Time Management & Family Issues

Time Management and Family Issues

Upon returning to college, the mature student (any student over the age of 24) soon realizes that their ability to manage time effectively directly impacts their learning experience and their family life. Unlike traditional students, the mature student may have a spouse, children and a full-time job that is necessary for them to survive financially. Adults with families will readily agree that their family alone places serious demands on their time. When adding the responsibility of school, it becomes even more difficult to make time for family, work and personal time. Enough time needs to be spent on these three major facets of life. Too much time spent in one area usually means to little time spent in another, which usually leads to stress. Time management professionals say that stress is usually the result of poor time management. Effective time management has to be the foundation of any successful and productive life.

There are 1,440 minutes in a day. If one is employed full-time, then about nine hours (540 minutes) of the day is spent at the office and commuting. The time left in the evening for family and self is very limited. Some companies allow their employees to telecommute, in which the company's network is accessed from the employees' home, usually via a high-speed or broadband connection. Telecommuting increases available time for family and self by eliminating the employee's commute. Along with telecommuting, some companies offer Flex-Time. Flex-Time allows the work schedule to be configured differently from the typical Monday through Friday, 9am-to-5pm workweek. One will still work a total of 40 hours that week only one day may be shorter than the rest. Flex-Time is basically a flexible work schedule. Flex-time and telecommuting are examples of Flexible Work Options (FWO). FWOs allow employees the opportunity to find time for their families and selves by introducing a time management element that "bends".

Along with the changing nature of office-hours via telecommuting and Flex-Time, there is a need for employees to be more efficient at work. Companies are implementing the "virtual office" which partly entails telecommuting but with the main focus being a more efficient, yet mobile workforce. With the virtual office, traditional office setups such as permanent workspace and a personal telephone become a thing of the past.