"If you were to experience my day in the life as a mom, you might witness me sitting at the kitchen table, eating my lunch, while scheduling my son’s doctor’s appointment and updating my family to-do list during what is supposed to be a relaxing moment of my day. Slowing down in the morning with an opening shift starts me on the right foot, but the reality is, I’m still constantly thinking about the never-ending list of responsibilities I have as a parent. This ongoing scroll of chores and planning constantly bleeds into my day. So I use any free time in my schedule to knock these items off. Seems productive, right? But my accompanying exhaustion has always confused me as to why I still feel like my brain doesn’t get any relief after checking off each task on the list. Apparently, I’ve experienced the consequences of something called ‘time confetti.’
While the term ‘time confetti’ seems like it’s something to celebrate, it might just be the exact opposite. It could be the reason why you’re constantly overwhelmed as a parent. If you’re feeling like your productivity should be rewarding, yet it’s not, time confetti could be the culprit. I reached out to Megan Sumrell, Productivity and Time Management Expert, to help me break down what time confetti is, tips on how to combat time confetti as a parent, and more.
Megan Sumrell, Productivity and Time Management Expert
With over two decades of knowledge and experience, Megan helps turn chaos into harmony by creating “real life” plans that actually calm you instead of stress you out.
What is ‘time confetti’?
It’s not exactly the birthday confetti I picture in a celebratory moment. According to Sumrell, “Time confetti are those tiny chunks of free time that come up throughout the day that typically stress people out rather than giving them the break they need.” While using any extra time in your day may seem productive, Sumrell adds, “These short bursts tend to make us feel scattered and overwhelmed rather than refreshed.”
How time confetti affects parents
It’s reported that children participate in 11.5 activities per week. And in addition to penciling them into your calendar, Sumrell states, “Families are getting around two messages a day about [these activities].” To sum it all up, families are overscheduled. The constant balancing act of everything you have to do for you and your family results in—poof—time confetti. Sumrell uses the example that “[It’s] that quick moment of quiet time in the car after you’ve dropped your kid off at practice before you receive an email alert about the next game you have to prepare for” and “when you’re juggling packing your kid’s lunch while also checking if their school project is in their backpack.”
How to know if you’re experiencing time confetti
You may be feeling exhausted, but other symptoms tied to time confetti include:
- Not being able to focus
- Having anxiety even when you aren’t busy
- Having a hard time relaxing while resting
- Feeling like there’s never enough time
- Unproductive multitasking
How parents can manage time confetti
It can be an overwhelming feeling, especially when it feels like there’s never enough time in the day. So, how can parents manage the confetti of it all? Sumrell states there’s one thing about time confetti that most productivity experts won’t tell you. “Trying to use those scattered 10-minute chunks is actually making your overwhelm worse,” says Sumrell. Sumrell acknowledges that the idea sounds counterintuitive. However, “When you’re constantly trying to squeeze productivity out of every tiny pocket of time, you’re asking your brain to switch contexts all day long,” notes Sumrell. This leads to exhaustion. Fortunately, she has a few tips to combat what you are experiencing.
Stop trying to fill every gap
Sumrell first advises to stop filling every gap. Let the 15 minutes you have in between kid drop-off and the next scheduled appointment be a transition time. “Your brain needs a minute to reset, and that’s not [being] lazy—that’s intentional planning,” explains Sumrell.
Batch your ‘confetti’ tasks
Second, Sumrell advises to batch or knock out all of your ‘confetti’ tasks in one sitting. “Instead of responding to that school email the second it pings, designate one time block to handle all the small admin stuff that accumulates throughout the week,” suggests Sumrell.
Continue to use some sort of planning system
And it doesn’t mean you should stop using whatever planning system you currently have in place. In fact, continuing to pencil in time, formulating a to-do list, and using something digitally accessible, like a Skylight calendar, still aids in getting these tasks done. It’s just all at once rather than getting whiplashed with tasks, emails, and reminders all throughout the day.
Use leisure time to relax
When you do have time to relax as a parent, take that time and use it for what it is—rest (even if it’s short). What may seem like multitasking is hindering moments of leisure and rest.
Changing your relationship with time
I know I’m guilty of falling victim to thinking that every part of my day has to be ‘productive’ in order for it to be successful. What Sumrell wants parents to know is that “the real solution isn’t filling those scattered moments. It’s changing your entire relationship with time.”
It’s OK to do nothing
If the thought of doing nothing is anxiety-inducing, Sumrell emphasizes, “It is OK to do nothing.” She exclaims, “Worth is not defined by our productivity!” I’m adding this phrase to my list of mantras, but it’s also nice to know what time confetti is and how parents may be feeling it in their everyday lives. I truly understand that I can’t ‘do nothing’ all the time, but actually taking a breather where there’s supposed to be a pause in the day sounds refreshing. Confetti is meant for birthdays, after all.
Patty Schepel, Editorial Assistant
As the editorial assistant, Patty works with The Everymom’s team on pitches, creating original articles, updating existing content, photo sourcing, writing shopping product descriptions, inputting freelance articles, and more. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her family, training for half marathons—she ran one 16 weeks pregnant—traveling, cooking, reading a rom-com, and keeping her sourdough starter, Rose, alive.