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Time Management 101

2/12/2019

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Time Management 101 - Productivity Tips for When Life Gets Too Busy
When someone brings up essential skills for independent living, time management might not be at the top of your list.

It’s probably not one you would think of until your to do list has gotten out of control.

This post is the 2nd in a multi-part series on helping your child to succeed at moving out on their own or how to "help your kid move out and stay out."

This post covers how to help (ahem) "your child" establish good time management skills. I'll help you get the basics of good time management by sharing
  • The definition of time management
  • Why good time management skills are important
  • Where the crux of the problem lies
  • 5 Steps to get on top of your schedule
  • 5 Great time management strategies
  • 5 Tools to help you be more productive (including a great to-do list app)

Maybe you don't feel like you have time to manage your time. Making time for time management is like using a wish to ask for more wishes. It pays off in spades.
​

"You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” - Charles Buxton

​So what is time management exactly? 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines time management as
“the practice of using the time that you have available in a useful and effective way, especially in your work: He's intelligent, but poor time management is limiting his success.”

​Time management skills are most often addressed as productivity. You’ve probably heard of some of the top experts in this field, like Tim Ferriss, Craig Jarrow, or David Allen. These guys are next level, high performance advisers to the most successful people in the business world. Definitely worth investigating, but a little intense for the beginner.

In this article we'll hit the basics – effective, easy tasks and methods that even a kid can start doing now. For the purposes of this article I’ll articulate the definition of being good at time management as such:

Being good at time management means organizing your time intentionally and prioritizing activities that efficiently advance you towards your goals and honor your values.
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​Why are good time management skills important? 

Good time management is essential to success. And it's not limited to success in the workplace. Success as a friend, parent, spouse, fitness, anything… requires good time management skills. Success in any endeavor requires giving it the proper amount of time at the right time.
 
Motivational public speaker and self-development author Brian Tracy says,
“Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends.“ 

It’s easy to let the seemingly urgent tasks of life crowd out the more precious and lasting priorities such as faith and family. 

Living out your priorities and achieving your goals require being intentional and disciplined.

Time management is a particular challenge for young adults just launching out on their own. According to this article about half of the college kids surveyed felt like they were under-performing due to poor organizational skills and 88 percent of the college students said they want to improve their ability to manage their time.

For most kids, their schedules and priorities have been managed for them. Independence means unprecedented freedom and responsibility. Not knowing how to manage their time well can lead to missed deadlines, increased stress, and poorer performance at school or in the workplace.

It has been said that time is money, but the argument can be made that time is more valuable than money.
As founder and CEO of Life Hack, Leon Ho put it
“If you lose money, you might get a chance to make it back; but a wasted hour is irreplaceable.”

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Help Your Kid To Move Out And Stay Out

1/23/2019

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How To Help your Kid Move out and stay out - part 1
Chances are, if your child is moving out, you'd like them to move out and stay out.  

Not that you don't love them, but you're ready for them to succeed on their own.

This post covers how to know when it's time for your kid to move out, what essential documents you'll need to gather for your child, and how to properly handle those documents. Also covered are the additional documents kids in the foster care system and the adults helping them should gather and store.

This post is the first in a multi-part series, covering how to help your child succeed at moving out on their own.

Whether they are headed to college or not, it's a huge adjustment for all parties involved. The argument could be made that moving off to college is more often a soft transition - with lots of continued help potentially from the parents and school. This article by NYU Child & Adolescent Psychology provides some great tips, in addition to what I'll be sharing, for helping parents and kids manage the psychological impact of transitioning to college. 

​It used to be common practice to move out after high school, at about 18 or 19 years old. And legally, they aren’t entitled to live with you past 18 years old.
But Time Magazine’s article, Read This Before You Push Your Deadbeat Millennial Out of the House recommends letting your kid stay longer to “help them make the most out of the financial breathing room you’re providing.”

A May 2016 Pew survey indicates that 18-34 year olds are doing just that, “a record 32 percent of young adults live with their parents. For the first time in more than 75 years, living in Motel Mom is the most common kind of living arrangement.”

In fact, according to the Pew survey, living with a parent became the most common young adult living situation in 2016 for the first time on record!

So how do you know when “it’s time” for your kid to move out?

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    Author

    Hi, I'm Christina Dronen, co-founder of Finally Family Homes. On this blog we focus on helping caregivers & teens learn what they need to be successful, thriving, independent adults with a little fun mixed in.

    Christina Dronen - founder of Finally Family Homes - A non-profit helping teens, especially from the foster care system, transition into adulthood
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