kids Do
Having an extra hour or 30 minutes in the early morning, before children awaken, can be a huge game-changer for your daily efficiency. Parents with young kids still at home know how valuable even a small chunk of “me time” can be.
Be patient with yourself because it can take a month or more to physically adjust to the new wake up time. Use the precious minutes for whatever you want.
Meditate, exercise, read, watch videos, eat a leisurely breakfast, stretch, or catch up on emails.
You’ll likely discover that a dose of solo time first thing in the morning is a great way to get focused for the rest of the day’s responsibilities, organize your thoughts, and minimize stress.