Have more time, rather than time management!

When Time Slips Through Your Fingers (and Your Kids Are Screaming in the Background)

You know those mornings when you wake up already behind?

You open your eyes and you’re instantly thinking:

“Did I sign that form?

Where are their shoes?

Why is someone already crying?”

You make breakfast while unloading the dishwasher, answering a text from school, and mentally prepping for work.

Someone spills milk.

Someone else can’t find their hoodie.

You ask for shoes on—once, twice, seven times—and it still doesn’t happen.

By the time you finally get them out the door, you’re drained.

And it’s not even 8:30am.

Then there’s guilt.

Frustration.

Mental chaos.

You sit down to work or finally take a moment to think… and your brain is fried.

Not because you did so much—but because of how hard it all felt.

This isn’t just a time management issue.

You also need to set realistic expectations.

It’s like money - we always want to spend more than we have !

It’s an energy leak.

And most of it comes from the constant behaviour struggles, the negotiation, the resistance, the meltdowns—and the never-ending mental tabs open in your brain.

Here’s the real secret no one talks about:

When your kids’ behaviour improves, your time expands.

Because you’re no longer wasting 20 minutes trying to get them to brush their teeth or battling with them to get in the car.

You’re not spending your day carrying the emotional weight of guilt, anger, and worry.

You’re not rehashing the arguments in your head while also trying to cook, work, or remember what day the school trip is.

So what can you do?

Here are a few shifts that go beyond the usual “time-blocking” tips:

1. Regulate yourself first.

Your energy sets the tone. Kids feed off stress and tension. Start your morning you-first, even if it’s 5 minutes of quiet before they wake up. A regulated parent = a regulated home.

2. Get curious, not furious.

Instead of battling behaviour, get under it. “Why might she be clingy today?” “Is he overtired?” This pause not only reduces meltdowns—it protects your mental bandwidth.

3. Set boundaries with warmth.

You don’t have to shout to be heard. Clear expectations, calmly held, stop the back-and-forth that steals your time and energy.

4. Make transitions easier.

Most of the stress happens around getting out the door, switching activities, or ending screens. Add routines, use timers, give choices—but most of all, prepare them in advance. It saves so much emotional load.

5. Lower the chaos to lift your capacity.

Kids thrive with consistency. When they know what to expect and feel emotionally safe, they behave better. Less drama = more time to do what matters (and maybe even drink your tea hot).

Check your expectations first.

You don’t need a new planner.

You need fewer battles.

And the good news? That’s completely doable.

You’re not lazy. You’re not bad at this.

You’re just running a system that’s overloaded.

The more you reduce the behavioural friction in your home, the more time and energy you’ll feel in your day.

It’s not about doing more.

It’s about struggling less.

And that changes everything.

Here are five simple but powerful steps you can take this week:

1. Pick one time of day that feels hardest (like mornings or dinner) and simplify it.

Strip it back. Set expectations. Let some things go. Calm that one zone, and everything starts to shift.

2. Start giving 5-minute warnings for transitions.

Kids act out when they feel rushed or blindsided. Prepping them before a change reduces pushback.

3. Use fewer words.

Talking too much when you’re trying to get them to do something can invite more arguing. Be clear, kind, and concise.

4. Notice when they’re good.

Catch them cooperating or being helpful—even if it’s tiny—and say something. It builds connection and reduces the need for misbehaviour.

5. Ask Vanessa for help.

Honestly—sometimes you need to know what you need to do, not more pressure. If you’re stuck in reactive mode and want calmer, smoother days, I can help. Parenting isn’t meant to feel this hard.

Send me a message and let’s chat about what’s really going on in your home—and how to turn it around without the battles.