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" Like many working moms, Jeanette Dominguez, 40, a science coach from El Paso, TX, feels like she spends most of her life in the car, shuttling her three kids \u2014 Noah, 12, and 7-year-old twins Jeremy and Jewel \u2014 back and forth from school, Boy Scouts, and playdates. Weekdays require hurriedly pieced-together plans and a litany of cell phone calls as Jeanette and her husband, Albert, a pharmaceutical sales rep, attempt to coordinate a schedule that won&amp;#039;t leave anyone stranded. The stress level builds as helping with homework and getting dinner on the table are tossed into the mix. Jeanette has had enough of this fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants schedule; she wants a more orderly day-to-day plan so she has more quality time with her family \u2014 and for herself \u2014 but she isn&amp;#039;t sure how to do that without something getting lost in the shuffle. Mapping Out Mornings Our first order of business for Jeanette was to make what I call a time map: a visual diagram of where her time currently goes. I wanted to make the haphazard elements of her schedule as visible to her as if the day were a messy closet in need of order. And I wanted to get a sense of what Jeanette was trying to squeeze into that closet \u2014 and decide if it would fit or not. Some time-mapping quickly made it clear that what was so stressful to Jeanette wasn&amp;#039;t the number of commitments on her schedule but the disorder and uncertainty surrounding them. A huge source of stress for her is figuring out how to shuttle everyone to the right place at the right time. The twins, Noah, and Jeanette herself all have to be at different schools, in various parts of town, at different times; this works out fine when Albert doesn&amp;#039;t have an early-morning appointment and can handle some of the drop-offs but is nearly impossible to pull off if he isn&amp;#039;t available. When Albert can&amp;#039;t pitch in, Jeanette sometimes has to call the school and let them know one of her kids will be late \u2014 the last thing she, as an educator and a parent, wants to do. But she didn&amp;#039;t see any way to remedy this situation, at least not until the kids ended up attending the same school. Being at the mercy of a chaotic schedule makes Jeanette feel powerless and requires a tremendous number of last-minute changes each week, but a few minor adjustments could simplify her routine. Albert&amp;#039;s seemingly flexible timetable actually makes things more difficult, since plans are cobbled together each morning depending on his availability. So for starters, I suggested that Jeanette ask him if he could make his day-to-day calendar as concrete as possible a week in advance. Then, if red flags come up, Jeanette can explore alternative arrangements.  For example, our conversation revealed that Jeanette had never looked into the possibility of carpooling, even though the twins are friends with a neighbor whose mom works at home. If that mom could drive the twins on the days Albert is unavailable, Jeanette could offer a trade, such as babysitting, to repay the favor. Or Jeanette could contact her kids&amp;#039; schools to see if they have any early-morning programs. Even if they don&amp;#039;t, Noah, as a middle schooler, might find that he likes being dropped off at school 15 or 20 minutes early to hang out with friends or seek help from a teacher. The key for Jeanette is simply to uncover potential solutions, which will help her day run more smoothly and give her more control of her time. Scheduling Breathing Room The next roadblocks in Jeanette&amp;#039;s time map are after-school pickups, which leave her racing out the door of her own job the moment the final bell rings. Because Jeanette&amp;#039;s parents live nearby and are retired, she&amp;#039;ll call on them for help (typically at the last minute) if she&amp;#039;s running late, though she feels uncomfortable imposing on them. But after hearing Jeanette describe how much her parents enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, I had a feeling they would love to help out more regularly. Jeanette could ask her parents to take on regular pickup days \u2014 say, every Tuesday and Thursday \u2014 instead of foisting chauffeur duty on them without warning. Knowing which days the kids will need a ride would also make it easier for her parents to plan their own lives. In fact, instead of Jeanette&amp;#039;s parents just bringing the kids back to their house to wait for Mom to pick them up, I wondered what would happen if they also took on babysitting duty for a few hours after school. That way, the kids could get some quality