By Patricia Walker Platinum Quality Author

It's so easy to look at the huge list of things that must be done each morning and you get depressed that you don't even want to start the day. Many parents are buried in tasks and feel like they will never get everything accomplished and never get out from under their pile of tasks so that they can spend the quality time that they need to with their children.

Prioritizing your tasks is the best way to manage your time more effectively. Most people know this already, but they may not know how to prioritize a long list of tasks that need to be completed each day. By breaking your tasks down into categories, you can dramatically shorten your to-do list.

The key to prioritizing is to first take the time to sit down and organize the tasks that need to be done. Each night, make time to go over your "to-do" list for the next day. It doesn't have to take long, maybe five to ten minutes or so at most. I promise, it won't be a huge chore to do once you get in the habit of doing it each night.

Sit down with a notebook and a pen along with three different colored highlighters (you may even sit down at the computer to do this.) The purpose is to use a different color highlighter or even different color fonts (on your computer) for each priority level.

First, write down every thing that you need to accomplish and every errand you need to run; also, note when those things need to be done. Long list, isn't it? But don't panic; using the following tips will make that list more manageable.

High priority - Pick up a highlighter to use as your "Priority" color. Or, if you are on the computer, use your highlight option. Anything that absolutely needs to be done tomorrow highlight with the highlighter you've chosen. Include things like driving your kids to school, or picking them up at soccer practice as well as work items like meetings or appointments. Work is important, of course, but don't kid yourself; if your children need you, then other things may have to wait.

Medium Priority - Things that you need to be thinking about but that are not things that must be done that day should be highlighted in the new color. Things like 'print report for staff meeting Friday' or "drop off a check for son's sporting league by Wednesday" should be considered Medium Priority. They are things you need to do, but not necessarily today. You may end up moving these items to the high priority color on tomorrow night's list, but for tonight we can rest easier knowing if we don't have time to get to these, the world will not come to an end.

Low Priority - Things that you would like to accomplish but there won't be any serious consequences if you don't get them done are considered low priority. Don't feel bad if you don't have time to make it to these tasks during the day; they are things that can be done later on. The crazy thing is that the more you stick to your nightly priority list, the easier you will find it to find time to get to more of these low priority items!

And there you have it. The next day when waking up, look for the items/tasks that are highlighted in your "high priority" color. It's easy. Once you get in the habit of doing this every day (again...it takes minutes), you'll end up with a much more balanced and stress-free schedule that will allow you healthy chunks of quality time with your family.

Discover the importance of parenting with the best parenting advice available. It's all revealed at http://www.theparentingreport.com.