Time Confetti and the Stressed Working Homeschool Mom
I recently came across the concept of Time Confetti. It was mentioned to me by Luba from The Hub as we were talking about managing homeschooling and work at the same time.
You know how much I talk about time management, so you can imagine how intrigued I was! What is time confetti and what effect does it have on us as working homeschool moms?
What is Time Confetti?
According to Hubstaff, time confetti, a term coined by Brigid Schulte, is our tendency to use our leisure time to do lots of small tasks.
I don’t know about you, but I definitely have been guilty of this! It can sometimes be really hard for me to just do nothing. I often feel like I should be doing something productive because there’s so much to do!
That being said, I know as a busy working homeschool mom, you need to maximize the time you have. At the same time, tasks can easily bleed into each other, if you’re not careful. So what does this mean for you (and me) as a stressed working homeschool mom?
The Negative Effects of Time Confetti
If you’re working and homeschooling at the same time, self care and time to yourself are so needed. But it can also often be a struggle to get them.
You need to prioritize them, let some things go, get used to the guilt that comes from taking time from others and set boundaries. None of these things are easy!
So when you finally manage to get some time to chill or do what you like, you should try to make the most of it. But if you’re not careful, that time is going to be fragmented and split up into small chunks.
If you spend your self care time checking emails, scrolling on social media and answering messages, it’s going to lose its potency. And you’re still going to feeling scattered and stressed afterwards.
Here’s another interesting quote from Behavioral Scientist to really bring the message home.
Making the Most of your Free Time
Ok, so you have more time leisure time than your grandmother had. But there are so many more things that make it difficult to enjoy! So let’s look at some ways to overcome this so that you can really relax when you need to.
Do a Time Audit
When you’re trying to make any time-related change to your day, then doing a time audit is always a good place to start! As time is a subjective experience, it may be hard to know for sure how much time you actually use for any given task.
When you’ve taken note of how you spend your time for 3 to 5 days, you’ll have the data to make informed decisions about how you’re spending your time. It will show you how much me time you have and also how you’re using it!
Get Rid of Distractions
I’m sure you know how distracting your phone can be. We live in an era of hyper connectivity and it can be hard to resist the pull of connection to the outside world that your phone offers.
I often use the do not disturb button on my phone. It’s simple and effective and really only take a few seconds to use. Here is a list of apps to help you focus that you could also try.
Block Your Time
Time blocking is another wonderful way to overcome multitasking. It helps your brain to focus by only doing one particular task at a time. But it also gives time to things you would usually scatter throughout your day.
If you block a time to scroll on social media, to answer emails or to get to your messages, you’ll be able to get your fix. But it will be done without causing you to lose focus from other activities.
Do Something Positive with Your Bits of Time
If you can’t manage to have big chunks of time to chill, then you could try and use the bit for something positive. You could leave your negative phone habits and try some of these activities instead:
- take a few deep breaths
- listen to some music
- read a few pages
- go for a short walk
- do some stretches
- have a cup of tea
- speak to a friend
Final Thoughts on Fighting Time Confetti
It’s not going to be easy to break the time confetti habit. Our brains love habits, especially bad ones, so it can be hard overcome them. But don’t be hard on yourself!
You’re being bombarded from all sides with things to stimulate and interest you. It’s a cool time to be alive! But it’s also an intense and distracting time to be alive.
If you’re motivated to make the most of your time, then that’s the first hurdle. After that, take small steps in the right direction until you get to where you want to be.
You can slowly chip away at the time confetti habit until your leisure time is relaxing, reinvigorating and refreshing. At the same time productivity can also have its own effective place in your day.
As always, I’m here if you want to talk it through. Having a sounding board or someone to keep you accountable can help you to achieve your goals much easier and quicker! Let’s chat!
Follow me Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more homeschool shenanigans, advice and resources. And please check out my working homeschool mom coaching if you need some extra help and support.
