What is it about May that makes it the busiest time of the year? Recitals, tournaments, performances, graduations, weddings, birthdays, Mother’s Day, teacher appreciation, field trips, field day, fundraisers for the school, school projects, deadlines for work, deadlines for school, end of school carnivals, the list goes on and on!
Throw a 10 day vacation in the middle of that and I’m feeling it’s nearly impossible to do it all (P.S. I really can’t). BUT, I do have 5 handy time managements tips that will help you hurdle through May—and every other busy month after! These tips help me survive MAY-hem for the most part, and I hope they help you too!
How can you survive MAY-hem?
1. What’s Up for the Week?
Take a look at your weekly plans every Sunday.
Take a quick peek at the week ahead on Sunday. Review your calendar, the obligations, and if you have a family/spouse review the week briefly with them so everyone’s on the same page. Look for any overlaps or scheduling conflicts that need to be resolved.
2. No Next-Day Surprises!
Review your next day before heading to bed.
Reviewing on Sunday may not be enough—especially if you have a full calendar. So, you should also check your calendar before bed. What appointments do you have the following day? What are you obligated to attend? Get in the habit of checking the calendar the night before to save you from surprises.
3. Meal Prepping is Your Friend.
When you do the Sunday planning, you’ll know what’s ahead for the week. If it’s an exceptionally busy week, plan easy meals. This way, you won’t have to run around thinking about what you should cook. We love home cooked meals as often as we can, but there are times it’s just not realistic so we have some easy meals (a favorite is orange chicken from Costco). It takes about 20 minutes to prepare. All you need to do is add rice and a salad and you’ve got yourself a meal! Just be sure your shopping & meal planning supports the week you have ahead.
4. Self Care is Important: what are you doing to take care of YOU each day?
This should probably be #1 on the list. The best advice I received and have followed for years now, is to take care of me. Nourish myself. Self-care looks different for everyone. But for me, it looks like this:
My 4 Steps to Happiness – and where it all began – trishademing.com).
For you, it might be reading a book, going for a walk, meditation, going for a drive, spending time in nature, spending time at the gym. It can be free, it can cost a lot of money. In the end, you get to decide! You can get your hair done, nails done, go shopping. I hope you’re getting the idea. Do something every day that puts you as #1 priority. If you take care of you, you can show up more effectively for those you love and those you work with.
5. Prioritize what is most important.
You may not be able to do it all, and that’s ok! In fact, it’s quite possible you CAN’T do it all. Focus on the “must do’s” and decide what is most important. In every overwhelming moment, just pause and think “what is the next best thing?” You don’t have to do it all, attend it all, and be at it all. You get to decide. Remember, missing a thing or two to protect your peace is totally understandable and in my opinion, essential.
So here’s to May! Let’s survive this together! Although as I said above, these tips are applicable to any busy season in your life. They’re certainly excellent practices daily, weekly and monthly if you want to stay on top of your commitments.
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