As a math teacher and coach, this day job has to take priority during the school year. This means my writing doesn’t always get the attention I would like to give it. My coaching can also take away from normal family time.

There are times I can make these other areas I higher priority, however. The month my first book came out was one of those times.

I can also make my family a priority when I’m home with them. This means shutting off my phone if necessary and giving them my full attention. It can also mean scheduling date nights or family outings.

Create Goals for Each Priority

Creating goals is very important when balancing work and family time. Take the time daily, weekly, monthly, or whatever works for you, to establish goals for the areas you want to focus on.

I create goals for my writing so it doesn’t get pushed aside for my other responsibilities. I also create goals for my lesson plans and for training the teams I coach.

Goals can be as simple or as detailed as you want them to be. For my writing, I have basic goals in place. I create suggested deadlines for myself. For my lesson plans, I have to be a little more detailed due to time constraints.

Be Honest with Yourself

A big mistake people make is trying to take on more than they can handle. It’s important when setting goals that you’re honest with yourself about your abilities. Start small with your goals so you get a sense of accomplishment before moving on to bigger commitments.

Being honest also means learning how to say no to things that don’t fit your priorities. You may not like the idea of disappointing people, but you will burn out if you don’t learn to say no.

Is that upcoming dinner or volunteer opportunity not high on your priorities? Unless it’s mandatory, go ahead and say no. Don’t take on other people’s priorities at the expense of your own.

Learn to Delegate

Delegating some of my work is a lesson I’m learning as I go. Sometimes you won’t be able to accomplish everything you want to accomplish. If something is a priority, yet you can’t dedicate the time you’d like, learn to delegate some of the work.

For example, my books are a priority, but I can’t dedicate the time I’d like to market my work. While I can’t (and don’t want to) delegate the writing of my books, I can get help with some of the peripheral stuff.

I have an outside editor that checks my books for those blatant errors that you can miss after staring at your own work for too long. I hired someone else to do the book cover because I don’t have the time. Plus, I can get better quality work by having a professional do it.

I have even recently delegated social media management to an outside business. While I still check and respond to my social accounts, I’m letting someone else do the marketing work on these sites. I just don’t have the time necessary to keep up with all of it.

If you think about it, there are things you can delegate to someone else, so you can focus on the big picture for your priorities.

Make Time for Yourself