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Time Management Video

Kristi

You have to be very organized when you have a child with cystic fibrosis.

Kristi

There's just so much to deal with you have doctors visits you have the shots different shots and just as normal everyday doctor visits, well-check you have to go to… keeps you busy.

Kristi

There is no time management you just go with the flow… (*laugh*)… I've have no time management at all, life is hectic thank god for my mom, my mom is my lifesaver if it wasn't for her I don't know how to get through everything.

Kristi

I have a notebook… and it's kind of a CF notebook. I just keep everything, anything we get from the doctors goes in it anything I find on the internet goes in it I took you know over 5 pages of notes at parent day that goes into my notebook… that's how I keep track of it …

Kristi

You, I don't think you could do it without support of your family or your friends it it's just it's not possible it's a disease you have to have you have to have people around you to help you can't do it by yourself.

Kristi

There's a lot of times Madison is like "mommy why don't you just play with me" "well honey" I mean 'cause Braden even though he is a newborn right now things do take a little bit more time like his clapping and giving him his enzymes you can't just pop and enzyme in he needs to take the applesauce with his enzymes, so things take a little longer than it would if I was just able to feed him so there's just little things that take longer.

Laura

I think time management is constantly an issue and it's gonna… I foresee it getting harder but just you know we are up to doing 2 treatments a day so finding time, in the morning to fit that in when I am trying to get my older son off to school and you know pretty soon when she starts going to school it's going to be getting it done before she goes to school and then finding time when she gets home because you need to have it done before dinner time… so there I feel like there is a lot of times where I have to say no to other plans.

DeeDee and Larry

(Larry) calendar book by the phone… (DeeDee) Appointments is a calendar by my phone and… (Larry) and nowadays a lot of times they call the day before we get notices in the mail from Children's that you know your appointment is on such and such a day.

DeeDee and Larry

Whatever we can do to make it work is what we do. (Larry) ya yup… (DeeDee) but our day is pretty much planned out you know you know when you have your schedule and I know when I go to work, when Kayla goes to school and we just keep track of extra things that she has to do and extra trips to town or whatever.

DeeDee and Larry

Mornings are really hard it's kind of rushed with trying to get off to school on time but she tries to sneak it in and sometimes it is hard they probably don't get done in a timely manner sometimes she is doing it at 10 or 11 a clock at night and quite often she will skip it.

DeeDee and Larry

I think as she has gotten older it's been harder to fit treatments in we have been kind of that's just been a real challenge lately with getting to school earlier and busy life with friends it's just that's been hard.

DeeDee and Larry

I usually have a hard enough time getting away you know and so I choose my moments and I like to, I try to go to the kids appointments you know I make my best effort to do that so… (DeeDee) and you haven't missed very many… (Larry) nope so I ya… (DeeDee) that's your priority… (Larry) that's my priority…(DeeDee) the kids come first.

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Time Management:
Getting It All Done

Juggling treatments, medical appointments, and hospitalizations, on top of the hectic life most of us lead these days, means just one thing: Families touched by cystic fibrosis have to be black belts in time management.

Researchers studying families living with CF and similar stressors have found that children respond positively when their family is organized; perhaps a sense of order offers more structure in a life that can sometimes feel wildly out-of-control.

Streamlining your commitments and your to-do list can go a long way toward bringing the stress level down in your home. Pump up your orderliness with these time management tips:

Start each day with a "To Do" list and prioritize your jobs. Prioritize each item to ensure that you take care of the most important items - like treatment - first.
Use only one planner for family and professional appointments. Write everything on it. Be sure to include pertinent phone numbers associated with each appointment so you won't have to waste time looking for them later.
Keep a notebook, with dividers, for your insurance paperwork. Keep a running file of all conversations you have with your insurance company and your doctor's office. To quickly resolve discrepancies, use the conferencing option on your cell phone, and get the billing department and the insurance company on the phone at the same time with you. It can be magical and empowering!
Check e-mail only once or twice a day. For something billed as a timesaver, e-mail can sure rob your schedule of an inordinate amount of time. Set a routine, and let people know when they can expect you to respond. If your message is involved or complicated, pick up the phone.
Cancel all magazines you never read. Spying that six-month-old magazine you haven't cracked, as you fly through the house late (again!) to your child's doctor appointment, is sometimes the last straw for a frazzled parent. Who needs the grief?
Pay bills using automatic withdrawal. Save time and money in one small step.
Say "no." Say it kindly, firmly and with absolutely no guilt. One of the unexpected "gifts" that comes along with a cystic fibrosis diagnosis are the days when health issues preclude you from keeping a commitment. Cuddle up and enjoy the extra family time together.
Cut down on your children's activities. Are you considering a microwave in your minivan? That's a sure sign you are spending too much time in it, bussing kids here and there. Eliminate an activity, for everyone's sake.
Live closer to work. According to a study published by the Transportation Research Board, Commuting in America III, the United States has seen a sharp increase in the proportion of workers commuting more than 60 minutes to work. The headache of moving can be a small price to pay in exchange for more time with the people you love.

"It's not enough to be busy.
The question is: What are
we busy about?"
- Henry David Thoreau

Source:

1997 AAFCS Commemorative Lecture; Families Under Stress: What Makes Them Resilient; Hamilton I. McCubbin, Marilyn A. McCubbin, Anne I. Thompson, Sae-Young Han, and Chad T. Allen

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Time Management Video

Time Management:
Getting It All Done

Streamlining your commitments and your to-do list can go a long way toward bringing the stress level down in your home. Pump up your orderliness with these time management tips:

Registered Members Get a FREE Treatment Tracker, Podcasts & More!

Connecting the CF Community

Experience all the fun, interactivity and community of CFvoice.com—Get Flash Now!

Time Management Video

Time Management:Getting It All Done

Streamlining your commitments and your to-do list can go a long way toward bringing the stress level down in your home. Pump up your orderliness with these time management tips:

Time Management:
Getting It All Done