When you have a couple of kids and a spouse to handle, it can get overwhelming trying to make sure everything is getting done when it should. Children have school and after-school activities to get to at least five times a week, while likely either you or your spouse, if not both, also have to go to work, handle meetings, and more.

That’s not including all the other things that need to get done, such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, and laundry. It often seems that there isn’t enough time in the day.

While there are some days that you just won’t be able to get ahead, you can minimize those days by creating better time management and getting organized. This can help you destress and have a flow. So here are some tips on how to manage time when you have a family to take care of.

 

Create a Family Calendar

Having a large calendar for the whole family is a great way to keep everyone on track. You can write down events and times, and create a schedule that everyone can look at and check to confirm there are no conflicting plans.

While having a large calendar right in your home can be nice, as you can see it anytime you walk by, you can also get more into the technological side. Apps like Google Calendar allow everyone to share their schedules and you can put information in at the drop of a hat.

Many emails and other apps will automatically schedule into the calendar as well, so you don’t have to worry if you forget. Also, you can pre-schedule repetitive tasks  so you don’t have to write them down dozens of times. Just set it to repeat, and the calendar will do the rest.

It is also beneficial to check that there are no overlapping times. Since you aren’t just writing times on the calendar, you can make fewer mistakes with scheduling conflicts, and notice if  there are problems sooner. Since the app works on a visual level, it is easy to see when things are overlapped at a glance.

This means your schedule is available wherever you go, and for your family too. No more trying to remember everything while you are out running around or trying to schedule an appointment; just pull it up on your phone.

The hardest part is trying to make sure that everyone actually inputs their schedule into the calendar. If someone constantly forgets to schedule their important events, then it can be a bit of a hassle and stressful for everyone else involved.

 

Find Other Ways to Help Everyone Get Around

Another issue that takes up a lot of time in a day is transportation. Not every family can afford more than one car, or have children that can drive themselves. This means that you often have a parent that has to drive children to school; then maybe drop their spouse off at work, drive  to their own job or various tasks for the day, and then go and pick up the kids again.

This means that one parent spends a lot of their day just driving around. However, if you consider other solutions, like carpooling between parents or coworkers, you can save money and time. If it is an event that can’t be carpooled but overlaps with other plans, you can also look at a car service. For example, there are chauffeur services Los Angeles that can safely get you or your children to where they need to go throughout the whole city.

 

Get into a Routine

For the most part, you’ll probably have events that repeat. Children have to go to school at pretty much the same time every day; work is usually around the same time, and after-school events are on set days of the week.

Establishing these repeating events as the core of your routine can make a lot of tasks painless and even mindless to perform. You know you have to get up at the same time every day, pack school lunches, and head out the door. You could probably do it in your sleep.

To make life even easier, you can also make a routine out of other parts of your life. Maybe you go shopping the same day of the week and do laundry every other day. Creating a set schedule makes life feel less frantic and you can complete a lot of your daily tasks without even having to worry about them.

Getting your kids into a routine can also help. Make a set time for homework, chores, and eating. While there can be some exceptions and some wiggle room, having a basic routine in place lets everyone know what to expect.

If it works for your family, you can also consider scheduling meal plans. This means that you have a schedule for dinner and even breakfast ideas. You can do a weekly schedule or a monthly schedule depending on how many meal options your family goes through. This can make it easier to go grocery shopping and you don’t have to make as many meal decisions as you usually would .