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eLearning Series: Time Management
How Can I Manage My Time Better?
( 50 articles in this series )
Time
Management Tips For Soccer Moms
Soccer lore has it that the term first saw
the light of day when a city council, hopeful in the mile high
city of Denver, supplied her with a soccer mom credential for
becoming a council member. Right, wrong, or indifferent, the
truth of the matter clearly indicates that soccer moms
fulfill one of society’s most important and time-consuming
tasks: ensuring
that your young one and his team mates make it to their soccer
games on time, in style, and well-fed. Being a bit of a mother
hen, the typical soccer mom will be the nurturer of the carpool,
the time keeper for the practice rounds, the snack volunteer,
scrape bandager, and communications hub for other parents,
babysitters, siblings, and so forth. Yet at times soccer moms
find themselves on the receiving end of criticism, first and
foremost for a propensity to over-scheduling their children
(and themselves) and for sacrificing valuable opportunities
for their children to simply enjoy the friendships they are
building.
While a lot of the criticism against soccer moms is simply
the result of nonsensical stereotyping, at times it may appear
that a kernel of truth can be found in these statements. Many
a time a soccer mom’s schedule is more demanding than a politician’s
reelection campaign, and adding to this the pressures and time
commitments of family, career, and personal hobbies, it is
clearly evident that soccer moms are in desperate need of excellent
time management skills. For those who may not have quite attained
the highest levels of this art, there is hope! Follow these
five easy steps for kicking your time management skills, and
you will not only meet all your deadlines, but will also enjoy
doing so.
Step
one is common sense, but it cannot be underestimated: know
your objective. Let’s face it, driving a car full of kids
to a soccer game in and of itself sounds incredibly easy, but
if one of these kids’ moms suddenly cannot come to pick up
the child? What if someone gets injured? What about little
Sue’s sister’s ballet lesson that is only a five-minute drive
from the soccer field? What is your objective? It is easy to
fall into the trap of alleged teamwork, with your being the
only one working. If you are willing to take a van full of
children to the game, but will not be able or willing to supervise
them after the initial drop off, please be sure to communicate
this clearly. The children’s parents need to understand that
you will be glad to get them to the game, but getting them
home, or getting their siblings to ballet lessons, is out of
the scope of your objective.
This
note ties in with step number two: learn to say “no” and
mean it. Once you know your objective and have built your
schedule around it, avoid exceptions. These exceptions are
sometimes unavoidable, such as an injury on the soccer field,
but oftentimes are simply the result of the poor planning of
others. Remember that your job is not to rescue another parent
every time they have over-scheduled themselves, but instead
your job is to see to it that you and your children will enjoy
the time you have at soccer, learn the game, interact with
friends, and do so without the stress and panic that goes hand
in hand with poor planning. So if another parent asks you to
take little Sue’s sister to ballet practice, and if this will
upset your whole schedule, since it might require you to pull
your son out of practice early, politely but firmly say “no.”
Steps
three and four go hand in hand: begin each month with
a to-do list that covers that particular month only, and then
allocate sufficient time to the tasks. For example, does a
particular month host the biggest game of the season? If so,
you will want to adjust your time schedule to permit for extra
practice sessions, awards banquets, and trips to the trophy
shop. This may mean that your child’s other activities may
need to be rescheduled or alternate rides may need to be secured
to assure that everyone’s needs are met. Do not spread yourself
so thin that an awards banquet leaves you in a lousy, stressed
out mood!
And last, but not least, step number five: have fun and enjoy
the process rather than the result! # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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