Time Management for Moms

The Importance of Time Management for Moms

Time management is one of the single most important skills for anyone to tackle.

However, it’s also one of the hardest.

As a busy work-from-home, homeschool mom, time management will always be my largest struggle and I work towards bettering it every single day.

With that said, I have learned a thing or two from my many years of working from home, homeschooling the kids, and keeping up with household management.

There is absolutely no way I would make it from day to day without these simple time management tips & strategies for moms.

Time Management Tips for Catching Up

Without time management, life would be a chaotic mess.

While practicing time management strategies on a daily basis is important, using them to catch up first is essential.

Sometimes life can be completely overwhelming.

From teaching the homeschool lessons and keeping up with the house to finishing the laundry and getting dinner on the table.

The to-do list never ends.

It’s so incredibly easy for busy moms to get overwhelmed an place an area of their life on the back burner.

While I hate to admit it, sometimes it’s quality time with the kids I place on the back burner, while other times it’s self-care, laundry, or getting dinner on the table.

Life is busy, hectic, and just plain hard sometimes, you guys!

Not tending to certain areas of our lives is a cycle that needs to break.

Catching up on all the things when you feel like you are drowning is a doozy.

I currently, and likely always will, struggle with this one, you guys!

The Art of Catching Up

While managing your time on a daily basis is the end goal, sometimes catching up needs to be your first priority.

The art of catching up is simple and beautiful.

First, take some time off to assess your situation and figure out your main struggles with time management.

Is it caused by the overwhelming task of homeschooling or is it something else?

If homeschooling is your main struggle when it comes to time management and you find yourself getting behind schedule often, taking the time to reevaluate your homeschool plan and focus on catching up on past homeschool lessons may be the first thing you need to tackle

Don’t be afraid to cut certain topics or extras to give the core subjects the focus they need.

Second, take some time off from formal schedules and plan a catch-up day (or 2 or 3).

If you are behind on home tasks, work, or anything else in your life, tackling a catch-up day before focusing on your daily time management skills is a must!

Time Management Tips for Everday

Once you’ve tackled the hefty task of catching up in certain areas of your life, it’s officially time to start implementing time management tips into your daily routine.

Creating a realistic plan at the start of your day followed by working in bursts will help you have a more productive day.

I always start my morning by utilizing a simple planner, notebook, or printable to-do list to track all the important tasks for the day.

Try leaning on these 4 simple ideas when starting your day.

• Utilize a to-do list
• Create a block schedule
• Work in small bursts
• Group like tasks together

Creating a Time Management Plan

I created this simple 3-step time management plan for myself and it just works, you guys!

I’m a huge planner, but also a visual learner, so creating lists and having them by my side all day long as a visual aid simply helps motivate me to be more productive.

Check out how I stay on task and manage my time with this simple plan.

Step One

Create a brain dump to-do list.

This is just how my brain works best. I seriously thrive on a good brain dump to-do list, you guys!

Behind on a work project? Jot it down. Need to clean out the fridge? Put it on there too.

Use details or be completely vague – that part doesn’t really matter and is what I would consider pure preference when it comes to brain dumping.

The end goal should always be the same though – a list full of random things that need to get done at some point throughout your day. BOOM!

If you are a homeschool mom, don’t forget to add homeschool tasks to your list as well.

Simply take a moment to think about all the different elements and tasks that make up your daily life.

Cover every single area and make sure everything makes it to your brain dump list!

Work, homeschooling, family stuff, housework, meals, errands — if you need to do it, add it!

Step Two

Re-write your to-do list in order of importance.

Once your brain dump list is complete, this is a great time to work on creating a prioritized to-do list.

You can get fancy and make columns for each area of your life, or you can keep it simple and compile everything into one giant to-do list that is listed in order of importance.

Personally, I prefer the method of separating my newly prioritized tasks into columns or boxes and sometimes even utilize separate pieces of paper.

I simply function better when separating and batching my tasks by like items or areas of my life.

Plus, it helps to eliminate some of the overwhelm I might feel when I see my to-do list is a mile long.

Separating my lists also allows me to bounce around and tackle the number 1 priority in each area of my life, then move on to priority number 2 in each!

Prioritizing is a must, you guys!

Step Three

Work in 25-30 minute bursts with simple 5-10 minute breaks landing in between.

Okay, this is the good stuff!

While planning and writing out lists is something I thrive in.

Sometimes that following-through thing isn’t.

This is why I utilize block schedules for all the hectic areas of my life.

For example, I lean on a block homeschool schedule for all of our subjects, free time, and days off.

While I typically use only a list format for my important work and home tasks, I am able to fit them into our homeschool block schedule with ease.

Laundry always gets done during our first free time, work tasks get completed during independent work and quiet time, and dinner prep happens during our final activity for the day.

If you don’t currently homeschool, you can easily create a block schedule for your work and home tasks instead!

First, start by blocking out your important tasks in 25-minute bursts.

Then, plan 10-minute breaks to catch up on self-care, take a walk outside, or reheat your cold cup of coffee.

When it’s not a homeschool day and I’m block scheduling my personal time and tasks, I tend to work in 2 consecutive 25-minute work bursts followed by a 10-minute rest time.

That’s 50 minutes of productivity, followed by 10 minutes of soaking up the little moments.

Working in bursts, followed by a small moment of rest, allows your brain the chance to restart and gives you a quick moment to soak up some snuggles with your kids before digging your heels in again – leaving the overwhelming feeling of being completely consumed by your work behind.

Time Management Essentials for Homeschool Moms

Homeschooling and managing the house is hard stuff, you guys!

If you still find yourself struggling to get through the day with most of your tasks completed don’t be afraid to cut things from your to-do list and ask for help.

Leaning on others when you find yourself wearing too many hats is okay!

Remember, it’s progress over perfection that we are reaching for.

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