Managing Your Time Wisely - Efficient + Empowered

Whether you are a mom who stays at home and runs a business or a mom who works outside the home, managing your time wisely is key to your sanity and survival.

Time management is something that you constantly need to be working on. As you move through different seasons of life, your circumstances may dictate how much time you have and how you spend your time.

For example, if you are a mom and building a business at home, you may not be able to dedicate 8 solid hours each day to your business. You may find that waking early to sneak in a couple of hours before your kids get up and then two more large chunks of working time is best for you and your family.

If you are a mom who works outside the home, you may find that you need to leave work to pick up your kids right when you are making huge headway on a project.

Whatever your case, keep an open mind as you experiment and find what works for you. There are some tips that can help you stay on top of managing your time. If you follow these tips, moving from season to season in your life won’t be quite as daunting.

Document How You Are Spending Your Time

This is a step most people would rather skip. It seems like a time wasting activity and a tedious process. Please trust the process, though! How many of us go through our day not really knowing what we did by the end? Be committed to doing the steps necessary for managing your time wisely.

Knowing how you spend your time will help you begin to evaluate what things can be given up or done by someone else. Keeping track of all your tasks and the amount of time you spent on each can be a real eye opener.

To do this, you simply need a clock of some sorts, a piece of paper, and a writing utensil. Keep them near you all day. Start by tracking the beginning and ending time of each activity and a description of the activity. Be sure to write everything down both business and personal related.

Be willing to do this activity each day over the course of a week or two to get accurate results.

Evaluate How You Spend Your Time

Once you’ve done this activity for a week or two, begin to ask yourself some questions about what you are doing and brainstorm possible solutions. The questions below will get you started. Some are specifically related to home life or business. However, some are applicable to both.

Are there things you can outsource in your business or in your home?
Can your spouse or children commit to helping out in some way?
Is there an activity that you are doing that you really don’t enjoy?
Are there systems you could put into place to reduce the time you spend on an activity?
Would it be helpful to have a scheduled time to complete a task each day?
Are there some systems or processes that could be improved?

While you are doing this activity, also begin to look for some trends. One thing I think is important is to figure out during which part of the day you are most productive. When do you feel most energized? When is it easiest to focus?

As you evaluate your time and activities, it’s important to keep all these things in mind.

Create A Plan To Improve Your Time Management

At this point you are ready to implement some changes in your day.

If there’s something you are doing that someone else could do, begin to make plans to hire someone. Focus on those tasks that you like least. In business, this could be admin tasks, posting on social media, or creating content. At home, this could be house cleaning, running errands, or preparing meals. Once you’ve identified a task to outsource, begin to document the steps you do to complete the task so the person you hire is well informed and set up for success.

If you’ve been able to identify a time when you are most productive, figure out a schedule in which you can focus on high priority tasks during that time. You may find you are most productive in the morning. If that’s the case, this is when you should plan to tackle the tasks that need a high level of focus. Don’t check social media at this time. Save that for another time in the day when your productivity levels aren’t as good. If you have small children in the home, make sure they have something to do during this time so you aren’t being interrupted.

Final Thoughts On Managing Your Time Wisely

There is no one perfect solution for everyone when it comes to time management. The important thing for you to remember is to keep trying new strategies until you find one that works. You may also find that what works for you changes with the different seasons of life and business that you go through.

Be flexible and open to the possibility of finding a new way of doing things. Continue to be a student of time management and brainstorm with friends if something stops working. Most importantly, be persistent! If you are, in no time you’ll find that you are managing your time wisely.