Time-Management Tips For Busy Moms – By Amanda Drover

“I don’t have enough time!” “I wish I had more time!” “I am too busy!” “There are not enough hours in the day!” ”I don’t have time to learn about time-management.”

Sound familiar?

I’m sure you’ve heard these complaints more than once from your friends and colleagues. Words that express exhaustion, frustration, stress, and anxiety.  Chances are you’ve probably uttered these words yourself – maybe even several times in one day. Everyone is busy and, for some reason, we seem to feel the need to out-complain everyone else. Have you ever been part of this type of competition?

“I’m SO busy I have to do this and this and this!” Followed by, “Oh yeah? Well I’m even busier than you are! I have to do this and this and this and this.  So there!”

Newsflash: There is no such thing as not enough time. It’s simply a matter of  time-management.

I know. I know. Many of you are reading this thinking – is she crazy? Of course there is such a thing as NOT enough time. There isn’t a system in this world that will add 10 hours more to my day. Not even time-management can alter the universe.

Think of it this way: We all seem to have enough time to do the things we REALLY want to do. The trick is finding that extra time. Amazingly, if it’s something we really want to do, we somehow, magically, find those extra minutes or hours.

Fact: We all have the same 24 hours in our day (big shock!). We all have a lot of things to do with those hours. Before I had a system, I would randomly go from one thing to another. Then, I would remember something I should have done the day before, but didn’t. Once I added that chore to my day, something else wouldn’t get done. That something else would get pushed to the next day.

Then, there are my kids. Try to plan your day around a a two-year old and a ten-month old. Not possible, you say? Yes, it absolutely is possible. My days are unbelievably busy, but now that I have a system in place, I am able to accomplish innumerable tasks each and every day.

What system do I use? I simply schedule my day either the week, or night, before. This scheduling tool allows me to organize my time efficiently, and is the first step in any effective time-management system.

I use a day-by-day calendar, or agenda, that divides the day into 30-minute or one-hour segments. Then, I figure out the things that cannot be moved and are most important. For example, feeding the kids and nap times (theirs, not mine).

I WRITE everything down: 8:00 am to 8:30 am – breakfast – 8:30 am to 9:30 am – kids play – 9:30 am – bottle for Owen – 10:00 am – Owen nap. You get the picture. You will soon see where there are gaps in your schedule. Think about what you are going to do with that time and plan it out.

If you have house chores (and who doesn’t?), WRITE THEM DOWN and determine a schedule that works for you.

• When are you going to sweep the floors or vacuum?

• What day of the week are you going to clean the bathroom?

• What times are you going to do laundry (wash, dry, iron, put away)?

• What day will you go grocery shopping (always keep your shopping list current)?

• If you prepare your meals in advance, which day(s) will it be?

I know this might sound a little crazy and obsessive-compulsive, but I promise that you will feel less stressed out (and more organized) when you plan as much as  you can ahead of time.

I am also a work-at-home mom with my own business. I slot out times when I’m going to check my emails, respond on Facebook, return phone calls, do presentations and training calls, and so on and so forth.

Most importantly, I limit the time for each activity. For example, I usually check my Facebook in the morning. Check messages, change my status, wish Happy Birthdays, and address other interpersonal issues. I allow only about 30 minutes for those particular activities. Then, I move on to the next task.

If you don’t allot a specific amount of time for tasks and activities, you will get stuck doing that one activity all day long.

This is why SO many people spend their entire day watching television, chatting on Facebook, or reading emails. My emails come in – bam, bam, bam – almost constantly. But, I will NOT sit there and check them all day long. I allot a few minutes throughout the day for emails, and impose time-limits. I always start with the older messages and work my up.

I hope this helps everyone – especially stay-at-home moms – realize the importance of time-management. It’s tough in the beginning…especially with young kids. But, in the end, it’s well worth it because you will get so much more accomplished each day.

I recommend you try this system for a couple of weeks. You’ll be amazed by how great you feel when you scratch things off your list. Time-management really does work. You will not only feel better about yourself, but you will feel far less frustrated, stressed, and anxious.

Best of all…you will no longer need to compete with your friends…as you will clearly be the winner.

Amanda Drover is a stay-at-home mom living in Ontario, Canada. She has been a team leader with the Motivated Moms group since January 2008.

www.themotivatedmoms.com Moms Helping Moms Work From Home

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis