Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / Juggling it all: Time Management for Busy Parents (and People!) with Lynsey Martin

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Juggling it all: Time Management for Busy Parents (and People!) with Lynsey Martin · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to another episode of the Five Minute Parenting Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Karen Ferguson, wife, mom, grandmom, and children's book author with a background in K-8 education and a passion for equipping parents to raise confident and God-confident kids.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: In this podcast, we'll cover parenting practices for both a practical view and a biblical view.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Our goal is to help you raise kids with a positive, godly self-image so they can become all they were created to be.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're busy, so we'll keep it short.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Let's take just five minutes and dive in.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to Five Minute Parenting.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited for today's topic because I know we all could use some tips to help us manage our time better, especially for parents who are pulled in so many different directions.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Well, today we have wife, mom, and children's book author Lindsay Martin back on the show to help us.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Lindsay is known for her amazing time management skills, and she's also a busy mom and the author of the adorable book, How to Get an Alligator Out of the Bathtub.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the show, Lindsay.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Karen, for having me.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to be back.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I'm I'm glad you're here.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, you're a busy mom.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: You balance between job, travel, motherhood, and you even wrote a children's book.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: So let's just start with how do you manage to juggle it all?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think it is first important to say that um I definitely don't do it all at once, and I definitely don't always do it all perfectly, but it's been a combination of trial and error, um, finding the best habits and skills that work for me, um, also testing out where I've overextended myself before, I've felt burnt out.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's and then just tweaking those daily habits that I've used and formed to figure out the best way to accomplish the tasks and that I have each day.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then just also enjoying those parts of life because my children are little.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it goes so quickly.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to be sure to try and be as present as possible in those.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I do definitely try to be intentional with how I spend my time.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I also, someone had told me this once.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think of my day in terms of a jar.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, in a jar, you put all these stones or pebbles, you could say.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And the pebbles are those sort of hard commitments, picking up the kids from school, meetings, um, doctor's appointments, all of those things that are hard to move.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then I was told that the water are your tasks.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so those are the things you're trying to like fit in and squeeze in around all those other um appointments that you have.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: So to-do list, emails, work, um, you know, projects, family errands, things like that.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: So that is sort of the foundation for what helps me stay productive and help without feeling overwhelmed each and every day and sort of just getting what I need to do done, and then also being able to just move things or reset at the end of the day.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: Sounds like flexibility, right?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: You definitely need to have some flexibility.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 3:17
  unknown: Yeah.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, so for parents listening who just kind of need some clear strategies, do you have some go-to management time management strategies that you use?
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would say my try-and-trose.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I am a planner at heart.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I work in events, so that's sort of um where all of this kind of stems from.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I definitely use time blocking and my calendar as like the two main parts for keeping a schedule for not just my personal life, but work, um, writing, any other sort of tasks.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So that might be, it means when I talked about the pebbles and the water, so I block everything out and I do this in kind of two parts.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: The first would be um at the beginning of each week, I really try and map out my whole week by grabbing all of those appointments that I've put in.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times you make doctor's appointments six months in advance.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe you have a work conflict meeting and I didn't remember that.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I try to do one real block every Sunday at the beginning of the week, talk with my husband, you know, any parents, or if you have help with kids to get all of that scheduled.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this really helps you gauge your week and what you need to accomplish.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then each day I like to set on that schedule three tasks that need to be accomplished.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's a deadline on Thursday.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I try and spread out what I need to do throughout the week.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Then every day I like to go in and instead of just opening my email and starting, I realized that would sort of set my day up not as successfully as I would want to.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: I would feel stressed and anxious, trying to like quickly respond to everybody right away.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: So what I like to do is spend 15 to 20 minutes each morning reviewing what I have that day.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Do I need to make any tweaks to the schedule?
