How To Manage Your Time as a Working Mom

Do you feel like you can’t find enough time in the day? I know I do. I am a mother and wife, all while managing a blog and working a corporate 9-5. If you’re anything like me I’m sure your days fly by and you feel like you’ve gotten nothing done.

Working moms have a lot on their plate and they can sometimes feel guilty for not showing their kids enough attention. This is known as working mom guilt. Working mom guilt is the guilt a mother feels when she has to take care of other priorities before her children. This emotion can easily consume you, especially when you’re a new mom but try not to let it get the best of you.

There are so many things we can do to beat the mommy guilt trip and start to become more effective at home and in the office.

One of the biggest issues we face being a working mom is time management. Time management is the ability to use your time effectively. In terms of this article we will include home and work. Time can be managed in a multitude of ways and what works for one mom may not work for the other. Understanding how you are most efficient and what works for your family, is what’s most important.

Time management is an acquired skill. Woman are amazing, but we are not born with the ability to do a thousand things at once and that is where learning to manage your time and understand what is important comes in to play.

I wanted to learn more about what other working mothers were doing to manage their time effectively by balancing work and home life.

So, what do you do when you want to learn more about a specific topic? You talk to family, then friends, then of course Facebook.

So, with the help of those around me, and social media of course; I have compiled 10 highly effective tips and hacks answering the question, how do working moms manage their time effectively?

Here’s what they said:

1. 1. Work smarter not harder. Use apps such as Remember The Milk and Productivity to stay organized and remember task without having to waste brain power on it. Let technology do the work for you. We have the tendency to make things harder than they have to be.
   2. Stay as hands free as possible. I bought this car phone holder on a whim one day and it is the best thing that ever happened to me! This phone holder is magnet. It literally takes two seconds to throw your phone on it when you get in the car so you’re hands are free to handle kids or the granola bar you finally get to eat. I have told so many people about this and they absolutely love it!
   3. Have a plan. Do things with intention and resourcefulness. When you are a working mom you have no time to waste. Make every minute of the day count. I have created a budget planner for busy working moms that will help save money and stay organized. My budget planner is completely effortless!
   4. 4. Make a checklist. Research shows that checking items off of a list makes you feel more accomplished and helps you be more purposeful in your work. Make a list and try to stick to it as much as possible. You will realize how much you actually get done is a day.
   5. Don’t put too many things on your plate. I know as mothers we think we can do it all. But, we can’t and we don’t have to. Use this goal planner to choose a few key things you would like to accomplish and accomplish those things before adding on more.
   6.  Get as much done as you can while your kids are asleep. I know they say sleep when they sleep but they need a lot more rest than we do and there is a lot of value in peace and quiet! Use as much time as you can but do get your beauty sleep at some point.
   7.  Do harder task in the morning. If you do your harder task in the morning , you will have more of a fresh mind and more energy to accomplish the task quicker. Do things that require less brain work in the evening when you’re starting to wind down.

1.  Make things as convenient as possible. Meal prep, keep healthy snacks at your desk, lay your clothes out the night before. Try to do things when you don’t have to waste time thinking about them. The more convenient you make tasks the easier it is to get it done in a timely manner.
2.  Be prepared. Be proactive instead of reactive. Try to think two steps ahead and work every day to get more efficient at life. If you know your child spills their milk every morning on the way to school. Wait to change his shirt after he drinks his milk. This way you are not frustrated and rushing for no apparent reason.
3.  Ask for help! This is probably one of the most important ones. Unfortunately, there is just not enough time in the day to do everything yourself. If there is a spouse, family member, or friend that is willing to help or that you could ask to help, do it! Don’t wait until you are over whelmed to ask for a little time to yourself, you deserve it.

There are plenty more ways you can manage your time as everyone is different and manages tasks differently. I there is someone you know who looks like they are getting a hang of working mom life, ask them what works for them.

If there is an awesome tip that can help another mom, leave it in the comments below.

Subscribe to Millenni-Mom to receive a free, that’s right, free baby budget planner.