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We are all searching for where we can find the best time management tips for moms.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned about being a mother is that you always do things for your children and spouse, but do you have time to do things for yourself?
Time management can be hard to conquer. There are so many things preventing you from being on time.
Before having my son, whenever I needed to think, I would go to brunch with my friends, and we would be able to hash it out over cocktails and mimosas.
We can’t do that in the same capacity anymore as moms, so you have to get more creative and find other ways of getting your thoughts out that allow you to feel accomplished and be accomplished.
That is why finding the best time management tips for moms is always hard. There is never a complete guide to finding great tips until now.
Here are 13 Effective Time Management Tips For Busy Moms
As a working mom, you will realize that your entire family relies on you to complete everything.
From self-care, great books, and easy everyday tools, the only way to get everything you want done in a single day is to adopt an intentional daily routine.
Make lists & write ideas down.
From doctor’s appointments, teacher conferences, and everyday shopping, busy moms don’t have time to remember everything that needs to be done. I
I’m sorry, mama. You are not going to remember. That’s the truth.
The important things need to be written down, and you must plan.
That can be hard if it’s not something you had to do before having kids.
In the long run, making lists takes less time and increases your home life because you can break things off into sections to get the important tasks done reasonably.
If you are looking for some great planners or notepads, these are some of the best and are made to help improve your time management skills.
Time Management Planners for Moms
The Mom Life Planner
Price: 23.95
Color Block Polka Dots Monthly Planner
Price: $21.25
The Very Busy Planner
Price: $14.53
to Do List Daily Task Checklist Planner
Price: $10.99
The #1 National Bestseller! 17-Month Weekly Mom Planner
Price: $9.61
Do it Online
If you can, do as much as you can online. It’s a great way to do a list of things at once and feel like you’re getting everything done.
Online calendars or digital planners are ways to check off items on your to-do list. If you are looking for a few options, these are some of the best.
Best Digital Planners
The Custom Digital Planner
Price: $26.97
Mom Digital Planner Bundle
Price: $26.65
Mom Life Digital Planner
Price: $11.52
If you like to use something tried and true, use Google Calendar to stay organized.
I use Monday.com, but you can use any other platform that will allow you to meet your time management needs.
If you need social media time management systems and help scheduling your content in advance, Later is a great app.
I use this app for all my social needs, and it’s great to know that you can have all your stuff in one place.
Instagram and Twitter also have native tools that you can use to schedule out content you want to post online.
Like Pinterest? Now you can pin up to 30 days out, so batching your content is easier than ever.
As a mom who might be working from home, finding more ways of getting your tasks done while the baby has their nap times, gets screen time, or you’re in the bathroom will be essential to improving your time management.
Outsource What You Hate
If you are unsure what to outsource, start with the tasks you know take up the most time, you hate, and wish someone else could do. Some of the most common tasks that you can outsource:
Housekeeper
Hiring someone monthly to clean your home is a great start. If you have small children, the thought of cleaning is ongoing, and you can feel like your house is never clean or that you are constantly cleaning.
This way, you have someone come in on a particular cadence to do the household chores that will free you up to do other things on your list.
Professional Organizers
Even if your home is clean, that doesn’t mean it’s organized.
After a move, new child, or life event, having someone come in and help you take inventory of what you need and develop systems to improve it is just one step.
Laundry Service
If there is one thing that moms, especially young moms, have to do is laundry.
The more kids you have, the more you will have to do. There are local and national laundry services that will pick your items up, fold them, and deliver them back to you within a day or so.
HappyNest is a great company that is across the US to check out.
Grocery Delivery Services
There are so many companies that have grocery deliveries that you can save yourself hours at the store.
Fresh Direct, Peapod, and Amazon Fresh Groceries are just some companies offering this service.
Your local grocery stores offer to pick it up, so even if you don’t want to go into the store to shop, you can pick it up and continue your day.
Enroll Kids in Activities
This could be swimming, soccer, painting, or any task that can buy you even 30 mins to yourself.
For example, if your child is over three years old, you don’t have to get into the water with them while they are taking swimming lessons.
You can sit on the side, watch them and get that time back.
Hire a Babysitter
Care.com is a great place to start to find a babysitter.
Let’s face it; sometimes, we need some me time. If family members or loved ones are unavailable to watch your kids, hiring a babysitter can give you a few moments.
Revolve your life around your priorities.
Ensure you set ground rules and boundaries of what you can, can’t do, and don’t waver.
As a mom, you have a busy schedule. Sometimes you will find that you can’t do everything the way you want to, and you have to find creative ways of getting things done.
If family time is the most important thing for you, create a home mom schedule that allows you 30-minute blocks to do what you feel is necessary for the family and other tasks.
