Time Management Wisdom from a Kindergarten Teacher

I helped out often in my daughters’ kindergarten classroom. They both had the same teacher, a sweet woman who was a couple of years from retiring. She was so great with the kids and inspired me to go back to school for a degree in Early Childhood Education.

One of the things I noticed she did in the classroom was to encourage the children to use what she called “little pockets of time.” When a child finished their work early, she would say excitedly, “It looks like you have a little pocket of time!” And then they brainstormed things the child could do while everyone else finished up.

I know part of the reason for this was to keep the children who finished early occupied, but it really is a good time management tool.

What are “Little pockets of time?”

Little pockets of time are those little “in between” minutes:

While you’re waiting on hold on the phone.
When you’re hanging out in the kitchen because you need to be nearby to stir something occasionally.
If you have somewhere to go but you have a few minutes before it’s time to leave.
When you’re waiting for an appointment.

I’m often amazed at how little time it can take to do a task once I just start doing it. This time of year, I’m often in the kitchen preserving garden produce and keeping an eye on the gauge of my pressure canner. I can use those minutes wisely. I can:

Declutter a drawer
Fold a load of laundry
Wipe down cabinet and drawer fronts
Balance my checkbook
Make a meal plan
Tidy the pantry shelves

Making use of small amounts of time helps me keep up on all the little tasks that help our home run smoothly.

Using Little Pockets of Time On the Go

When I go somewhere, I always bring something to do. I seem to have a fear of being stuck somewhere with nothing to do. I have a very limited amount of data on my phone, so scrolling through my phone like lots of people is not an option. So, I bring what I call my “busy bag” with me when I leave the house. This way, I have something to do while I am sitting and waiting for my grocery pickup order to be brought out. Or if I’m at an appointment. Or if I’m meeting someone and they are going to be late.

In my bag, I always have a pen and a notebook. This way I can make a list, jot down ideas for blog posts, or plan a project. I also bring whichever book I’m currently reading. I love to read, but don’t have a lot of time for reading. If I’m just sitting somewhere, it’s the perfect time to get a little reading done.

Using Little Pockets of Time to Accomplish Big Projects

Often, we think we don’t have time to do big things, like decluttering and organizing or deep cleaning a part of our home. I normally don’t have a full day to devote to any one task. But I can accomplish a lot by breaking up larger tasks into smaller pieces, and using random minutes (a.k.a. “little pockets of time”) here and there to get things done. Just like saving little bits of money can add up, so can using little bits of time.

Create Your Own Little Pockets of Time to Stop Procrastination

Using the concept of “little pockets of time” is also a help when I want to procrastinate about doing something. We don’t have a dishwasher and sometimes I would just like to leave the dishes for later. But I know I can do a lot of dishes in 20 minutes or so, and it will be so helpful when the next mealtime comes around. I actually create my own pocket of time by setting a timer to keep myself focused.

I’ll always be thankful to my daughters’ teacher, Mrs. P., for giving my daughters such a good first year of school, and for the idea of “little pockets of time.”