How all Single Parents can Manage Time for Personal Growth and Productivity

As a single parent who solely has to meet the needs of your children the three culprits: procrastinations, interruptions, and distractions has to be identified and managed otherwise they will destroy your personal development and productivity efforts.

Procrastinations often arise because psychologically you don't want to do the task and consequently you keep putting it off. 

You either perceive the task as being too difficult, too aggravating, too provoking or all three and try to avoid doing it. However, avoidance is not the solution and the longer you put it off, the more anxious you will become. 

The solution is psychological in nature. You need to relax, visualize the most positive and constructive outcome you can, and then focus on the steps necessary to make the outcome a reality. Take the steps and then be pleasantly surprised at what happens.

Interruptions can be phone calls, someone wanting to visit, or any unanticipated event. Interruptions, however, can be prevented. If you're working at home consider structuring your day and vow to stick to your structure.

Break your day down into time/task segments. For example, if according to your body clock, you are typically alert and do your best mentally challenging work in the morning do it even if you work outside your home.Then when your children come home from school you have the energy and composure to make sure that they adhere to the structure that you have set.

Allow time in the evening to have dinner with your children, helping them with their homework, and listening to their concerns. Afterwards engage in an activity that is personally satisfying and relaxing. Let your children know that you will be setting this time aside for yourself.

Distractions are the result of an undisciplined mind. Distractions principally happen as a matter of choice. You can choose to dwell on the argument you had with a friend or an acquaintance or you can choose to be distracted by unexpected events  instead of focusing on your tasks. The choice is yours.

While procrastinations are also a matter of choice, distractions are even more so. Procrastinations might indeed be associated with having to deal with an unsavory experience such as having to discontinue a relationship, reveal some other type of bad news to someone, or just doing something you just don't want to do but has to be done. 

Distractions on the other hand tend to result from an idle mind - a mind without a focus. Choosing to focus and act on constructive tasks with a strong desire to do so until you complete them eliminates distractions.

Your personal development as well as your productivity depends upon you clearly identifying these three culprits and taking the steps to eliminate them. 

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