6:39 a.m. — Elizabeth McCormick worked on spelling homework with her son Luke, 6, at their home in Murphy, Texas, Friday. Ms. McCormick is a direct sales rep for Longaberger, a maker of baskets and home decor, and both she and her husband work long, constantly changing hours.
Matt Nager for the Wall Street JournalAs a couple juggling work and family, Elizabeth and Keith McCormick are doing some seriously heavy lifting.
Each works long, constantly changing hours-Ms. McCormick as a direct sales representative for Longaberger, a maker of baskets and home decor, and Mr. McCormick as a technician working 12½-hour night shifts for a big technology company. Their two children, 15 and 6, take part in three sports teams, a scout troop (which Mr. McCormick leads) and driver’s training between them. Ms. McCormick heads a women’s mentoring group and Mr. McCormick helps his father-in-law part-time in his construction business.
“My biggest problem was trying to keep track of all the different things going on-work, sports, school and jobs,” Mr. McCormick says. Ms. McCormick was irritated when her husband forgot to do an errand. “I was feeling like I had to nag him. He’d say OK, and then wouldn’t remember, and I’d have to ask him again. It was a very negative feeling,” she says.
So the McCormicks turned to technology-a shared, online family-management system that serves as a calendar, organizer and communication tool. Ms. McCormick also tapped an online grocery-shopping planner. The tech tools have helped her ease up on the multi-tasking and enjoy her family more, she says. Their daughter Adara, 15, says her mother nags less, leaving the whole family “more time to talk about what is going on in our lives.”
Say goodbye to Post-It notes and giant paper calendars plastered on the fridge. Newer and easier applications can tackle time-management nightmares that plague working parents. Shared online calendars synch family members’ busy schedules; meal-planning websites help get home-cooked dinners on the table, and videoconferencing can link parents on the road with family at home. And while using technology to manage family life might seem to risk turning everyone into robots, parents say the tools help them feel calmer and more in control.