Are you a mother who runs to get things done but ends up failing the task because of poor time management? Are you searching for ways to be more productive?
Well, I want you to know that it is possible. I’m a mom and I made it. Here I’m sharing with you today these simple productivity g hacks, that will help you to make your life as a mom easier and less stressed.
1. Prioritize your tasks
Be efficient in everything that you do and focus on doing things in the order that makes the most sense. Always prioritize and start with the most important tasks.
The opposite of this is multitasking which you should absolutely avoid because you won’t be 100% into what you’re doing; in other words, you won’t get things done correctly.
The best way to get things done is by organizing and prioritizing your tasks using this small list which will save you a lot of time.
- Urgent and important
- Important but not urgent
- Urgent but not important
- Not important and not urgent
2. Learn how to delegate
I’m a Hispanic mother that comes from where women are convinced that they are in charge of everything. Here in Europe, however, during the nineteenth century, the feminist movement began and it changed everything, including not only sharing expenses but also house chores.
and as surreal as it sounds, men also do the tasks that we do, even when it comes to taking care of children, bathing them, relieving them from their gases, interchanging at night…..
And when the kids get older, they can also help them out with their homework and play with them, etc.. Just let go and be conscious that there are two people in the house ready to get things done.
You need to have patience though, and by that I mean you should not stand over his shoulders monitoring his acts because if you do so, this poor man will run away from you!
Tip: If he doesn’t do it right, thank him anyway and see how everything gets better with time!
3. Plan your meals in advance
To be more efficient, start with the simple and important things. For example with meals, when making dinner, focus on having a fast-food repertoire.
After repetition, you will know the steps of preparation. you don’t really need a recipe, it can only be a protein with vegetables or a salad which is what I prepare in my case.
It’s not really worth complicating yourself with sophisticated recipes, you only need healthy and fast ones.
This also makes food shopping easier for me because I simply get the proteins, vegetables, and fruits and do the magic with that all week long.
If I want something fast, I prepare burritos or tacos which I can serve in only 10 minutes.
Now if you want to be the queen of time management, then my tip for you would be to take 2-3 hours every Sunday to prepare your meals for the entire week, and you don’t really need more than that to get the food for the week done!
There are so many recipes that are provided for this kind of organization.
4. Use a calendar
Keeping an agenda is the best organizational tool, it can be used for so much more than just scheduling medical appointments and meetings, like reserving time for our hobbies and chores.
Schedule time on your agenda for all the mentioned activities:
- Social media
- Reply to emails
- Exercise
- Time with children
- House organization
- etc
Plan your week ahead of time, every Sunday take 30 minutes to put everything on your agenda.
I am a mother in the digital world so I use google’s calendar, but you are free to use whatever tool you feel best serves you
Think about how you’re really spending your time. Write your daily and weekly tasks. How do you view your schedule? and how do you want it to look like? you have to consider this before adding more tasks.
If what you want the most is to resolve everything without really thinking about the time, you have 3 options: before work, during work, and after work.
This is the way you should think about everything that you do:
What is the most efficient order to do things? What can you do first to make other tasks easier?
- Before work: can you get up earlier? Will that affect any part of your day? Will your partner be responsible for your children if they wake up early? Can you still sleep as much as you want?
- During work: is there a gym in your office that you could use? Are there any gyms close to your office? If you work during the day, could you stay longer in the office? Will that affect giving your children a ride to the nursery or picking them up?
- After work: Can you do it after work but before picking up the children? If your partner picks up the children, can you get home 30 minutes later than you normally do? Can you do it after the children go to bed? If so, what will you have to give up?
5. Learn to say NO
Question yourself this way. Use your answers to adjust your schedule. Then try it and see if it works for you. If not, what changes will make it work?
Basically, this is just being efficient with your schedule. Do not do things at any given time because that is how you’ve always done it.
You might think that you would only like to work in the morning because it’s a habit, but if the night is the best time for you, then that is when you should do your things.
6. Keep your inspiration and motivation
Motivation is the fuel we all need to move forward, and the more focused we are on our goals, the less time we will be wasting.
So take the time to be read motivational books, and look for inspiration from people who have already achieved great goals similar to yours.
Another key is the projection of oneself. The idea is not escaping from the present because we need you here 100 %! use the mind to project yourself in the present moment.
What you see is what you have here and now.
7. Try to get up earlier than everyone else.
Getting up earlier will work for you?
I used to think that I could not get up before my children. I used to tell myself that I did not know what time they would get up.
Then I started getting up 30 minutes before them. And it worked for the first week.
The second week I tried to get up not only 30 minutes, but 1 hour before the children and I started to like the results.
Today after 5 years, I can say that it has become part of my routine, I wake up 4 hours before my children and for me, that time is Pure Gold.
years ago, it was all about doing all the household chores faster and having time for myself. Now the first thing that I do in the morning is dedicate it to my spiritual and personal growth.
I meditate, read, do breathing exercises and then I feel the energy and the desire to do everything else.
Imagine that you could have all that time for yourself and use it for doing the things you like most. Are you willing to make changes to make this happen?
We cannot literally add time to our day, but we can choose how we spend our time and how to make the most of it. And that’s how you end up having more time which is undoubtedly an excellent option.
As a mother, you will have to be flexible because you cannot predict what your children will do or what situations will arise.
You may be thinking that it won’t work but try it for three days a week and then decide if it works for you or not.
What do you gain when you start managing your time?
You could gain a couple of hours to spend with your partner. When there are children, the relationship changes a bit and you will have to keep feeding it, even if just through watching a movie at home, it will help preserve the couple’s bonds.
The same goes for spending time with your children. Choose a time of the day to focus on your children.
Think about what makes our children happy. Set goals and rewards, ask yourself what you really want to archive.
Be intentional with your time and so you will be able to achieve more, strengthen your relationships and lead the life you want.
Remember that we all have 24 hours a day to do our things, the question I’d always ask myself is how some people manage to do more things and achieve their goals while others don’t? I gradually discovered it.
I am happy today to share all my tips with you. Leave me a comment on what you think of my tips and share yours if you have any! I will reply!
