Why 'Time Production' is Essential for Parenting Families

In your overly busy daily life, are you 'saving time'?

Mornings involve waking up the kids, breakfast, nursery school prep, and planning your own work. Once you return home, it's dinner prep, baths, and putting the kids to bed. As every day passes in a flash, have you ever suddenly felt like you have absolutely no time for yourself?

What you need in such moments is the concept of 'Time Production' (Jisan).

Time Production is a life design technique for consciously 'generating' or 'creating' your own time. Especially in families raising children, this 'Time Production' significantly influences the happiness of the family and the parents' own peace of mind.

In this article, we will delve into points such as:

• Why is 'Time Production' necessary for parenting families?

• What are the benefits of simply reviewing how you use your time?

• How can you specifically practice 'Time Production'?

We will explore these points while introducing practical examples and tools.

[Chapter 1] What is Time Production? Not 'Time is Money,' but 'Time is Life'

'Time Production' may still be an unfamiliar term, but for those of us today who are chased by housework, childcare, and work, there is no concept more necessary.

Time Production = Investment to create future free time

Time Production is not a short-term time-saving technique, but a strategic action to create future time flexibility. For example, by automating or routinizing housework, reviewing how you interact with your children, and streamlining task management, you create time to focus on what you truly want to do or what is truly necessary.

[Chapter 2] Why is 'Time Production' essential for parenting families?

During childcare, 'invisible burdens' accumulate

Child-rearing consumes both physical and mental energy. In addition to that, there are mountains of invisible 'nameless tasks' such as housework, work, and communication with nursery schools or schools.

There is even data showing that mothers (and fathers, of course) spend an average of over 7 hours a day on housework and childcare (from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's 'Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities').

In that situation, it is not rare for people to be driven to the feeling that their own time is disappearing to zero.

Time flexibility becomes 'mental flexibility'

By being conscious of Time Production, even 30 minutes of free time creates a 'reset time.' Those 30 minutes make a huge difference in your mental health, your relationship with your children, and conversations between spouses.

[Chapter 3] Three Perspectives to Achieve 'Time Production'

To achieve time production, the following three perspectives are essential.

1. 'Systematize' housework and childcare

• Prepare meals in bulk on weekends (utilizing meal kits and frozen stocks)

• Introduce 'no-fold' storage for laundry

• Make children 'little helpers' by assigning them chores

2. View home appliances and services as 'time-saving investments'

• Time-saving appliances like dishwashers, washer-dryers, and robot vacuums are time-saving appliances and are powerful allies for time production

• Regularly use grocery delivery services and housekeeping services

• Simplify schedule management by utilizing smart speakers and AI calendars

For example, it is estimated that introducing a dishwasher can save about 182 hours per year (30 minutes per day x 365 days). as well.

3. Promote 'visualization and letting go' of tasks

• Use task management tools (such as Notion or Trello) to share tasks between spouses

• Actively let go of things that 'don't have to be done by you'

• Stop being a 'perfectionist' and manage things at a 'reasonable level'

[Chapter 4] Real-life examples of 'time production' in families raising children

Case 1: Ms. A (30s, working mom) who was struggling with solo parenting

With her husband coming home late, Ms. A was handling almost all childcare and housework for her 3-year-old and 1-year-old by herself. She was exhausted every day and often cried at night. In the midst of this, she introduced a housekeeping service once a week. By leaving the laundry and cleaning to them, she gained the leeway to read picture books slowly with her children in the evening and have time for her own reading at night.

[Chapter 5] 5 steps you can take today to start 'time production' at home

1. Write down your daily schedule

   • Discover where there is waste and what can be automated

2. Find 'chores you can stop doing'

   • Do you clean every day? Is that really necessary?

3. Hold a 'time-saving meeting' as a couple

   • Review tasks, discuss outsourcing, and share your ideal way to spend time

4. Introduce just one 'time-saving item'

   • Start with things like a robot vacuum, dishwasher, or frozen meal ingredients

5. Decide 'what you want to do with the extra time'

   • Having a goal keeps your motivation for time-saving going

[Chapter 6] Recommended services and items for time-saving

Here, we introduce 'time-saving' support tools that are particularly popular with families raising children.

• Oisix: Offers a wide variety of meal kits that include plenty of vegetables and can be completed in 20 minutes. A staple for dual-income families.

• Taskaji: A housekeeping matching service. You can hire professionals for cleaning and cooking.

• Roomba Series (iRobot): Free yourself from floor maintenance with automatic cleaning.

• TimeTree / Notion: Free apps that allow couples to visualize tasks and schedules.

Conclusion: Time creation is a life design that makes the whole family happy.

Instead of lamenting that you 'don't have time,' simply thinking about 'how can I create time?' will change your daily life.

In parenting, a parent's peace of mind is directly linked to kindness toward children and the quality of the relationship. That is precisely why 'time creation' is essential for parenting families.

If you found this article helpful, please check out my other articles as well.
Bring more AI into your life.
Author profile and latest article list ▶︎ Click here

◾️Author's self-introduction article