As moms, we are always trying to figure out how to get 72 hours worth of things done in 24 hours. Getting the kids to school, going to work, making dinner, entertain the kids, the list goes on and on. I decided to go looking for some help on time management tips to help us busy moms keep on top of everything. I plan on testing some of these out to see which system works the best for us!
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Creating time blocks allows you to focus on one task for a small amount of time. That way you can minimize distractions and force yourself to get it done.
Another way is to write down all of the tasks you need to accomplish and then categorize them into four groups. Using one week for each group, establish a to-do list for each day and you should be on your way to getting it all done!
Sometimes we have to recognize we aren’t going to get all the things done. Make a manageable list that you think you can handle each day. As you go along, add or subtract based on how long it takes you to do everything you’ve written down.
On the heels of the time blocks, get a daily planner and divide the day into half hour time slots. You’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish in 30 minutes!
Or go in the opposite direction and divide your day up into several hour blocks of time.
If you cannot reduce your list enough to accomplish it all by yourself, it’s time to delegate tasks to other family members.
Remember when the phrase, “there’s an app for that” was popular? Well, it still is. There are a multitude of timer apps that can help you keep track of how long you are spending on each task. Then you can see where your time sucks are occurring and manage your time better.
Ruth Soukup of Living Well Spending Less, and Elite Blog Academy, has a great model of time management called Filling the Time Jar. I would do it a disservice by trying to explain it here, but I highly recommend reading it.
Planning out your meals for the whole family really helps when your days are super crazy. It becomes one less thing to worry about when you get home and have already decided what to make. I think it would also help prepare the kids to know what they are going to eat in advance, instead of hearing “What’s for dinner?” followed by a loud groan.
Whichever route you take, just take it slowly. Don’t feel like you have to jump into the shallow end head first. And if you find one time management method isn’t working for you, bust out another one. I’d love to hear which approach you started off with and if it is still helping you out.
If you feel like you have a lot of things to do and need a way to write them down and delegate them, or create time blocks, I have found several “mom” planners dedicated to such a thing.
Hil says
I have to set daily reminders on my phone of tasks that need to get done for the week. Then, at the end of the week, my goal is to have them all deleted or checked off. It helps to get messages, or alerts, especially after I’ve started doing something totally NOT related to my task at hand. I also plan every meal for the week during the weekends after scrolling at recipes (and coupons) I’d like to try/use, and try to use a new ingredient once a week, that we’ve never had before. If the recipe calls for fresh ingredients, like seafood, I buy it the day before my scheduled meal.