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Life is full when you’re a working mom. There is so much going on between the kids and work and laundry and dishes. Not to mention trying to have a social life, be with your friends, maintain your marriage, check in with your parents or take time alone to be with yourself. It’s no wonder time management for moms is tough. We are busy!!! Knowing the busy and full life you have, here are some tips that will help you out. There is also a to-do list at the bottom of this article this give you a great place to start managing what it is you need to do each day so that you can be more effective with your time.

Write it down

Whatever it is you need to fit into your day, write it down. If you are trying to remember the 17,002 things that you need to do every single day, you are going to be way more stressed than you actually need to be. You’re also going to forget some stuff and end up having to do that last-minute scramble which is not ideal.

Document your basic routine on a calendar

Put the regular occurrences on a calendar.  For example, if there’s pick up every day, put it on the calendar, if work including your commute is 8-7 every day, put it on a calendar. That way you know essentially the basic routine you’re working with and what time you have for everything else. There are several different types of calendars you can use. It doesn’t matter if it’s an online calendar or a written calendar just use one.   

If you share a lot of responsibilities with someone, say your husband, be sure that you can both easily access the calendar.

Make a daily to-do list

You need a to-do list. It will help you to manage and be organized. It will also help you to be present. Not having to think about the 17,002 things that you need to do each day in every single moment will free your mind up to be more present. A to-do list will also help you to prioritize your time.

With a good to-do list,  you can just look at the list and understand whether or not you completed the things you said you need to that day.  You can check out an article on the blog here about how to make a to-do list.

Create an already done list

When it comes to managing your time a big part of being affective and efficient is understanding what you are and are not able to do each day. We often overestimate what we can do in an hour and underestimate what we can do in a day.  There’s also something tp be said about being able to look back at the end of the day and see how much you accomplished.

If you have a to-do list that can also become you’re already done list. Just check of the tasks as you compete them. At the end of the day look back at what you accomplished and understand where your time went. How much did it actually take to do the things you wanted to do?  Did you get things done more slowly or quickly than anticipated? Use that to help you create a reasonable list of things to do the next day.

Create a meal plan (this really helps time management for busy moms)

 You knew an article on time management for moms was going to have this. It’s real, you=r family needs to eat and that falls on you. A huge part of time management is not wasting time. An area where it’s easy to waste time is in meal preparation. Don’t waste time thinking about what your family is going to eat or in making elaborate meals every day. Instead, create a meal plan that helps you to be more efficient with how you spend your time in the kitchen.

You can batch cooking on Sunday and then use that food for meals planned through the rest of the week .   Or on a week night pick up a few rotisserie chickens and then make several meals from those. You could have chicken and veggies the first night, chicken tacos the second and chicken stew the third.

Knowing what your family is going to eat throughout the week will help you to be more efficient with your time.

Have a morning routine.

A morning routine is a key part of good time management because it helps to frame up and set the day.  Take time each morning to visualize what you need to achieve that day and make a plan for how you will get it done. Bonus points if you think through any obstacles you might face and how you will conquer them.

Have a week planning session.

As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. Sit down on Sunday and write out what it is that needs to be accomplished for the upcoming week. If you can take 20 to 30 minutes each Sunday to review what you’ve already got on your calendar and add anything new you need to do you’ll be in a much better place to handle the week.

Make time for self-care

This is huge part of great time management. In order to be able to deliver and be effective with the time that you have, you need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s impossible to be effective when you’re feeling burnt out. You will not be able to manage your time well or make a decision if your brain is fried and you are emotionally just disengaged. One way to avoid feeling that way is ensuring that you plan time to take for yourself. So make time to care for yourself every day and every week. Maybe it’s sitting in silence for 10 minutes, maybe it’s working out maybe, or stretching or journaling or taking time to read for 15 minutes. Just make sure that you plan to take care of yourself.  Keep it on your calendar and your to-do list.  

Use the Time Management Tips for Busy Moms

So, it’s not easy but it’s worth it. The benefits of incorporating the above tips into your life will help you thrive. Download the to-do list at the bottom of this article and get started today with better time management.