In today’s busy world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done. If you never seem to have enough time and are constantly rushing around, you’re probably experiencing a good deal of stress. Additionally, if you don’t have time to get your household chores done, it’s probably even more difficult to find time to spend quality family time together. If you find yourself yearning for even an hour of leisure time, here are a few time saving tips you can work on together as a family.
Learn to Delegate
If you always seem to be the one doing the household chores, it’s probably time to work on your delegation skills. Assign a few chores to everyone, and you might be amazed how much more free time you have. Of course, teaching everyone the skills they will need to perform the chores might take a bit more time in the beginning. But, once everyone gets in the swing of things, you’ll probably wish you had taught everyone how to help out a lot sooner. Try to include even the youngest family members, to avoid leaving anyone out. Although they might only be able to perform the simplest of chores, it’s important that they be made to feel like they are part of the family “team.” You could even display the chores lists in picture frames on the wall, so that everyone can see how they can help.
Stop Multi-Tasking
Although you might think you are saving time by multi-tasking, this is usually not the case. In most cases, focusing your undivided attention on the task at hand will allow you to get it completed quickly and more efficiently. Once one task is completely done, you can move on to the next. You’ll probably find that you can get more done in less time.
Maintain a Family Calendar
Keeping a family calendar that everyone can refer to can be a great way to save time. If you’ve ever made three separate car trips when one could have sufficed, you probably have a good idea of how poor planning can waste time. Create a family calendar and schedule, place in picture frames, and display prominently on the wall. That way, everyone can see what everyone else is doing in a single glance. Hanging a large envelope beside the calendar as a handy spot to keep tickets, schedules, maps, and other items that are relevant to everybody’s schedules is also a good idea.
Treat Yourself to Some Leisure Time
Once you’ve implemented a few time saving tips, celebrate your newly discovered free time by planning a fun leisure time activity for the entire family. Plan a short family vacation, go on a picnic, or just take a walk through the neighborhood park. Be sure to take a few photos of your family enjoying these activities together. Then, display them in picture frames throughout your home, as a reminder of the effectiveness of your new time saving methods. Once everyone realizes how much fun these free time activities can be, they will probably be even more enthusiastic about implementing additional time saving methods.
