Simplifying routines and rituals may actually be easier than many of us think. If you provide yourself with a way to focus by creating consistent structures, but then allow for freedom and flexibility by giving yourself choices, it may just be the secret to time management.

Mike Vardy started thinking about what's important for parents to understand about productivity when he took a six-week parenting class to become a better parent. He began to see a lot of parallels with the issues he addresses with adults and time management. He explains, as a productivity expert he understands that "if you want to manage your time and your tasks better, then you need to have a model of consistency that is simple enough for you to quickly grab in the instance that you are emotionally derailed, or that you're going down a path you don't want to go down because you've been distracted or disrupted… And also," he continues, "you want consistency to be flexible, too, because if its too rigid then you feel as if you're trapped… I like to be able to have the freedom to make some choices, but yet I like to set things up in advance."