Tips to boost productivity while raising kids

It's important to make the most of your precious time by keeping your productivity in check. Here are some tips for boosting productivity while raising happy kids.

• It might seem like you're doing yourself a favour by staying up an extra hour or two to finish housework before bed, but cutting into your sleeping routine can actually make your whole day more unproductive. Inadequate sleep can leave you feeling groggy and less able to concentrate on important tasks.
• Just try to get one extra hour of sleep each night and you're likely to have lower stress levels and more energy to get things done.

• Today it seems like there's an app for everything. While the amount of choices can be overwhelming, they generally exist to help make your life easier. There are apps out there that can help you organize your days by breaking down the tasks you need to get done. They send you reminders throughout the day, making it easy to schedule your time in a more productive way.

• When you're starting a new day, it helps to have a clear sense of what it is you need to accomplish. Plan out what your schedule looks like so you can make sure to prioritize the most important tasks, and cut out things you don't really need to do.
• Try to estimate how long your tasks will take and if they can be completed that day or will stretch out over time.
• Make sure to schedule in your most important obligation, time with your kids, in your daily planning.

• Parents often go through the days without stopping. In between work, social life, taking care of the kids and surprise responsibilities, it can be easy to forget to take a little time out to relax.
• Not giving yourself time to recharge and rejuvenate can leave you sluggish, stressed out and less effective at performing all of the things you need to accomplish. Try to find time during the week, even if it's just a few hours, to give yourself a little quiet time.