June 22, 2022
For family caregivers struggling to juggle care, work, and home life, these time management tips can help.
If today’s to-dos seem like much more than you can possibly fit into 24 short hours, you’re not alone! Family caregivers are often inundated with daily care tasks: Personal care and hygiene. Medical appointments. Housework and laundry. Planning and preparing meals. Planning activities that are purposeful and enjoyable for the senior. Shopping and other errands. And all of this is on top of meeting the requirements of your own household, children, spouse, and if there is any time left over, yourself!
We invite you to hit the pause button for just a moment, take a good, deep breath, and put into action these tried-and-true time management tips to greatly help each day run more smoothly.
Prioritize
Begin the day by prioritizing duties into categories, such as what must be done today, what you’d like to do today, and exactly what can hold off until a later date. This allows you to commit your full focus on the most pressing needs and put aside the rest.
Define
With your list of projects for the day at hand, choose who is most suitable to manage them. You might be the best person to help the senior loved one with showering and getting ready for the day, while a friend may be able to take the older adult to the physician and out for brunch afterwards.
Implement
The temptation to procrastinate can be a strong one to overcome! Now that you have a plan set up for the day, jump in and accomplish the tasks that require your attention. However, keep in mind that self-care should always be a high priority. Surround yourself with a good support system that allows you the time away necessary to ensure your own health is not being compromised.
Through all of it, remind yourself that the work you are doing is incredibly important. It is easy to get swept up around the daily details and lose sight of the big picture and the fact that everything you do for the older adult you love is generating a positive and lasting impact.
With that in mind, allow yourself some grace on the days when things don’t go as scheduled, as will surely be the case from time to time! When a setback or crisis arises and your to-dos are left undone, recognize that tomorrow is a new day and the tasks will undoubtedly be there whenever you’re ready to deal with them again.
Continuum’s experts in at-home care in St. Louis and surrounding areas are fully trained, experienced, and ready to help you in meeting all of a senior family member’s needs – permitting you the time away you need for a healthy and balanced life. Call us at (314) 863-9912 or (636) 861-3336 for a free in-home consultation to find out more information and for more time management tips for family caregivers.