Guest Post by Lauren Cecora
It’s a brand new year and everyone is flooding social media with Goals, Resolutions, To-Dos, Intentions- but for some people, they may have all these “wants” but lack the discipline of good, constructive time management.
And so good intentions start off strong, they’re squeezing things in, checking that to do list off but something happens.
The kid gets sick, a vacation, an influx of clients and next thing you know you’re back into overwhelmed and frazzled life as a working mom because you’ve fallen behind.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
In fact, there are plenty of women who work and have a family that has balance and are getting what they want out of life and it’s because they have mastered proper time management skills.
YOU can too- you don’t need a Ph.D. in Time Management. Here are 3 tips to help manage your time better starting right now.
Set Boundaries
Stop being that person that everyone thinks is available 24/7.
Your time is valuable. People thinking they can call or message all the time and that you will jump to the rescue don’t value you or your time.
Communicate when you’re available for phone calls or answering client messages and STICK TO IT. Your word is your bond.
I only answer messages from potential clients DURING nap time. No exceptions! And I don’t accept phone calls BEFORE 9am, even from our own family. This gives me time to settle in, wake up, and get moving for the day.
Set up your space to be able to work
We all know what it’s like to set aside some time to work or craft, or get something done, only to realize you left something somewhere or don’t have all the supplies. So you go off to accumulate them and then get distracted because you see a mess someone left, or dishes that need to be washed, and then 30 minutes go by and now you have no time for that thing you tried to sit down and work on.
Prep your space ahead of time. Water, pens, paper, computer, snack, slippers, whatever it is- make sure EVERYTHING is in place before you sit down to tackle that list
Limit Distractions
Multitasking is NOT a thing. It is not real. It is not possible to do two things at 100% at the same time.
And if you’re shaking your head at me, you’re lying to yourself.
We are never 100% in more than one area at a time if you are multitasking. You’re partially in. So stop trying to feed the kids, and respond to messages and wash dishes and instead do ONE task- 100% before moving onto the next.
This goes along with setting boundaries, but some things you can do to limit distractions are:
- Turning “Do Not Disturb” on your Phone
- Shutting the Door to the Office when you are working and when you aren’t
- Turning off Notifications so your phone isn’t chiming all day long
- Shutting your phone down when you’re having dinner or family time
- Unfollowing groups and people on facebook so you aren’t sucked into the social media scroll
And those are just to start you off, there’s plenty more, but start small and build on the time management side to be more efficient.
Make these a part of your daily routine and reflect back after a few weeks on how it’s going and what you could do better.
And if you need more time management help I have a free household cleaning schedule that I personally use in my day to day life perfect for busy moms. It’s completely free! Grab yours here!
Join my private community for additional support and free monthly challenges here:
~ Lauren Cecora is a Postpartum Mentor for women who are desperately overwhelmed and overscheduled.
Through her Sanity Saving Tips, free challenges, and book, she’s here to help you regain balance in your life- while making it all feel like it’s effortless.
And when she’s not saving women’s sanity, you can find her with a bottle of wine (yes bottle!), traveling the world, or out on the occasional kid-free excursion.
Meet Lauren + get ready to Save Your Sanity at laurencecora.com
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