The Caregiver Cafe' podcast tackles and highlights the daily situations caregivers face with their aging loved ones. We also empower you to navigate the care and challenges of your loved one with relevant topics and through the voices of your peers and their life and experiences.
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In this episode of The Caregiver Café with Roz Jones, Roz is talking about something caregivers are always trying to figure out: how to get more done with the time they already have.
As caregivers, it can feel like there are never enough hours in the day. There is always another appointment, another task, another phone call, another responsibility, and something else waiting to be added to the calendar.
But Roz reminds caregivers that sometimes the answer is not finding more time.
It is learning how to manage the time you already have.
In this episode, Roz shares six practical ways to help caregivers become more intentional with their time, starting with creating a roadmap. Write down your goals. Give your responsibilities deadlines, time, and space. And if everything does not go exactly according to plan, give yourself permission to be flexible and adjust.
Roz also talks about taking care of your physical health, avoiding multitasking, and paying attention to the activities that take up time without helping you reach your goals.
That includes something Roz calls boondoggling—spending too much time on things that contribute little or nothing to what you are trying to accomplish.
Sometimes that looks like spending too much time scrolling social media.
Sometimes it is staying on the phone too long.
Sometimes it is filling every open space on your calendar simply because the space is available.
Roz also reminds caregivers that getting more done should never come at the expense of burning yourself out.
Set boundaries.
Take care of yourself.
Learn how to say no.
And remember this important reminder from Roz:
Just because your calendar is blank does not mean you have to fill it.
That time belongs to you too.
Getting more done is not always about doing more. Sometimes it means deciding what deserves your time, protecting your boundaries, and focusing on one thing at a time.
Grab your cup, pull up a chair, and join Roz inside The Caregiver Café.
Thank you for listening. If this episode encouraged you, supported you, or gave you something to think about as a caregiver, be sure to stay connected with Roz Jones.
Visit Roz online for caregiver resources, blogs, books, speaking information, and support for families navigating the caregiving journey.
You can also subscribe, rate, and share this episode with another caregiver who may need encouragement today.
Because caregiving is not meant to be carried alone.
Intro
Hey guys, how are you doing today? Can I get you started with something to drink? Is your aging loved one home alone? Forgetting to take medicine or pay bills? The Caregiver Cafe with Roz Jones has a menu of resources to serve your caregiver needs. As a caregiver, Roz understands your daily challenges. This podcast focuses on the unique and dynamic issues of caregiving.
Roz Jones
Welcome back to the Caregiver Cafe. I am Roz Jones, and today we want to know what is brewing in your cup. But in our cup this morning, we want to talk about getting more done. As caregivers, we think that we need more time. And basically, it's not that we need to need more time. We just need to manage the time that we have, just a tea tiny little better. So what are some of the ways I want to talk about maybe six quick ways that you can get more done? Six quick ways that you can get more done. First of all, create a roadmap. And this is also called setting goals. And the key to this is actually writing it down and mapping it out and say, and giving it deadlines, giving it time, giving it space. And also too realize that if you don't get it done, uh nobody's gonna beat you up about it, but just know that you can be flexible and adaptable to the time, flexible and adaptable to the time. Make sure that you keep in good shape. And recently myself, I had, matter of fact, I was just talking to uh, I call him my producer, Gary, here, and um, and we were talking about how now we're exercising and how age is starting to catch up with us a little bit. So we have to make the adjustments so that we don't feel old. So making sure that you eat right, you exercise, that's another way. Also to avoid multitasking. And the thing that I learned was is that someone said when you get a task and you put it on your on your table, do it until it's done. Try not to multitask. So try to do one project at a time, set the time, finish as much as you can, then move on. So multitasking is not good for everybody. I know it's not good for me because I know I can't I can't juggle between two things. So multitasking is not always for everyone. It's not always for everyone. So you can also make mistakes when you are multi-um-tasking, multitasking. Also too, this term is called avoid boondoggling. Boondoggling. If you've never heard of this term and you're not sure what it means, it means wasting time on things that contribute little or nothing to your goals. So just kind of sometimes um spending too much time on social media, too much time on the phone, too much time texting. So kind of boondoggling, just kind of uh wasting time in essence, okay? And then also to avoiding burnout. People naturally want to do a great job at everything they're doing. They want to, you know, I want to do a great job for my boss, I want to do a great job as a caregiver, excuse me. I want to do all of these things and and and I'm gonna get it done. I'm gonna get it done, but you're getting you you're going so much and doing so much at a level where you can burn out. So we want to make sure that you do not burn out. And part of the avoiding the burnout, as we've talked about earlier, is setting boundaries, exercising, and another boundary setter is is is my favorite word. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Honey, no is a wonderful thing. And not only no, but turning off your cell phone. And someone told me, you know, we talked about this in in another conversation so far as burning out, uh, avoid burning out. What about not talking for a while? I don't know if I could do that one, darling. I don't know if that's it and and and and and and part of my self-care, but not talking. Can can you figure out not talking and how that would help you with burnout? Not talking. Not talking. Well, if when y'all figure that out, let me know, okay? And and find work that you love. Look, find a job, find a skill, find something that you love to do. This is so important. Because if you do something that you don't like to do, you're bitter. It's a task. It's not joy. And if you and if you're doing something that you don't like, this also too can cause stress. And so getting more done with what you have within the time that you have and realizing that the boundaries that you set are your boundaries. But then you also have to have people respected by so let's respect those boundaries. So let's go back over what you um to get more done, to get more done, number one, create a roadmap or task. Make sure that you keep in good shape, avoid multitasking, avoid boondoggling, b-o-o-n, do-g-g-l-i-n-g for those who didn't catch it the first time. Avoid burn burnout and find work that you love. These are the things that are so important because a lot of times when we need to get more done, we have it right in our hands. We can figure it out. But the only reason why we are overwhelmed and our schedule is so boggled is because we set our own schedules. Nobody puts that on us but us. So what is it that we can, you know, you know, what is it that we can do to not be overwhelmed? Just say no. And just because your calendar is blank, doesn't mean you have to fill it. Let me say that again. Just because your calendar is blank doesn't mean that you have to fill it. And doesn't mean that someone has to be on it. That's your time. That's your time. So once again, I am Ross Jones, the uh executive producer here at um the Caregiver Cafe podcast. I want to thank you all so much for listening. Remember, you can get more done by setting boundaries and making sure you start with a calendar. Just these few little things will help you be a better caregiver and get more done.
Outro
Until your next visit to the Caregiver Cafe, connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn, and her blog at thecaregivercafe.net. Caregiver Cafe Podcast specializes in serving those who provide care and support to a sick or aging loved one. I'm the voice guest, but I'm one of you. So when Roz has on experts or frontline workers, I'm listening. We hope you've enjoyed the show. In the meantime, don't forget to connect with Roz on YouTube, LinkedIn, or at the blog at thecaregivercafe.net.
