...Simple Steps to Successful Parenting
BEST PARENTING ADVICE
SELF-CARE FOR PARENTS
Simple Time Saving Tips
Do you ever feel like there's not enough time to get everything done? And that self care for parents comes way behind everything else...
As a young working mum, when I got to the end of some days, I realized there had been nothing in it for me.
I was in a constant guilt loop feeling that I wasn't exercising enough, or I hadn't spent enough time with the kids, or the house wasn't as tidy as I'd like it to be, or we'd been eating too much takeaway.
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And the guilt list went on and on.
So how did I make time for self care for us parents?
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1. I started off being more mindful with my time taking notice of what I was spending it on. And I realized I'd become preoccupied with the urgent rather than the important.
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I was really surprised just how many 'time stealers' I had in my life.
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I found I had been giving my attention to what was demanding or urgent (like the phone ringing) rather than concentrate on what was truly important in my life, (like reading to my kids, cooking healthy meals, exercising or some other parent self care activity.)
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And when I really looked at my day I saw many, many opportunities I could create for parent self care and time savers in my life.
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4. The other thing I did differently was, unless I was waiting on an important message I would only check social media first thing just before commencing work in the morning, when my time was limited.
I answered emails and texts and after my allocated time I didn't get back to them again until after the children had gone to bed. And I still give myself ten minutes maximum on Facebook/Instagram a day.
After devising those simple time savers I then began to look at other areas of my life that I could streamline or outsource.
For great ideas to save money and time check out the links below:
1. Ensure your time expenditure reflects the achievement of your goals
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Watch out for time stealers
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Plan ahead to limit effects of colleagues who may waste your time
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2. Let phone calls go through to message bank and get back to them when it's convenient for you
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3. Ask at the beginning of a phone call if the person has a set amount of time available to speak with you, then they won't think you're rude if it's a short, direct call
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4. Check social media once a day and have a time limit
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As your kids grow older, they begin to have commitments as well. And in your working life, as you gain greater experience, you may have to accept greater responsibility.
And financially I felt like we were chasing our tail too.
We had a huge mortgage, and although we had a fixed double-income most of our money was being used just to keep a roof over our head.
I realized I needed to come up with some extraordinary ways to create time for self care and 'savers' in my life or I knew I wouldn't be able to sustain it all.
​For example: Instead of staying back at work to catch up after everyone had gone home, I left before our lovely cleaner got to my section as she always liked a catch up.
Some days that saved me twenty minutes to an hour that I could use for what I chose instead. For example: Reading to the kids or self care for us parents (Exercising for me and surfing for my husband)
Self Care and the Phone
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2. I also began to always let my phone calls go through to voicemail unless I was waiting on a call. Then I got back to callers when it was convenient for me.
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It was surprising the caller had often sorted out their problem or later was too busy to chat for long.
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If I made phone calls I asked if it was a convenient time to speak.
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3. I always specified at the beginning of the call how much of their time I expected to need. e.g. Have you got a couple of minutes? Therefore if the call turned out to be brief I wasn't being rude.
Best Parenting Advice.com is a high quality parenting website designed with child and family success in mind. It highlights what successful parents do differently to those who struggle. Best Parenting advice.com provides free online resources for busy parents who want the best practical advice on: how to give kids a best start in life, better tips for parenting toddlers, effective child rearing strategies, behaviour management tips, successful goal setting and organizational strategies for successful families, easy family dinner recipes, self-care tips for time-poor parents and free kids learning games. The aim of Best Parenting Advice.com is to provide quality practical parenting tips and advice to best help children and families succeed, using the convenience of a website.
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This website provides examples of what worked for me over decades and you are welcome to use these ideas as you see fit but you do so at your own risk. Best Parenting Advice.com does not provide any guarantee that this information will work in every circumstance with every family or with every child. It is your responsibility as a user of this website to ensure that you adhere to any recommended safety suggestions either implicit or explicit on this site and supervise your children while playing any games suggested. Similarly users of this website are advised to follow any recommendations for seeking professional advice as all information on this site is generic. Best Parenting Advice.com is an independent website and is not affiliated with any other groups, clubs, religious organizations or educational systems.
Best parenting takes time. The best parenting advice ever is simple: Do your best, don't give up and love your children, no matter what.