Time is one of those resources that once gone, you can never get back. The truth is poor time management is one of the top challenges facing working moms, especially as we try to balance work and family.
How effectively you will use the time you have on hand is very crucial as it helps you to meet your set targets. To avoid feeling always overwhelmed and out of time, try making a plan for your day, create a time checklist, set priorities, delegate tasks, multi-task, set work boundaries , avoid time wasters and procrastinating.
Simple Secrets on Time Management for Moms
1. Have a Work Plan for your Day
Even if you know the tasks you need to handle by heart, you need to plan on how, when, where, with whom (if any) you need to complete them with. Most importantly you must decide the amount of time to allocate to each task. Listing all these parameters is key in optimally managing your time of the day for the tasks and events planned for the day.
Without a plan on how your day will look like , you will lose track of time or not meet the targets you set. You will find that you will do a bit of this here, a bit of that there, and so on with no much work achieved.
Importance of Planning for your Day
- Avoid wasting time and missing out on deadlines that may leave you overwhelmed and fatigued. In a recent post here I have shared important tips for avoiding and fighting fatigue related with poor planning and time management among others.
- Makes you stay focused and avoid time wasters. It relaxes and focuses your mind on the task at hand by giving you a view of your expected workload.
- Helps with organization. You will avoid half-done tasks or projects that are left halfway.
- Avoid the risk of making errors or mistakes due to anxiety. The anxiety may come from the fear that you may fail to do all the work in the needed time after all.
You can create your plan manually by writing down the tasks in addition to their key parameters such as how, when, where, who and how long each will take.
Alternatively, you can go digital which is easier and convenient. There are many digital planners and time management tools that you can use. They range from paid apps such as Todoist, and Goodnotes, as well as free apps such as Google Calendar and Evernote among others. Remember however that your plan can be made daily, weekly, or monthly whichever suits you best.
As you set goals on your plan, only have realistic and achievable goals. Avoid putting so much time pressure on yourself through expectations you may not realistically achieve.
2. Create a Timed Task Checklist for all Your Tasks
While a plan gives you a general overview of the tasks you have to do, how, when, and with whom, a checklist is different in that it helps you to effectively finish them , and mostly within the time that you allocated for them.
A simple task checklist contains all the necessary items or parameters that are required to have that task complete and time allocated for them to ensure your time is managed effectively.
For example, if the task is arranging for the annual general meeting, your checklist may include items such as sending emails, sending out the guest invitation, organizing for the venue, catering services among others.
A typical family task on the other hand maybe a shopping list for family dinner. In your checklist, you will have all the necessary items you need to buy from the store. A checklist can be for anything, a meal, a presentation, shopping, or a picnic among others.
Checklists as a time management tool, helps you avoid the risk of making errors, mistakes or missing a crucial item. A checklist will help you check on what has been done, and what has not to be done yet until eventually all has been done before their due time.
With a checklist, you won’t miss out on an important item, or something that needed to be done. Hence you avoid the last-minute rush that can potentially ruin everything. It is very important to be comprehensive and exhaustive as you make the checklist as it is the ultimate guide in managing your time effectively.
3. Set Time-tied Task Priorities
All tasks and projects differ on parameters such as how urgent they are, how important they are, or how easier they can be accomplished among others. You may not do all on your tasks list so you will have to make priorities.
Give priority to urgent tasks closer to the deadline and those that must be accomplished before others can be done. It means most of your time will go to top priority tasks. For instance, attending to a client’s complaint is important and urgent than organizing for the company thanksgiving party to be held a month later.
Weigh your options well and consider other factors that you think are relevant to rank your tasks and allocate time to them. Also as you prioritize make wise compromise decisions. You may have to forgo something to attain something of a higher priority.
4. Delegate Time Sensitive Tasks
Nobody is a robot (pun intended). What I am simply saying is that no one expects you to do EVERYTHING. Don’t be hard on yourself, especially when you have alternative options of completing the tasks you have, especially those that are time sensitive.
Delegation is a crucial time management strategy that we all need to employ to effectively manage our time. Trying to do all the tasks at once will just leave you exhausted in addition to the possibilities of making errors. You may even not be able to effectively complete the task, if at all.
When you have more on your plate than you can handle with the little time that you have, share out. Give out these duties to others so that you can handle other equally important tasks within the time that you have. Don’t try to do everything at once if there is something you can share to be done by someone else.
If you have worries, you can supervise the delegated tasks to ensure they are being done to your standards and within the time you have set for them. If you are planning for a company event, for instance, have different people look into different elements such as venue, guest list, or catering. At home have someone do the cleaning and housework as you make dinner for the family or help the kids with homework.
5. Multitask Wisely
Multitasking is a great time management strategy that helps you accomplish more than one task at once. It feels very productive when you are doing two things at the same time as effectively as you would with one. If you can, choose tasks that do not need your on-hand attention and focus.
For instance, at home, you can be loading your laundry as you test your kids’ academic verbally. You can be preparing for dinner as you listen to a podcast you need to make notes on among others. At the office, you can schedule your guests/clients to come in at the same time so that you don’t have to go over the same thing twice.
However, multitasking is a time management technique you need to use with caution. Choose tasks that are not focus and attention intensive. If they are, you run into high chances of failing in one if not both.
For instance, it may not be advisable to answer your client’s call as you reply to emails. Chances are you are bound to make typing errors in your emails or miss information from the call. Alternatively, get electronics to help such as voice text readers, and automated phone replies among others to assist you in multitasking.
Read: How to Work Two Jobs Effectively
6. Set Boundaries at Work
Having clear guidelines for your work expectations will greatly guide you in how you plan your time.Without boundaries, you will find that you are working on any kind of task at any hour of the day among others. Doing so will mean that you lose track of time and not meet your targets.
You hence need to set work limitations and boundaries of what you can only do as they all affect how you manage your time. This includes your working hours and job descriptions among others. You won’t deal with work that you do not have to deal with and hence have your time on doing the essential tasks.
Even at home, have boundaries especially when it comes to personal time and space. Your family needs to mind asking for favors that require you to work on time you have set for yourself.
Read: How to Set and Enforce Boundaries at Work
7. Avoid Time Wasters
It is very easy to be distracted if you are in the presence of constant distractions such as music, phone or noise. Identify what distracts your attention and wastes your time as it plays a major role in you missing planned work.
Distractions steal your time, attention and shift your focus to things you had not planned on doing. As a result the tasks that you planned suffer in return. You then miss effectively completing your planned tasked and have to rush through everything later with missed time targets.
You then must be deliberate about avoiding these distractions and time-wasters.
- Avoid social media and overusing your phone while working.
- Keep music off and request your colleagues keep the noise down if this is what distracts you.
- If you are working from home give specific instructions on how you want the house to operate.
8. Avoid Procrastinating
I am sure everyone is guilty as I am of putting off tasks at some point. There are many reasons (even valid ones) that may make it impossible to complete the tasks , which ends up mismanaging our time. It could be that funds ran out, or you feel sick or you lost team members. These are valid reasons to put the task or project to another day.
However, do not make a habit of procrastinating tasks for poor reasons such as that you still have tomorrow or you will be more productive on another day. Procrastinating is an enemy of effective and productive time management.
Instead, try to do tasks on the set day and time if you can so that you avoid throwing off the rest of the day or week, or month. When you do not do it now and keep it for later, you are eating into time that is or probably can be set for another task.
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