Today's lesson: you can't do it all, but you can do a lot

Time management is a skill.  People actually have been known to put "excellent time management skills" on their resumes.  It was never something I realized was a skill until I entered the workforce - not all time managers are created equal.  Being on time is a skill.  People have been known to put "punctual" on their resumes.  I always assumed before entering the workforce that punctuality was mandatory, not a skill.  Multitasking is a skill - a skill I've found that the vast majority of the male population, despite their best efforts, are not naturally inclined towards.  I have seen the men that do claim to be able to multitask, often have a mother, wife, girlfriend or paid female personal assistant/office manager/receptionist/lackey that is the one actually doing the multitasking while they think they're actually pulling off the elusive feat known as multitasking. However, they're all skills...skills are learned.  Just as people are naturally good at math/science or drawing/painting or throwing/catching a ball, time management, punctuality, and multitasking are skills. People who are not naturally inclined towards a particular skill can learn how to do it effectively, even masterfully.  People who are already naturally good at a skill can become better.  A teacher who does not have elementary time management and multitasking skills, and lacks punctuality will find their job daunting.  I never struggled in my classrooms finding a system effective system, my class often ran like clockwork and everything required by the curriculum was done and my administrative work was on time or early and (most of the time) perfect...did I mention that it took me 12 years to figure it out though? And then 4 years later, I left the field of child development for a new field - motherhood.  I was told by several people that motherhood and time management, punctuality, and multitasking are mutually exclusive.  Motherhood would break me of my Type A tendencies.  Well, guess what...wrong on both counts.  All I've had to learn is to give myself a little bit more grace because they aren't going to happen 100% of the time, but I have made necessary adjustments that have allowed them to exist peacefully in this realm of motherhood.  The point isn't HOW...the point is that it's possible.  You can't do it all, but you can do a lot. Children are resilient and will morph according to the environment you create for them.  It takes time, practice, more time, and more practice, but whether you are in a classroom or home or some other workplace, you can find your own starting point and improve from there.  Just as in the classroom, we have individualized goals and seek to individualize our programs to fit the needs of each child's needs, interests and temperament, a plan to become more effective at time management, punctuality, and multitasking has to be based on your own individualized needs, interests, and temperament.