Tags

, ,

Sticker blackboardThis is just one of the boards that adorns my walls, full of scribbles of tasks, reminders and jobs. Some are work-related, some are parent-related, some are just plain old boring admin-related. Either way, the board is ALWAYS full, no matter how many jobs I’ve managed to get through on any given day.

The thing is, I don’t think it’s possible to NOT be busy when you have kids. The life of a parent tends to involve constant multi-tasking, as we rush from one place to the other, often trying to remember the next collection time / kids’ party / form that needs to be handed in. Whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home parent, time always seems to be against you. Or maybe that’s just me.

Anway, I’ve found that since becoming a mum, there is nothing more vexing to me than a time-waster. You know the one: the person at work who calls an unnessary meeting, the cold-caller who rings just as you’re about to hit “send” on a piece of work, the nonsense emails that pile up in the inbox, requiring precious seconds to delete.

I can’t be the only one constantly seeking an extra five minutes in the day. I can honestly say if I had the option of losing a stone or gaining an hour, I’d go with the hour no questions asked.

I’ve only been back as a work-at-home mum for two days. Now, rather than juggling 80 hour weeks with motherhood, I’m juggling 30-40 hour weeks with motherhood (and a relocation 200 miles away). I’ve cut out the commute and slimmed down the work-load. And I’m still time poor. It doesn’t make sense.

And that’s why I’ve come to the conclusion that time is a slippery little bugger. It seeps away from you, trickling like water through your hands. To capture it and stop it from running, you need to be firm. So I’m going to take another look at the spam settings on my inbox, take a stricter approach to fielding calls and be clearer about what I do in which bits of the day.

How do you manage your time and keep it in check? (And don’t say “Give up Facebook” – never going to happen.)