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Do I need to add any tasks that maybe take priority over others that I had set previously on Sunday?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then I just map out the day that way into these time chunks of projects here or pick up the kids, or you have a work meeting, or you need to do at night, I that's when I like to do my writing.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if I have a free evening, maybe I don't have baseball with my kiddos.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll schedule a 30-minute session that evening to do some writing.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: But that's kind of how those two pieces.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: So one big planning at the beginning of the week, yeah, and then one quick one every morning.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Every morning, okay.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: And is there a calendar you like to use that you found is really user-friendly?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I've tried a lot of calendars, I will say.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my husband and I do use uh, you know, our phone calendars, but for me, I have to write it down.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so I love both the simplified planner and I love the Laurel Dennis planner.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I've used both of those on and off throughout the years.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like especially for parents, it really helps you um lay out your day in a way where, especially with multiple, I have two boys, so having multiple drop-offs or sports things, you're able to actually fill in the whole day.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that is something I really appreciate, where it's not just some of the planners I found don't have enough room to write this block style.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: So these two I really love for being able to really plan out your day.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: And they also have wonderful um brain dump areas in that in that same planner.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: So you can put all your tasks, you can instead of keeping it all in your head, getting it down into your planner, so it really becomes becomes a part of me, but then I know at least I've written everything somewhere.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: So that is the simplified planner.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: And what was the other one?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Laurel Dennis.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Laurel Dennis, okay.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Or Denise, sorry.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: I probably said I'm sorry, Laurel Dennis.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Denise planner.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry about that.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because I'm gonna include some of these uh links in the show notes for listeners as well.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: On that note, then, are there any other systems in place that help you stay organized on and on track, or is that the main one?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think the biggest part, those two I would say are for time management.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: The bigger piece that I always like to incorporate into that is figuring out, because I myself have experienced burnout.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: You say yes to everything and you all of a sudden are involved in so many different things.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: But I feel like self-care and planning go hand in hand, truthfully.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So those, those two together are what I have found really help create a sort of a balanced time management system.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so some of the habits I was gonna say that help me with that are um creating healthy habits throughout the day.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: That would be, you know, trying to work out when I can.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: So court, making sure I plan out time to get a workout in or at least get some sort of walk with my dog or something in so I can be outside um eating, eating regularly.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: I know that sounds crazy, but as a parent, sometimes I forget to eat breakfast and I'm like, okay, can't do that.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: That does not set you up for a good day.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: So getting those two things into your schedule for the day.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also, I really like to plan before my kids wake up.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't have to be early.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: I've I've tried the whole 5 a.m.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: thing.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not a 5 a.m.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: person.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: I can't do that.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's too early.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: But I will say I do try and get up, even just 15 minutes.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: My kids get up at 6:30.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I try to get up at like six at least.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I have that time where I can sit, have my coffee, maybe read a few pages.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: I have a few books that I love that are either meditative or prayer books.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then if I don't have time for that in the morning, because you know, sometimes you have too much going on, even just using, I have a shower spray I love.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll just take maybe a minute or two, spray my shower spray, and take just a minute or two to collect yourself in the morning.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that type of self-care really helps set you up for the day.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then additionally, having that support.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: I could not do this without my own village, my husband, my boys, they help throughout the house with chores.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: My parents, whenever my husband and I are stretched, they help with pickups or kids, friends, extended family, um, having that good support system to sort of back up, um, back you up is is really crucial.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good point.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Well, also, you you mentioned healthy habits and you know, cooking, right?
