Time management

There's only 24 hours in the day. That's it. But these days, I am balancing work, graduate school, starting a small business on the side and raising a houseful of teenagers and elementary schoolers. Making the most of my time is a challenge. Realizing that, I participated in a Kaplan University Webinar on time management recently (while eating lunch — multitasking to make the most of my time!). Here are some of the tips I learned and some of the tips I shared to wring some extra time out of your day.

- Find the time wasters and cut them out(mostly — you don't have to be a fanatic). I cut back on my television watching because some of the network shows were just plain brainless (Momma's Boys? Need I say more?)and I started my graduate studies. It is amazing how much you can get done once you cut the TV off.

- Stop procrastinating about things you don't want to do. I was told once to pretend I had to eat a bug. Now who wants to eat a bug? But if you had to, it would be better to just do it and get it over with than to think all day about that bug. Yuck, I know. If there is something you just don't want to do but you have to, just get it over with and you don't have to think about it.

- Act now. Like Nike says, just do it. I try to do this at work. If there is a little task that needs to be done, if I do it right then, then I don't have to worry about remembering to do it because — ta-da! — it is already done!

- Block in the priorities first. Put the big things on the schedule first — family, work, exercise, studying — whatever your big things are. The other stuff will fit in. And if it doesn't fit? Then maybe you don't need it in your schedule. If it doesn't make your short list or won't fit on the page of your Daytimer, then maybe it is not important, or maybe it's something that would be great to do, just not right now. Figure it out.

— Use your Crock-Pot. The time you put into loading your Crock-Pot with veggies, meat and spices will pay off with a hot dinner when you are home from work, kids' sports, etc. Put baking potatoes in there on low, and when you come home, you will have wonderful baked potatoes, ready to go. Last Sunday afternoon, I had a paper due for grad school, so I loaded the Crock-Pot with chili ingredients at 1 p.m. and started on the paper. By 5:30, I was done with the paper and dinner was hot and ready. I promise I'll share some of my favorite Crock-Pot recipes soon!

- Technology. It can be a blessing or a curse. Some days I feel like I do nothing but respond to e-mails! If e-mails, IM's or the cell phone is eating up your time, just cut them off. Hard to do, I know, but you'll be glad you did.

- Use small blocks of time. This is key — if I waited until I had four uninterrupted hours to study, read, clean house, etc., well, I'd have a long wait ahead. I take along my textbooks and pdfs to my kids' sports practices and use that 30 minutes to an hour. Going to the doctor's office? Take whatever you need to read there. This morning, my living room was a wreck, but I took 20 minutes before I went to work and vacuumed, dusted and put away toys. It's not ready for the Better Homes and Gardens photographer, but I won't be cringing when friends stop by this evening.

- Schedule some time for YOU! We moms are the worst at this — we do for everyone else but ourselves. Well, no more. Make some time for yourself — get out and exercise, get a haircut, read a chapter of a book while drinking a latte at Mickey D's, and — how about this one — get a full night's sleep! You can't take care of everything and everyone unless you take care of yourself.

Got some more time management tips? Toss them my way!