Productivity Tips for Better Time and Stress Management in Midlife

Author: Dr. Brooke Stillwell and Dr. Lynne Mouw
Published: Sun 28 May 2023
Episode Link: https://bleav.com/shows/life-after-kids-with-drs-brooke-and-lynne/episodes/productivity-tips-for-better-time-and-stress-management-in-midlife/

On today’s episode of The Life After Kids Podcast, we’re discussing the importance of time management. Time is the one resource that cannot be replaced or regained, and the contrast of the pandemic slowing things down followed by life speeding up again has made time feel even faster. Time management is important for reducing stress, maintaining emotional balance, and increasing productivity. It’s a form of selfcare, just like exercise and eating well. Taking control of our time and managing our resources helps us prioritize the important tasks in our lives so that we don't feel overwhelmed. Today we discuss three ways to manage time more effectively: stacking, batching, and organizing.

Stacking and batching are two methods of getting more done in less time. Stacking involves pairing one activity with another to make better use of our time, so that we don't have to sacrifice time we would otherwise spend on something else. An example of stacking is listening to an audio book while walking the dog. Batching is a method of organizing tasks into similar groups and doing them all at once, like prepping meals for the week all at once. Organizing things like our closets, drawers, and laundry rooms can save us time day to day as well while reducing stress. All of these methods can help us to make the most of our time and achieve our goals.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about time management and how it helps us live a more productive and purposeful Life after Kids. We’ll take a deeper dive into the pros and cons of each style of time management and give more examples of how we use them in our life to get the day-to-day essentials done while still having time for the memorable and more meaningful activities in life.

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