I have a two-year-old who is a ball of constant energy and relentless curiosity. If you’ve spent any time around a toddler you probably know what this is like. The older he gets the harder it becomes to check things off of my daily to-do list much less carve out moments for myself. Over the past year, I have developed a trick that has helped me prioritize my day and save my sanity. We’ll call it the “Nap List”

In my head I have two lists: “Things I can do while Cameron is awake” and “Things I can’t do while Cameron is awake.” The “can do” list includes things like folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, grocery shopping, and gardening. The “can’t do” list includes such tasks as computer work, meaningful phone conversations, reading a book, and sleeping. When Cameron’s nap time rolls around, I evaluate my to-do list in order to best use the 2-3 hours I have while he’s sleeping to accomplish the “can’t do” activities.

Here’s the beauty of the “Nap List”…some days, everything that needs to be done falls into the “can do” category. This means that during Cameron’s nap I can take part (or all) of that time to do something for me – catch up with a friend, read a book or sleep. And I know that after Cameron wakes up I can tackle chores like laundry, groceries, and vacuuming that are relatively simple to do while he’s awake. I can go into my afternoon renewed by the time I was able to carve out for myself.

Maybe what you have isn’t nap time. Maybe it’s a lunch hour, or a planning period, or a school break. The philosophy still holds true. If you can run errands while driving carpool or on your way home from work, why not use your lunch break to do something you really enjoy – read a novel, walk around the block, get a pedicure. It can give you something to look forward to and a little break to help you make it through the day.

photo ehow.com