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How to Take Back Your Time

June 3, 2008

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Source: ARA Content

Busy families across the country can all agree on one thing – there is too much going on and never enough time to get it all done. Keeping track of a family’s overcrowded schedule can require the skills of a master juggler and seasoned negotiator.

It doesn’t just seem like free time is shrinking – it actually is. In the last 25 years, children’s structured sports time has doubled, and children ages 3 to 12 have lost 12 hours per week of free time. Additionally, from 1973 to 2000, the average U.S. worker added 199 hours to his or her annual work schedule.

The good news is that with the right tools and a good organizational strategy, you really can fit more fun and function into your day.

Recent research conducted by MeadWestvaco uncovered common family scheduling problems, including the challenge of communicating between family members, tracking information, juggling appointments and events for multiple parties, and organizing and storing documents.

“The most common complaint is finding an easy way to get the family organized and communicating scheduling changes among family members,” explains Cindy Van Tyle, of MeadWestvaco. “In our quest to find a simple solution to offer busy families, color coding rose to the top as an effective and easy way to manage the details.”

Assigning each family member a color for all aspects of organization is a quick and intuitive way to keep track of everything from schedules to paperwork. The beauty of color coding is how easy it is to put into practice. Even preschoolers can start taking part in family organization.

Written by Editor · Filed Under Stress Management | Leave a Comment