When you give birth to a tiny human, you take on a full-time job. That’s a simple fact, but when it comes to time management, the math isn’t so simple. Most of the time, you run around from task to task as you attend to your munchkin’s needs.
Whether you work inside or outside the home or stay at home, time management presents challenges that no one answers well. You find or make the way that works for you and your family, and that’s typically done on little to no sleep. Fortunately, your child still knows you’re their mom and not a raccoon who hasn’t seen sunlight for weeks.
Time management isn’t impossible. Use these tips to tame the clock and help you be the best mom you can.
1. Make a Plan, Any Plan
Plans and kids don’t mix, right? They can, though. If you make a plan, any plan, you go into the day with target goals. Instead of feeling scattered, you have something to aim for.
Don’t let planning overwhelm you. Take 30 minutes on a Sunday, or when your week starts, to get your plan together. If you hate that word, try outline or guideline. Then, you’ll spend five minutes at the start of each day looking at how realistic your plan is and adjust it as needed.
Go in with a game face. Start with your big priorities or else you’ll get stuck eliminating all the small tasks of the day first and never achieve the major ones that matter to you.
2. The Five-Minute Basket Dash
The five-minute basket dash is for mothers who prefer abstract thinking and creative approaches to time management. Grab your big laundry basket or a small wicker basket and choose a task to attack, lessening your chances of turning into a basket case.
Set your timer for five minutes and attack the chaos! Quickly gather random socks, junk mail, piles of paper or dishes, and store them in the basket. When done, move on to the bigger task of sorting, cleaning, tossing or storing. For nonbreakables, older youngsters can help you place things in the basket or their own, making cleaning a fun and approachable task.
3. Fast From Social Media
Social media keeps busy moms in touch with family and friends, providing a mental distraction from everything else going on in life. You check your emails and likely run your life from your smartphone. So, that begs the question: How much of your life are you spending on your phone?
More than you think: Parents of teens and tweens, especially, spend over nine hours a day online, with eight of those on social media and TV. In fact, 78 percent of all parents believe they are excellent social media role models. Parents have good intentions, with some of that time spent monitoring their children’s screen time.
Social media also causes stress depending on what you observe online, and you miss out on or struggle to go to sleep if you are glued to your smartphone minutes before bed. The blue light emitted suppresses melatonin, which cues your circadian rhythm into sleep mode. At least give yourself 30 minutes of screen-free time before going to bed.
Better yet, conduct a social media fast, picking particular times you’re not online at all. Do you dare try the entire weekend?
4. Make Lunch Ahead
Meal planning, shopping and cooking take a big portion out of your daily schedule, especially if you insist that every meal is homemade.
Pack yours and school lunches smartly by creating an assembly line with your kids on Sunday. Kids are more likely to consume what they pack for themselves because they’re more involved in the choice and prep work. Designate a bagging and cold items area in your fridge with a place to store all lunch items. Get set up with your chop and prep area. Focus on varied and simple items that fill the bags, slots of a lunchbox or a thermos, such as finger foods and soups.
5. Get Help
When you get used to the hustle and bustle, you prefer to take charge and just get it done. Others only flounder and feel confused, taking forever. Though you miss out on sleep, tasks are accomplished.
Eventually, you will burn out. Ask for help and be OK with taking it as needed, whether that’s from family or getting a part-time nanny.
You may feel like a bad mom occasionally because life just doesn’t come together, especially when needed. You don’t have to be perfect or establish a schedule like a drill sergeant to be an effective task-managing mom.
Start with a plan, and adjust it as needed. Experiment with setting small tasks on a timer, and tackle big priorities at the start of your day. Soon, you’ll fall into a flexible routine that works for your family, being the best mom you can — and that’s the best thing of all.
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Jennifer Landis is a mom, wife, and healthy living blogger with a fierce love for peanut butter and naps. She practices yoga regularly even though her husband doesn’t think it counts as exercise. Find more from her at her blog, Mindfulness Mama, or follow her on Twitter @JenniferELandis.