Time Management

[Tyler]

Our very own ejhartman presented on a similar topic last night at a work event, but I want to talk about personal time management.

How do you all manage your time? Both tools and strategies.

Tools (the easy part):
-I am trying to get everything on Google Calendar. I added Jocelyn to my default calendar so she can see everything we have going on (that isn't work related). This certainly helps planning weekends/evenings. The app is on my phone home screen so I am aware of everything going on.
-Google Keep is another app I use almost daily. Creating lists and marking off items help me a lot. I of course have the shopping list, but I also have chore/project lists. Chore list is for stuff out of the ordinary that I feel need to be done, like putting away old baby bottles or sharpening knives. Project list is stuff I want to eventually get to around the house - start/finish book case, desk, etc.
-I am excited for Google Home, that will just make calendar/lists that much easier.
-Mint. Not really a time management tool, but it helps keep my life together

Strategy (the hard part):
There does not seem to be enough hours in the day to have a job, be a parent, be productive, cook, have fun, etc. How does everyone balance this? Do you dedicate an evening or a 1 weekend day to be super productive and get everything done? During the summer Jocelyn is full time mom during the day so I feel guilty coming home from work and ignoring those 2 to mow when I want to be playing with the baby.

Entertainment is a whole different beast. Evie use to go to bed at 7 so we would have 3+ hours at night to watch a show or something. Bedtime is now usually after 8:30 so that leaves time for a show and a little reading. Videogames are pretty much non-existent in my life now. Planned on playing a game with Feddersen for a week and then it couldn't happen because of responsibilities.

I know everything is about prioritization, so let's hear how everyone else manages so many moving parts in their life.

Clarification: I love being a parent. It's the most fulfilling thing that can happen to someone. This post is not meant to have anything negative associated with that.

[wags83]

First things first, don't have kids. It sounds awful. No money, no time for fun, and a lot of poop from what I understand.



Kidding!

On the serious side, I've recently started using Google Calendar a lot more. Badger Hill uses Google Calendar to schedule/assign events so I decided to just start using it for everything else too. I also use Erin as my calendar because she remembers things a lot better than I do. At work, we are required to use our Outlook calendar so people know when we're free and have meetings.

[CrckrJack]

I decide if I want to do a thing and then I do it.

I will not have a house for a very long time, because I like doing things I want to do, and a house is that much more responsibility that I don't want to take on right now. I like working out, playing video games, and spending time with friends and the poops (Kathryn and Piper). I don't want to mow, I don't want to repair a gutter, I don't want to stain a deck, I don't want to replace a light switch (one of mine broke this week and I submitted a maintenance request for them to fix it, instead of doing it myself). I also don't want to take care of a child.

I am selfish, and that's not a bad thing.

[Erin]

My sister bought me a paper planner as a Christmas gift. While I use that for contacts, lists and some events I mostly use my phone calendar.

I work from home so I'm able to do misc chores and start meal prep during my lunch. I have days of the week dedicated to certain cleaning tasks which I find helps to break it up but keep things pretty tidy.

[Tyler]

Source of the post I have days of the week dedicated to certain cleaning tasks which I find helps to break it up but keep things pretty tidy.

I have tried creating a schedule for this, but never end up sticking to it, there are too many ad-hoc things that break my system. I should maybe rethink this strategy

[Erin]

I find it helpful for things you don't need to do daily (vacuum, scrub the shower, swiffer...etc).

[bmyoungs]

I think both Sarah and I can do way better with time management at home. I have a problem with spending too much unnecessary time at work which leads to being less productive at home.

[Sarah]

I think both Sarah and I can do way better with time management at home. I have a problem with spending too much unnecessary time at work which leads to being less productive at home.

Oh gosh yes. I am not obsessed with being at work though, just way too good at procrastinating. I'm fine with time management at work and anything non-house but once I'm in the house I leave too much for tomorrow Sarah to do.

[Huss Buss]

i don't have the commitments like you have right now with being a parent, but i usually remember what needs to be done and how important the issue is. i am using my phone calendar and setting up reminders for certain things a little more now, since i do have a routine during the week with what i do when. It is nice since, the calendar is linked to my work calendar too so i can get reminders during work if needed.

[itscsalvo]

We use google calendar to schedule appointments/events and keep each other notified that way. We usually put together a grocery list, too. But for other things, we just kind of tackle it when it becomes a problem, or when we think it could be a problem. I used to write down every possible thing I had to do, but it was overwhelming seeing the list grow and grow and hardly anything being checked off since there wasn't enough time. I re-prioritized and did the things that mattered right now.

However, for BIG things, I do have a list, like of projects for the house. I'm tentatively planning some of those as we speak, but when it's more written in stone, I'll add it to the google calendar.

[Tyler]

I need to revisit this. Google calendar is still life. It's not as busy lately, but I even schedule VR play sessions with friends on it. Google keep is back to being my list app of choice.

Its been very nice being home this last year and doing things like laundry and dishes throughout the work day, but I never set aside time to really clean, purge, organize the house.

I like the idea of doing a single deep clean thing a weekend. We should make a list of things.
-clean out master bedroom closet. Donate things
-wash baseboards
-dust blinds
-wash baseboards.
You know. The stuff I never do.

Lawn care usually happens Fridays since I don't work those afternoons. That's nice to get some chores out of the way. I've had 4 years of Friday afternoons off and have maybe done 20 entertainment days (mainly solo movies prior to 2020) instead of product things.

Entertainment. I was taking to some CPT bois about this today. When do parents even get to play video games or watch couple shows, or solo shows. Maybe 2 hours at most once kids go to bed, but thanks to other responsibilities that is usually closer to an hour.

I have work time management improvements to make too, but those aren't fun to discuss here

[bmyoungs]

Glass we (Sarah) started using an app called Tody for cleaning timing. Basically you can set schedules for different items to remind you when it needs cleaning. Like dishes daily, laundry weekly, water filters every 6 months. It's pretty cool when you use it.

You're right on with entertainment, if I choose to spend 2 hours playing VR one night it means I need to give up an entertainment night another day.

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

[Tyler]

That's a cool app. I'll look into that. I don't need daily reminders to do laundry or dishes. Lol. But the stuff I never think of would be good.

[bmyoungs]

That's a cool app. I'll look into that. I don't need daily reminders to do laundry or dishes. Lol. But the stuff I never think of would be good.

It's nice for deep cleans for sure, like countertops, windows, dusting top of fans, etc

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

[Tyler]

Oh man. Fans. Every night when I read to evie I notice the fan and then forget to clean it in the morning.

[Tyler]

I got Tody and have been setting that up. I like that it is dedicated to cleaning. I thought it was just a general to do list thing.

Also heard some good advice on a podcast that I have been trying to follow. When you have free time to do something you WANT or NEED to do. I, like a lot of people, choose neither. I find myself browsing Reddit for an hour on my phone or mindlessly clicking around the computer. I don't want to do that, but I can't pick something else to do. So either watch another episode of The Expanse (want), play a game (want), work on 3D printer stuff (need), or clean something (need).