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Writer's pictureBrian Page

Time Management: Work Smarter at Home, Not Harder

Updated: Jan 4

Keeping work and life in balance takes more than just putting in hours—it takes optimizing them. We'll explore savvy strategies tailored for the modern marriage, aimed at boosting productivity, reclaiming your day, and ensuring that your efforts yield greater results without staying up all night. 


The Eisenhower Matrix


Prioritize tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix. Named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Matrix is a productivity tool that categorizes tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance.


It helps prioritize tasks by sorting them into: urgent and important; important but not urgent; urgent but not important; neither urgent nor important.


The Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix (Image Credit: Asana)

This method assists in focusing on high-impact tasks, reducing stress, and ensuring time is allocated efficiently toward what truly matters.


Time Block Your Day


The best way to time block is to identify your most productive hours and assign them to your highest-priority tasks in order to maximize focus and efficiency. Establish a healthy balance between focused work, breaks, and essential meetings by breaking up your day into chunks.


Maintain a schedule as much as possible, but remain flexible to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, which will increase productivity and give you a sense of accomplishment by the end of the day.


Example Time Blocked Calendar
Example Time Blocked Calendar (Image credit: Get Clockwise)

You can use this strategy to manage your busy home. Use a shared calendar to cut down on unnecessary communication.


Set Goals


Set daily, weekly, and monthly S.M.A.R.T. goals for your day, defining what you want to accomplish and why it matters.


Measurable goals are those that can be tracked through metrics or milestones. By setting realistic deadlines and ensuring they're achievable within the day, relevant to your overall objectives, and time-bound, you can create a productive daily schedule that aligns with your larger goals while increasing motivation and focus.


SMART goal image

Delegate effectively


Recognize tasks that others can handle and delegate them. Delegation frees up your time for tasks that truly require your expertise or attention, allowing you to concentrate on higher-level work.


Establish age-appropriate responsibilities for each family member, emphasizing teamwork and contributions. Consider everyone's abilities and interests when creating a chore chart or schedule, and rotate responsibilities regularly to promote fairness and skill development. 




Embrace automation and tools


Leverage technology and tools to automate repetitive tasks or streamline processes. Whether it's using software for data analysis, scheduling apps, or task automation, these tools can save significant time and effort.


Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a future post recommending specific technology to automate some household management tasks.


Learn More


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