grandparent time and Jeanette would have a much-needed break during which she could go to the gym, grab a cup of coffee, or simply relax by herself. I also suggested that Jeanette ask her parents how they&amp;#039;d feel about moving dinner to their house a few nights a week \u2014 especially on the nights when Albert is on a business trip. That way, Jeanette could take an hour or so for herself while Grandma and Grandpa get started on dinner and homework help. Jeanette loved his idea, especially since Jeremy often needs one-on-one attention when he&amp;#039;s working on homework \u2014 something that&amp;#039;s hard for her to give him when she&amp;#039;s also focusing on dinner prep or frantically yanking everyone back into the car to take Noah to Boy Scouts or baseball.  Jeanette is lucky that she has her family nearby, but this type of arrangement could also work among friends or neighbors, with two families splitting carpool and babysitting duties a few afternoons a week. Families could even switch off dinner duty, with one cooking meals for the other one week, then swapping the next. So often, it&amp;#039;s when we feel that we have to do everything alone that we end up becoming overwhelmed \u2014 as Jeanette did. I reminded her that the people we&amp;#039;re close to are usually happy to help out if we ask for it!  Having the Kids Help The final snarl in Jeanette&amp;#039;s time map is right before the kids&amp;#039; bedtimes, when she often finds herself scrambling to clean up and get everything in order for the next day \u2014 which cuts into the one-on-one time she and Albert want to have with each of the kids. The fix here was clear: All of Jeanette&amp;#039;s kids are old enough to help clean, straighten up, and pick out their clothes for the next day. I mentioned to Jeanette that many working parents feel guilty asking their children to help out with housework. But if you train your kids in simple chores, they&amp;#039;ll get done much faster, which allows the entire family to spend more time together. Jeanette, like many moms, wondered if it wouldn&amp;#039;t take more time if the kids helped. I suggested she perform the tasks while her children watch, explaining the whole time why she&amp;#039;s doing things the way she does. For example, if Jeanette is teaching the kids how to unload the dishwasher, she can mention that the reason she&amp;#039;s stacking the dishes only four high is so they won&amp;#039;t be too heavy when she carries them to the cabinet. Narrating the reasons behind your habits is a simple \u2014 and fun \u2014 way to teach kids the most efficient techniques for a task. With these new systems in place, Jeanette and I guessed that she would save at least four to five hours a week, leaving her and her family more time to enjoy one another \u2014 and a lot less time hustling back and forth to the car. Jeanette&amp;#039;s reaction: &amp;quot;Creating a plan each week so we&amp;#039;re not scrambling to figure out who picks up whom made so much sense that my husband and I were embarrassed we hadn&amp;#039;t thought of it on our own! We&amp;#039;ve also started giving our kids some jobs to do around the kitchen. Hopefully, we&amp;#039;ll be able to stay on track as the school year progresses!&amp;quot;  Streamline Your Days If you feel too busy even to breathe, follow organizing guru Julie Morgenstern&amp;#039;s four d&amp;#039;s to free you up for what&amp;#039;s really important: time for you and your family.  1. Delete. People constantly burden themselves with unnecessary tasks \u2014 like organizing the kitchen cabinets or everyday dusting \u2014 that take up too much time. For every task on your to-do list, ask if it really affects the quality of your life. If it doesn&amp;#039;t, delete it. 2. Delay. Does laundry honestly need to be done tonight, or will the family get by if you wait until Monday morning? Delaying a task \u2014 and setting a specific time to do it \u2014 can keep you from feeling overwhelmed in the moment. 3. Delegate. Who says you have to do it all? Asking a neighbor to carpool or hiring a teen to mow your lawn is a simple way to clear your schedule for what really matters to you. 4. Diminish. Plenty of tasks can be minimized to fit your schedule \u2014 and save your sanity. Bakery cupcakes can substitute for homemade in a bake sale, and purchasing a gift card is much more efficient than an hour-long hunt for the perfect birthday present. Want Julie to help you organize your home, office, time, or priorities? Email redbook@hearst.com (subject: Organizing) to be considered for an organizational makeover. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/home/advice/a5233/organize-busy-schedule/>