Cleaning as you go
Cooking dinner is the place where the most messes are made. If you begin to clean as you finish, one part of dinner will allow extra time to hang with family.
I hate this part, but it’s been beneficial in getting so much time back daily.
Some of the biggest time-wasters when cleaning is trying to clean everything all at once, and it can get discouraging because it will feel like you are not making progress.
Here are some easy steps to take when cleaning as you go.
Pre-clean
If there are small areas in the home that you can straighten up and don’t need soap, water, and elbow grease, this is where you can do it.
Putting away the mail and stacking the books on the counter are all great ways of precleaning your space.
The Clean
This is where you will have to clean. The living room, dishes, laundry, and windows are all items that must be cleaned.
Setting up a specific time per day and week to do these tasks will make it feel less like a chore.
Disinfection (as needed)
Some things don’t need to be disinfected, but if they do, finding time to do it, even if it its weekly, can make a difference in the maintenance of your home and space.
Do something different for You.
Parenting is like having 2.5 jobs, so if you need to set aside time to do things for yourself on your schedule, then you do that.
Incorporate your passions into your daily schedule. If you are looking for a few ways to do a quick mental health check, try getting some of these items.
Snacks
Being a foodie is not only a profession but also a passion.
You can find ways of discovering new snacks to eat that will allow you to relax and decompress from daily stresses.
Music
Whether you want to listen to music, learn to play an instrument, or dance, music is another thing you can add to your routine to help you feel better.
Shopping
Who doesn’t like shopping for new things for ourselves?
While some might not window shop, you can block out time on your online calendar to buy yourself new bras, panties, or something you need.
Embrace Changes, Regularly
Somedays, you can get everything on your grocery list; some days, you won’t.
Some days you can drink coffee, and some days you will have to toss it.
Remember that being flexible even when you feel like you can’t pull yourself away is a part of motherhood.
You might have to change your nail appointment to your lunch break or move it to the following week because the baby is sick.
That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it. It just means you will have to do it next time.
The best thing you can do for your mental health and your family is to understand that you must go with the flow of the moment, which means your kids.
Your day will be tailored based on how they feel.
Knowing that will prepare you for knowing that it’s ok if you have to push things to next week or the next day, and understand that it doesn’t make you a bad parent because you couldn’t get as much work done today that you wanted.
Try Block Scheduling
The time block is an excellent method if you have little free time. You can use many methods to get the most out of your work hours, and you can start with any method to see what works for you and your lifestyle.
Pomodoro Method
The most popular time management method is based on 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by five-minute breaks. For example:
- Identify a task or tasks that you need to complete.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes.
- Work on a task with no distractions.
- When the alarm sounds, take a 5-minute break.
- Repeat the process 3 more times.
- Take a longer 30-minute break and start again.
Other methods are similar to this method. This is the most popular one, and you will hear many entrepreneurs and professionals use this method since it allows you to get the most done in a set time, and the results are positive.
Learn When to Say No
Boundaries are hard but necessary, especially if you are a parent.
At the end of the day, you have to sometimes say no. Saying “no” directly can seem a little harsh for some people.
However, there are ways to say no that will still allow you the space to have your boundaries honored but also decrease the stress and pressure that comes with doing something that you might not have the capacity to do now.
- Unfortunately, I have too much to do today.
- Thanks for the offer, but no, thank you.
- That sounds fun, but I have a lot at home to handle.
- I’m not comfortable doing that [thing].
- Now isn’t a good time for me.
Whether you are a people pleaser or not, you can use this technique of saying no, which is the best way for some people.
Delegate
When your children are small, delegating will be harder because you are still teaching them how to put things in the trash or tie their shoes, for example.
As your kids get older, start assigning them chores to help take off the daily load from what you need to do.
Believe it or not, children want to help you. Based on age, give them tasks you don’t have to deal with so you can decrease your stress.
Learn what to Automate
There are so many things that you can set to automate. Automation is one of the easiest ways to increase your time management. You can automatically
- Pay bills online
- Grocery shopping by having groceries sent at certain times per week or month
- Reminders for timely events or appointments
You can also do this by making school lunches the night before to reduce your time in your morning routine.
Set Boundaries
Saying “no” is one phase of setting boundaries, but another is not doing things you don’t want or are uncomfortable doing.
You are not obligated to go to an event, take phone calls or do something that will upset you or push you to your limits.
You want to get clear on several types of boundaries to stay consistent when implementing them.
There are a few that relate to time management that I will focus on below.
Time Boundaries
If you are in a season of motherhood where you can’t go to the family function, travel for nonimportant work trips, or attend every school meeting, that is ok.
While there is an expectation to attend everything, sometimes you can’t, and knowing what you can and can’t make time for in the season you are in will allow you to be more direct and say “no” without the guilt behind it.
