Moms these days are up against a completely unrealistic expectation! Many of us feel obligated to always have a clean house and home cooked meals, while also raising kids and holding down a full time job which is also filled with its own long list of unreasonable expectations! I’m one of those moms. Through trial and error, some tears, and some angry outbursts here and there, I’ve developed some time management tips for working moms that help me keep my head on straight!
This post was really important for me to write because I know how it feels to be completely overwhelmed with juggling a million things at once, only to feel like you’re failing at all of it. I know what it feels like to be so buried in “to dos” that you find yourself on edge all the time. If these time management strategies for the overwhelmed mom can help even just one fellow mom, then it would be completely worth my efforts!
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How Do Working Moms Manage Their Time?
Well truthfully, most don’t. They just run around like a chicken with their head cut off trying to handle it all like superwoman. We need to stop doing that moms! There are strategies and genuine time savers for working moms that can make a world of difference!
Implement these time management tips for working moms today and start gaining some of your sanity back!
Develop A Schedule
This is a crucial step! My husband sometimes pokes fun at me for my love of “lists”, but it is absolutely necessary for time management!
Consider this:
Mom A and Mom B both have 20 things they need to get done that day.
Mom A just has that overwhelming list of things to do in her head, and just blindly goes into the day, and sporadically does a task here and there with absolutely no rhyme or reason.
Then, Mom B has her to do list written out and utilized time blocking to plan and schedule when she will complete each task, as well as taking into account new tasks that may pop up at the last minute.
Which mom do you think will successfully complete her to-do list?
And which mom do you think ends her day feeling calm and accomplished?
Which mom ends her day feeling stressed, frustrated, and defeated?
The answer is obvious! So let these time management tips for working moms make you a “Mom B”! AKA, the happier mom.
How To Develop A Schedule
This part is much easier than you may think! Check out this FREE TIME BLOCKING SCHEDULE TEMPLATE FOR BUSY MOMS and you’ll be on your way!
This template will help you organize your day, and schedule out your tasks to ensure you get everything done with a lot less stress!
Planning out your day includes determining:
Your Main Tasks For The Day
What are the actual things that you need to get done today?
Sub Tasks
What steps do you need to do in order to complete your main tasks?
For example, if your task is to clean the kitchen, sub tasks could include things such as doing the dishes, wiping down the counters, sweeping the floors, etc.
Scheduled Appointments
Do you have any scheduled appointments today?
Such as a doctor appointment, conference call for work, etc.
Once you have those main tasks, sub tasks and scheduled appointments figured out, you’ll just plug them in your daily blocks/schedule!
With this template you’ll also have a space to jot down any last minute tasks that pop up, and any notes for the day.
An important thing to note here is that you need to make your to do list REALISTIC! We would all love to get a week’s worth of work done in a day, but that is just not possible. So keep it realistic ladies! Prioritize your tasks based on importance and urgency.
Don’t Overly Multitask – Focus on one task at a time!
This is the beauty of time blocking! Seeing on your schedule that you DO have time to get all your tasks done and having your plan gives yourself comfort and confidence to focus on one task at a time.
When you’re doing the classic running around aimlessly doing 10 things at once with no rhyme or reason, at the end of the day when you look around it feels like you got nothing done. Because nothing is ACTUALLY done. Just random parts of things were done.
Focusing on one task at a time also ensures you’re actually able to do a good job at whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish that day. Rather than feeling like you’re doing a half-assed job at it all.
Use A Planner
I am a big fan of planners! It’s yet another tool to help keep your life organized which takes such a big weight off your shoulders!
Using a planner is one of the biggest time management tips for working moms that everyone can agree on!
In addition to my Daily Time Blocking Schedule, I also always start my year with a new monthly planner!
The monthly planner helps you plan and organize the upcoming days, while the Daily Time Blocking Schedule helps you to hone in each day on the specific tasks and appointments you need to accomplish that day, and how to fit it all in.
Both are equally important and helpful!
Some of my favorites that I would highly suggest are the GoGirl Planner, the Amy Knapps The Very Busy Planner, and the Bloom Planner.
Set Up A Designated Work Space
If you ever work from home you really need to set up a designated workspace. Let me say it again for the people in the back, SET UP A DESIGNATED WORK SPACE! When it comes to time management tips for working moms, helping you to FOCUS on your work tasks is a critical part of that.
Not only does it help you to focus more on your tasks, but it also helps create that separation from work and home. Your kitchen table, or living room couch shouldn’t also be your work desk. It’ll be much harder to mentally get in that “work mode” when you don’t have that separate work space. Likewise, it’ll be harder to disconnect from work and focus on family time.
Ideally, you’ll have a separate room that you can make your dedicated work space. Perhaps a spare bedroom can double as your new office space!
Even if you don’t have a separate room, you can still make it work though! You can get a small, nice looking corner desk and put it in your kitchen or living room. That corner space will be mom’s work space moving forward!
Make sure your workspace is set up to be ORGANIZED! An organized space results in an organized mind.
Get a monitor stand for your computer screen to help keep your desk space clear. This stand is great because it’s adjustable so you can move it to whatever angles and positions you need to. Plus it comes in 5 different colors so you can perfectly match your other décor!
What else do you need to set up your designated work space?
Get yourself some wall organizers to store papers, folders and so on. These are some of my personal favorites!
Don’t forget your desktop organizer. You don’t want a bunch of papers and junk piling up on your desk! So use these chic desk shelves to keep everything neat and organized.
Protect your nice desktop with a leather desk blotter that also does the job of a mouse pad!
Don’t forget to make it fun! Grab some color pens to make your note taking a little more fun!
Now that you’re set up for success to conquer each and every day, be sure to remember one of the most important parts of motherhood…MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF!
Check out these articles to ensure YOU are taken care of too!
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