Time Management and Students: Questions About Menu Planning

I get a lot of questions about some of the time management strategies I talk about and one hot topic in particular concerns menu planning. Some common questions are...

When I'm already strapped for time how am I supposed to have the time to plan a full month's worth of menus?

The object isn't to plan a month's worth at one time but simply to work...day by day...toward creating a master menu plan. Each day as your family eats dinner and likes what they're eating then that meal...in the beginning...gets written down on an index card and filed away temporarily. Later you'll make your very own recipe book with the different...already family approved...recipes. So this is not going to require any more time than simply writing the meal down on a 3x5 index card for now...you can do that while browning hamburger.

I don't even know of 30 dinners my family eats!

You do not...I repeat, you do not...need to know 30 meals before you start this time saving task. You only need to know what your family's going to eat tonight. Here's the thing-the next 30 days are going to pass. They can either pass with you doing the same as you've always done...scrounging for ideas for meals day by day, walking like a zombie through the grocery store (even when it's not Halloween), and just feeling stressed out over the whole what-am-I-going-to-fix-for-dinner-tonight conundrum or 30 days from now, after taking 30 little bitty steps toward eating that proverbial elephant, you'll have a month's worth of menus to create your own recipe book and every single one will already be approved by your family.

If I make a month's worth of meals on paper there's going to be a lot of repeats and my family doesn't like that.

You don't create these menus all at once. They are created day by day for a couple of reasons.

First, because no one really has the time to just sit and think about 30 meals their family will eat.

Second, if we did create it all at once it would be very limiting because we would forget some of our family's favorite meals.

Third, that would simply fry my brain to try to remember all the foods we like at one time.

Fourth, by doing it day by day you get into the habit of writing down favorites and this is important because hopefully you won't quit experimenting.

Hopefully, you won't stop at one month's worth of menus. Keep trying new things and keep building your list of favorites.

Want more tips on time management? If so, then download my free ebook about Time Management and Students where you'll find ideas for time management in several crucial areas where we all struggle.

Time Management Tips - Create Effective Boundaries Using 5 Essential Questions

Time management tips give you power. Setting successful time boundaries is one of the most significant time management skills you can develop. Once you cultivate the understanding of how to say "no" to distractions, and make it stick, you own your time.

Boundaries fail all the time, of course. How often do you personally approach setting boundaries with reluctance, with undue force, or avoid the challenge altogether? Well, it doesn't have to be that way!

Your key to success lies in sorting 2 things out:
Where can you put a boundary in place regardless of others' response? Where is it not only helpful but also essential to negotiate with others?

Most boundaries require both independent action and negotiating. So it's for you to distinguish between the two sets of actions. Once you do, you will experience enormous relief! You can then move forward proactively in all areas where that is appropriate, and openly negotiate where you need to. This reduces power-struggling and encourages genuine collaboration.

Earlier articles in this series discuss how to frame boundaries to claim all your proactive power. This article discusses 5 vital questions to help you anchor your new boundary with effective negotiation.

5 Essential Questions for Effectively Negotiating Time Boundaries

To set effective boundaries, you must identify your priorities, your strengths, and where success will require collaboration. Get ready to negotiate by working with the following 5 questions:
What issues are non-negotiable?
Let's say you need two hours of undisturbed time one day a week to function at your best. Write down exactly how this benefits you and your overall effectiveness. The more you focus on the actual goal, the more creatively you can approach how that goal will be implemented. Don't confuse firmness with rigidity!
Exactly where are you willing to compromise?
Listing typical activities you engage in on a particular day can help you spot what commitments you can delegate, drop or postpone during this two hour private time. Again, keeping your long-range objectives in mind might help you rethink outworn routines.
What issues require consensus?
Your commitments help shape your relationships. Respect is just as important as assertiveness when you make big changes. How does your taking a block of undisturbed time affect others' plans? Make a list of potential problem areas. The boundary won't be "watertight" until those issues are resolved.
What sort of cooperation will be needed?
You may not need cooperation to simply refuse to take calls for one day a week. But you need to have an agreed-upon process to handle emergencies. As you clarify what's of central importance to you, others' priorities may become more defined, as well. It's ideal if you can approach setting boundaries as an opportunity to renew and revitalize relationships.
What outcomes can you let go of?
Boundaries are exercises in selective control. Others have the right to try to change your mind (though you don't need to oblige them). Then again, you may choose to delegate tasks you'd formerly reserved for yourself. When you let go of responsibility, you may forfeit control over the outcome. How will you feel if others become more autonomous? Your boundaries may challenge you to grow in new directions, too!

Any number of win/win options exist. So consider doing some extensive brainstorming before setting boundaries. Then you'll be well prepared to craft satisfying resolutions.

So, what is your very first step in setting the kinds of boundaries that really give you back your time?

For a strong start, sign up for our free gift, "The New Finding Time Boundary Template: 9 Simple, Sequential Steps to Find More Time and Recharge Your Energy!" at http://thetimefinder.com/Template.html

This time template will help you move beyond overwhelm, disappointment, and frustration. Using a workbook format, with room to record your answers, you will discover that 24 hours really are enough!

Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D., The Time Finder Expert.