Financial and Material Boundaries
You can’t always give your mom, partner, or kid’s school money. There will be times when you have to allocate that money and resources to other places.
Coming up with a list of activities/things that you feel comfortable giving money to will let you honor your commitments to things that are important to you and permit you not to allocate resources to placements you don’t want to.
Non-Negotiable Boundaries
These are boundaries that mostly align with your morals and values.
If you don’t eat pork because of your religion, these boundaries are easier to honor since they are attached to something personal.
This could also be tied to your work time, where you can’t work past 6 pm because you must get your kids from daycare.
Its nothing you can do to change that, which makes you not stress about it.
Have a Plan B
When you have a backup plan, you give yourself grace, allowing you to own your life on your terms.
Nothing will go as planned, but having plans is a good idea so you never feel out of control and derail the day.
This could be doing something in a set amount of time and, if it doesn’t get finished deciding what to do next so that you can get your tasks done.
Time Management Books for Busy Moms
These books are some of the top and favorite books of many people because they tap into what it means to have a daily management routine and reach long-term goals daily.
Everyday MAGIC: The Joy of Not Being Everything and Still Being More Than Enough
Price: $13.99
The 12 Week Year
Price: $12.59
Atomic Habits
Price: $11.98
Time Management Hacks for Working Moms: 10 things you need to start doing right to manage your time as a working mother
Price: $5.99
Time Management Strategies for Self Care
You can’t master the art of time management without including self-care.
This essential time is needed to recharge so that you can be the mom you want to be and spend enough quality time with yourself, which is the most important part of who you are at your core.
Plan an At-Home Spa Day
While this might seem so easy, as a busy mom of a new baby, you might not be able to do this as often as needed.
You could ask family and friends to either take the kids or come by so that you can get a couple of hours to plan a spa day.
Here are a few things you can do to have an easy spa day at home.
Face Mask
Bubble Bath
Bathtub Tray
Bathroom Speakers
Bath Robe
Take a Bath
While some people love showers, draw a bath to take care of yourself.
There are bubble baths formulated to help release the stress that smells good and has great health benefits.
Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Eucalyptus
Price: $15.99
Dr. Teal’s Relax & Relief with Eucalyptus & Spearmint Foaming Bath
Price: $7.49
Dr. Teal’s Unscented Pure Epsom Bath Salt
Price: $5.89
Journal
If you don’t have the means to talk to someone about your stress, getting a journal is a good way.
There are so many journals that help with time management that picking a good journal can help you brain dump so you can get the items out of your head and execute them.
The Ultimate Time Management Toolkit
Price: 19.95
Present, Not Perfect for Moms
Price: $14.99
The Self-Care Planner: A Guided Self-Care Journal and Workbook
Price: $12.99
The 5-Minute Self-Care Journal for Women
Price: $11.69
Plan a Solo Vacation
Everyone can use a break, especially busy moms.
While you might not be able to go on vacations all the time, you deserve to go on a solo trip at least once in your motherhood journey.
It can be a staycation, domestic or international travel.
Pick a place where you can go for a certain amount of days to relax, decompress, and do something on your own schedule for once.
Meet a Friend for Brunch
Depending on where you live, brunch may not be a big thing, but in major cities like New York, Los Angles, and Miami, brunch is a culture.
Brunch is where you can go to a restaurant before 4 pm on the weekends and get special dishes with drinks included for a certain time limit.
This is a great way to have a few hours of escape with friends or loved ones.
You can bring your kids if you like, but to have a good time, have someone watch them so you can get the total value of having free time to catch up.
Join a Gym/Dance Class
Making mom friends as you get older is hard if you don’t already live an active lifestyle.
Joining a class where you can meet other moms with similar interests is a great way to get the ball rolling on decreasing stress.
Put it on your priority list to try and get out a couple of days during the work week. It’s a great way to build community.
Volunteer
If you want to serve others outside of your immediate circle, volunteering is a great way to do that.
So many nonprofit organizations could use the help of caring people, and this is a great way to find other ways of connecting with others and doing something that brings you joy.
Time Management Tips for Busy Moms Final Thoughts
Being a busy mom means you must develop time management strategies to keep your mental and physical health in check.
You can work on improving your time management in so many ways.
Start with learning how with more time management books for busy moms, looking for the best time management tools for everyday life and self-care strategies.
You can create enough time in your life.
With an understanding of how to use time management systems to improve your motherhood journey, you will notice the difference in what you can accomplish in a day, week, month, and year.
These time management tips will help you take control of your own life and make better decisions to create a set routine that is key to living without chaos.
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Excellent tips and resources🤗🤗
Thank you so much 🙂