It’s been another challenging year. We all understand if you want to simply get through December and say goodbye to 2021 and quietly welcome 2022. If you are a working mother looking to end the year strong, however, this post is for you. I’ve got four tips to help you end the year strong in this final countdown to 2022 (and maybe even build momentum as you start the new year)!
Most of us do a lot of planning and making changes at the beginning of the year. Loads of it. Many people are really good at making resolutions and starting ideas. The challenge is sticking to those resolutions or taking action on intentions you set as the year started. Follow through is where we lose people. And this is a year when so much has been in flux yet again! Our focus and energy are spread across even more things.
Be specific
You might have started 2021 with goals and ideas about making the most of the year. New year and new decade with potentially a new mindset! If you planned on all new things in 2021, you might have been disappointed. In some ways this year was more challenging because everything was shades of grey. And this leaves us in flux.
And, if you’re like most working moms I’ve talked to, your attention is going in a lot of what could be different directions. OK. That’s nothing new for working moms. The pandemic has created so much of this, though. We’re prioritizing and reprioritizing constantly for everything in 2021. Some things fall off your radar, and you can’t beat yourself up for it. The important stuff generally sticks, though, right?
For the next four weeks, instead of focusing on all the stuff, focus on one or two things that you want to achieve in the next four weeks. Set your goals, and then start breaking down those goals. You want everything in bite-sized increments so that you can keep chipping away the next several weeks.
Be Intentional with Your Time
It’s hard to end the year strong if you’re not intentional with your time. And making the most of your time starts with a morning routine. My mornings are pretty consistent. Do you have your morning routine down to set you up for success? That way you’re not using more energy than necessary to get things done, and you start off with momentum instead of dealing with a hurdle right out of the gate. This is the time to be really disciplined with how you start your day and spend your time. Check out my blog on my morning routine if you want to know more about how I start my day (this is also one of the most popular posts on the Mompowerment blog).
I specifically want to talk about the time right after I drop off my young boys at school. Morning is my most productive time and I start my days with a power hour. I work – no email, no opening up social media, and generally no calls. And instead of powering through a checklist, I work on my most challenging projects and important tasks during a power hour. Want to know more about a power hour and how to figure out how to integrate this into your day? Check out my blog on my 5 productivity and time management tips.
Instead of reacting to all the things as they come your way, work smarter. I have a formula for being intentional with my time:
You need to plan and control your time and you must be productive with the time you have. If you don’t focus, though, you waste a lot of time. This approach is based on my own experience and research as well as conversations with more than 110 working moms. Check out my blog on my 5 productivity and time management tips for some specific tips in each of these areas.
One thing I’ll add here. It’s easier to be more intentional with your time and maximize your time and energy if you plan your week and days. I plan for my week on Sunday and each night I plan for the next day. You figure out what you need to do the evening before to help you be more productive the next day. Each night create a mini-plan of what the next day will look like. Take 10-15 minutes to map it out. Gather the resources, break things down into parts, get phone numbers for calls and emails for people you need to write. The idea is to hit the ground running the next day instead of taking precious work time to plan. I’ll give you another hint. Consider how you work. And consider working differently. I talk more about productivity methods if you have questions.
Boundaries
If you’re trying to end the year strong (or really anytime), it doesn’t matter what you put in place as you try to maximize your time, if you don’t have boundaries. I’m talking personal and professional boundaries.
We usually understand the boundary between work and life, but there is more to boundaries. Boundaries can help you figure out how to divide up your time throughout the day as well.
You can take back control of your schedule by creating and maintaining boundaries. For example, batch your tasks through time blocking. Take meetings during certain times or days. Make calls during a specific block of time during your day. Send out email and check email at certain times (and let people know this). You might need to be a bit flexible at times because you need to make sure you’re addressing your clients’ needs or those of your manager/colleagues, but you can still set up boundaries to maximize your time on most days.
Your calendar is going to be your greatest resource to create boundaries. I live by my calendar. Can you relate? If it’s not on my schedule, it’s not going to happen. It’s that simple. It’s too easy to fill your time with other stuff if you don’t get things down on your calendar. Meetings will easily fill that time.
One helpful tip is to agree early on with your clients, manager(s), and colleagues about what is an emergency. Essentially, you’re agreeing on when it’s OK to cross the boundaries you put in place. That can be helpful at home as well.
Get Help
You’re human. You can’t and shouldn’t do everything, including this holiday season. Help can take a lot of different forms. It could be carpooling to get kids to activities. It could be getting a housekeeper (many women I interviewed mentioned this one) or some other type of service that’s helpful to your specific needs. This season it can be something as simple as someone wrapping your gifts. (This is a great business idea if you’re good at this and want some extra income.)
Lots of women I interviewed for my books talked about meal prep as a challenge and a way to gain back time. For the next four weeks, could someone help you with planning your meals, buying groceries, and/or prepping meals?
Remember that most major grocery chains these days have services to do your shopping. Many of them will put the groceries in your car. Some even have delivery services. There are also specific services like Instacart that do the shopping and delivery. Think about the time you would save. For meal prep, think outside of the box. Maybe someone who has time on his/her hand because restaurants aren’t as busy. What about someone who has finished culinary school but is struggling to find a job, given the current economic situation or he/she doesn’t want to be around large groups of people?
If you’re an entrepreneur, could you hire a VA for a few hours each week, even in the short term? Maybe someone can take over a specific task that you dread or that takes too much time. I have hired out social media tiles to save me time. I’ve had someone do specific research for me. It’s a matter of figuring out what you need that will help you in whatever area you’d like.
And as you read this, don’t feel like you have to figure out your plan for December (and as you start the new year) on your own. It’s not about going at it solo. It’s about finding realistic tips that help you make things happen. Sign up for a 1:1 strategy session to create a specific plan for your needs and we’ll brainstorm actionable steps to overcome the challenges in your path.
What goals do you want to accomplish in the next four weeks so that you feel you’ve been able to end the year strong?
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