According to a recent survey, the average mom spends about 98 hours per week on childcare and household responsibilities. This is equivalent to working two and a half full-time jobs! Effective time management can help moms find balance and make the most of their time, rather than feeling overwhelmed and overworked.
Here are 14 time management tips for moms you can apply today and start saving time immediately:
1. Mom, Make Plans Ahead of Time
Planning is always number one on the list of time-saving tips for working moms. A George Washington University research on time management supports this.
Make sure you have everything you need ahead of time. Decision fatigue is a psychological condition in which people feel overwhelmed or incapable of making easy decisions.
It’s effortless to fall into this trap.
However, planning ahead of time is one way to stay ahead of the game and prevent this situation.
Plan out meals for the family, how to get the kids to and from school, and other daily schedules you want to stick to.
Planning your outfit for the next day can also save you some time!
One of our blog readers told us that she sets up the table for the next meal immediately after doing the dishes. She said it is the best thing and everyone should do it.
2. How Dressing Nicely Can Help Moms With Time Management
Why is dressing up number two on the list of time management tips for moms??
According to many research articles, including “Social, Psychological and Personality Science,” a person’s way of dressing up impacts their mental health.
Therefore, preparing yourself for the day will add zest to your life. Simply putting on pajamas or crushed-up clothing will leave you in a sleepy, unproductive mood immediately.
If you’re homeschooling your kids, they must see you looking inspired, too! They will feed off of your energy. Even if you merely intend to stay home for the day.
It’s a simple habit to cultivate, but it might significantly impact your day.
3. Make an Agenda for Each Day
Making a daily schedule for yourself is time management for moms 101. You have many responsibilities, especially if you are a working mom rather than a housewife.
You may want to be in two places at once when doing chores.
To begin, mark your calendar with non-negotiable tasks like picking up the kids from school or making lunch. Without these, you couldn’t do anything else.
If you write things down on your schedule daily, it’s easy to locate pockets of spare time where you can relax and have some time. This way even your days off are going to be extremely productive without much effort!
4. Have a Designated Work Station
Making your work area more productive is another essential point on the time-saving tips for working moms list.
It helps to have a distinct workspace whenever you sit down to handle any administrative task, such as finances or family taxes.
Even if it’s just a small corner, have a dedicated office in your living room. You can also utilize it as a workspace for any side projects or interests you might have.
5. Get a Head Start on Your Children
Getting a jump start on everyone by getting up early in the morning is appealing. One way to be a more effective mom is to get up before your children. This is essential when it comes to time management tips for moms.
During the few hours of peace, you can prepare their meals or concentrate on a personal project. Enjoy the tranquility and start your days the way you want, whatever you want to do with your newfound free time.
6. Having a Specific Chore List Can Save Your Day
Nothing beats creating a to-do list; after all, we can’t depend on memory for everything, especially when it comes to moms managing time.
You don’t have to do everything around the house. Once your children reach a certain age, they can begin assisting with household chores.
A Psychology Today article, “Delegating Your Way Out of Family Dysfunction,” highlights the importance of delegating duties.
You may teach your toddlers how to put away their toys and help them make their beds.
Older children may be assigned cleaning responsibilities such as washing dishes or vacuuming the floors.
Designing chores for your children save while teaching them responsibility is a huge benefit for all industrious moms who want to raise their kids properly.
7. Save Time By Blocking all Notifications
One of the better time management tips for moms is to remove apps from their life that suck away their time. If you continuously check your email or social media, it may be time to eliminate it.
With so many apps designed to be addictive, giving us infinite new information and experiences, distractions are an obvious downside.
If you find yourself wasting more time than you’d like on certain apps, consider removing them totally from your phone.
8. Workout at Home Instead of the Gym
Not a fan of the gym? Check out YouTube or subscribe to an exercise channel instead. There are countless workout options, so finding one that fits your preference is highly likely!
If you’re already a gym member, but are short on time and can’t make it to the gym, training at home is always an option, plus you eliminate the time it takes to travel to and from the gym.
It’s the consistency that matters the most!
You may skip walking to a neighboring gym or sitting in traffic by choosing from a range of training videos ranging from a few minutes to nearly an hour.
You can squeeze them in between other activities, quick few-minute plank session never hurt anybody.
9. Go For Walks to Stimulate the Mind and Body
One of the oldest recommendations is taking a walk outside to get fresh air. Being in nature provides many health benefits, even if only for a short period. Make it a point to be in the presence of greenery as much as possible.
If you’re going for a run, consider going via the park. You could even take a small child on an afternoon picnic if you have a small child.
10. Have a Hobby or Two
Being great at time management creates opportunities for you to have a hobby. Add some enjoyment to your day!
You are making time to do something you enjoy, whether reading, writing, or making music, which can be your way of treating yourself and meditating.
Alternatively, use it as an opportunity to re-energize before continuing with the rest of the day’s activities.
When you are re-energized the quality of time you spend with your kids will increase as well!
11. Specify Routines for Morning and Evening
It would help your time management if you created a morning and evening ritual for yourself to help prevent decision exhaustion and remain productive.
Treat these habits as if they’re automatic from when you wake up to when you go to bed.
Routines eliminate the need for additional decision-making and allow you to blend self-care with responsibilities.
12. Group Relevant Tasks Together
Splitting your tasks into batches is among the top time-saving tips for moms. Batching is the process of putting comparable jobs together and doing them all at once rather than across several days.
Many people do this at work, but few realize how useful it can be in their personal lives.
Set up an afternoon or evening each week to take care of more straightforward tasks such as cleaning, laundry, doctor’s visits, and grocery shopping so you aren’t continually devoting time to more vital tasks.
13. Reduce Multitasking
Often, multitasking leads to you overlooking many essential things or some not getting done efficiently.
For example, I was trying to iron while cooking could lead to food or clothes getting burned.
If you measure your success by the number of things you accomplish weekly, experts strongly advise you to reassess your strategy.
While crossing a million items off your never-ending to-do list is rewarding, productivity is key to doing fewer things more effectively.
14. Schedule Break Time
Time management for moms includes taking time to breathe. Please give yourself a moment to unwind. You have the right to take a break even if you’re a busy parent.
Schedule time for self-indulgence, even if it’s just a few episodes of your favorite TV show, or get a babysitter so you and your significant other can enjoy some well-needed alone time.
If you don’t find time to relax, your mind and body will not adequately accomplish the tasks on your to-do list.
You need to get some rest if you want to improve your other tasks. You’ll be able to take care of your priorities in surprising ways if you take care of yourself.
The Bottom Line
You must know there’s no one size fits all situation regarding time management for moms.
As a mom, the most important thing to remember is to keep your priorities in mind.
Allowing people’s expectations to influence your habits and ambitions in life is a mistake.
Once you’ve selected what you want to focus on, use these tactics to be productive daily and remain on top of all your priorities.