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: As a mom, that's a big part or an important part of our day.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: Is there a system or a program or anything that you use that you have found has been very helpful in in keeping it simple yet healthy?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it it's less of a system, I would say, more so um, because my boys, when they come home, as part of my Sunday planning, I love to try, and I can send you the link.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's tons of them on Amazon, but I do try and do kind of healthy snack packs.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that way it takes one thing off of my plate.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then also I add a few for myself.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: And that's just something like you said, it helps you with the healthy eating.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And rather than everybody grabbing the chips that we all love or something that might not be as healthy, um, it allows you to not um or to give it a healthy snack option, but without taking up too much time.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: So on a Sunday, I'll put together just a some of those snack packs throughout the week, put them in the fridge, everybody knows where they are and they can quickly grab them.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's kind of a quick, quick one for that.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I would say also um just being able to at night, I've started my husband and I both we were noticing in the mornings things were so rushed with lunch.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so what we do try to do is get lunch prepped for the the day, the next day the night before.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of having everything doing, you know, getting to the kids ready for school and dressed and breakfast and trying to get everybody out the door, we just felt rushed.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then we were either having them buy lunch or forgetting, you know, just grabbing the quickest thing we could do for their lunches and even our lunch.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: So we do try and do all of that the night before as well, and just making sure you have that time frame for that.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: But I think for the eating healthy, just those two little changes really help.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then there are doing your meal planning ahead of time as well.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: So Sundays really are our planning days.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: We try and plan out what we're having for the week.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: My husband actually really loves to go to the grocery store.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wonderfully.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: He does.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: So he will plan kind of two days of the week where if there's something, you know, meat generally he likes to get it the day before, but he'll plan that out.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, we're gonna get Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have these nights.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: We'll do repeats on busy nights.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: So anything that we can find that will do like a two-night dinner, sort of bonus dinner.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, things like that help us from eating out too frequently or things like that where we really can um just help our bodies fuel with healthier foods.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, because I think that's such a big part of it.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, when we are feeling better, we're gonna be able to handle more and juggle more.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's just such an important part of it.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Lindsay, before we close, what advice would you give to parents who feel overwhelmed by everything they're responsible for?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: I would first start with um, just start with grace, be kind to yourself.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think this leans into a lot of the self-care.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: We're so quick to jump to things like you didn't do enough or um you didn't finish a task on your list.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: And instead, I I'm guilty of it myself.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of feeling like you didn't accomplish something, this is sort of where that structure of being flexible ties in.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, you didn't get a task done that day, you can move it to the next day.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can adjust and rework.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you can work around those tasks.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's the biggest piece.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you are doing more than you realize you are doing in a day.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like when I was home with my boys because I stayed home with them for six and a half years, this I was very guilty of because I wasn't writing my tasks as much then.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I always felt like sometimes a day would go by and you're like, what did I do?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: I know I did things, but it's hard to so this sort of helps you also gauge.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: And for me at least, it helps me feel like, oh, okay, maybe, maybe I did accomplish more than than I did.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: So writing it down for me at least helps sh helps me not only keep track of those tasks, but also at the end of the day, looking back and realizing, okay, well, maybe I didn't finish these items, but look, look at everything else I did.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the next time you look at that um to-do list and you see those smaller tasks around, you know, you you won't feel as maybe overwhelmed by them, whether it's folding laundry, you know, soccer practice, like I said, all of those, all of those things.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just being able to be flexible with yourself and to be kind to yourself.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: Good advice.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: Great advice.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: Lindsay, thank you so much for being on the show for taking time out of your busy schedule to come back and share.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: I hope that these tips will be a great help to many busy parents.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for sharing.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: And listeners, thank you, Sharon.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's been great to have you here.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: And listeners, thank you for joining us today.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: Be sure to check the show notes for links to Lindsay's book, and I'm going to list some of the resources that we discussed in there today as well.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: And share this episode with another busy parent you want to encourage.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: Then come back next week for another episode.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Until then, have a blessed week.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: Are you looking for creative, biblically based books for that special child in your life?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Would you like to inspire in your child a love for reading and a love for God's Word?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Check out Questions for Kids, a picture book series your whole family can enjoy.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: You'll follow the adventures of Lucy and her Papa Joe as they journey into the Bible to discover unique periods of Bible history, getting answers to life's important questions, and learning all about God's never-changing, never-failing, and never-ending love.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: Each book counters the cultural narrative by diving into the Bible to explore the people, places, and events that will help shape a strong faith in God.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: With these delightfully illustrated books, you'll help build your child's biblical literacy.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: One whole, beautiful book at a time.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: You'll find the Questions for Kids series by Karen Ferguson on Bookshop, Amazon, at your favorite book retailer, or visit Karen's website at Karenferg.com.