By Sheri McGregor
Do you ever find yourself rushing your child? With so much to do, it’s easy to fall into the trap of mentally progressing forward to the next activity before it actually arrives. 
When we’re moving through the morning routines, getting a child ready for preschool, are we thinking ahead to all we need to fit into this day? If our child goes two or three days a week, and you utilize those days to get most of your work and business promotion done, you may find yourself thinking ahead. Children recognize this lack of presence. They may dawdle, refuse to brush their teeth, or take forever to eat their breakfast on those mornings, all because they love you and want your full attention. This can cause frustration and a potential power struggle–which results in poor time management.
If you recognize this scenario, forgive yourself and your child. Seek solutions. Children know when we’re not really in the moment. They can sense when we’re preoccupied with our plans for after they go to school or daycare. Perhaps on some level the child feels unwanted.
BE IN THE MOMENT
Instead of rushing or thinking ahead, be fully in the moment. When we are truly present, we might make up a funny song about teeth brushing, and brush our teeth at the mirror with our child. Staying in the present with our children helps them do a good job, which makes for good time management for us. Besides, staying in the present makes the getting ready to go time fun, and infuses the moments together before your child leaves with love and bonding.
How can you be fully in the present with your child during the morning routine? Try infusing frustrating “hurry” moments with presence, and your child will likely respond positively. Get creative, and have fun.
RE-THINK YOUR TIME
You may feel using every moment is good time management, but if doing so cuts inefficiently into your together time with your children, then rethink your time. If you schedule meetings, tasks or phone calls immediately following your child’s drop off at preschool, you may need to rethink the pressure so you can spend a few preparation minutes once you’re alone—not while you are trying to get your child ready. Multi-tasking works for a few things, but for the most part, trying to be in one place while thinking about what’s next only fragments your focus. Accept this then give your all when the time is right. Once you drop your child off, then you can switch into your work and business mode, knowing that you’ve made the most of your time together. These positive feelings allow you to fully focus on what’s at hand, without the ever familiar mommy guilt. Better focus translates to more efficiency, which saves rather than costs you time.
For a fr^ee report on the common time waster that erodes confidence and derails success subscribe to the Balance And Joy E-zine. In each issue, San Diego life coach Sheri McGregor offers tips for time-management and goals success, while helping you remain centered and joyful. Book a complimentary 30-minute discovery session—you’ll clarify goals, uncover challenges that sabotage your success, plus feel renewed, reenergized, and inspired to take action
Tags: efficiency, in the present, Time Management, time-wasters, work-at-home moms