As the owner of two unrelated businesses and the primary caregiver of my children, I have a lot to get done each day to move both businesses forward. Really, though, all working moms must manage a constant juggle. To make the most of how you get things done, you must be intentional with your time as a working mom.
Be Intentional in all Areas of your Life
The idea of being intentional came up in many of the interviews I did for the book. The moms I interviewed are working moms with specific goals, a plan for balance, and an approach to fit all the pieces in their lives together. Being intentional with time seemed like a fundamental element of their success.
It seems simple. Look at each aspect of your life – personal, professional, motherhood, relationships, etc. Set goals per area and you start measuring them. It’s not simple, though. It takes work and definitely takes practice. And, let’s be honest, it could also require a bit of a mindset shift on how you look at your time.
Work on Top Priorities First
There are times we have a long to-do list, which can feel overwhelming. It feels good to check things off the list, so we might do a bunch of easy tasks that don’t necessarily have a big impact first. Essentially, we do a bunch of small tasks and leave the most important ones for later, when we’re likely even more overwhelmed than we felt initially. And then we feel the dread of not having worked on what must be done.
Instead of crossing off a lot of things on my to-do list, I work on the things that are really important first and sprinkle in the other things. Chances are I can fit in the smaller things on the to-do list in the fringes of my time. It requires that I be as intentional with my fringe time as I am with my designated work time. And that in itself can make a huge difference in how we get things done and make things happen in our working motherhood journey.
Batching
I’m not good at being passive in my own life; it simply doesn’t sit well with me. I was a goal setter and achiever before I got married and that has not changed since having children. Instead of reacting to things throughout your day, what if you proactively scheduled time to do things.
It takes a lot of mental energy to switch between types of tasks and ultimately wastes time — a lot of time — long-term. I’m talking about when you go from working on a strategic project to responding to an email to answering the phone and then try to start working on that strategic project again. Think of the time it takes to get back into the mindset of working on that strategic project again when you’ve had the interruptions.
Take back control of your schedule instead of reacting. Instead of jumping between types of tasks, schedule time on your calendar to work on a specific type of task. Do all your PowerPoint building in one batch, one after the other. Do all your research in one go. Check email a few times a day. Do all your phone calls in a row. You get into a groove and can be more productive in that designated time.
The Intention of Self-Care
As you become more intentional with your time, don’t forget to side aside time for self-care. Self-care is incredibly important to working moms. And, since self-care is so personal, make sure whatever you do is fulfilling to you and your needs. If you’re not sure why self-care is important, check out my blog on self-care to give you ideas.
More Experiences and Less Stuff
On a personal level, the desire to be intentional with my time lets me focus on being the mom I want to be. Part of that is having less around that I am constantly organizing and tidying, including toys for the kids. We focus less on stuff and more on experiences.
We do local hikes and spend money on international vacations (we’re also trying to do more travel in the US). Our boys love seeing new things, whether it’s nearby or hours on a plane. And we talk about those adventures when we return. They love exploring and experiencing new things.
Focus on Fun
Focus on fun, whatever that looks like for your family. We love hiking, baking, riding bicycles (OK I walk while my hubby and the kids ride the bicycles), and all kinds of other things where we get to be active. After all, we do have two young, active boys.
Our young boys are early risers, so we take advantage of that in the warm months. We’re up, have already eaten something light, gone for a hike, and had a more substantial breakfast while most people are still in their PJs.
What changes did I make?
I thought it would be helpful if I shared some specific changes I made to be more efficient with my time. It sometimes feels like time management can be like a game of Tetris. I’m sharing what has worked for me to give you ideas on what might work for you. Take what works, adjust as necessary, and leave what doesn’t.
Take advantage of my productivity rhythm. You want to be the most efficient during your most productive time. I’m at my productivity peak in the morning right after dropping off kids at school. I start my days with a power hour. I work on my most important task(s) during that time – no email, no opening up social media. That way I’m doing the most important things when I’m at my peak productivity. I prep the night before to make sure I’m maximizing my time in the morning.
Be efficient with fringe time. You can be very efficient with your time. What about your small pockets of time, though? I call these small spaces of time fringe time. For example, I sometimes schedule calls when I’m going from one place to another in my car. It doesn’t take away from work or personal time and lets me get one more thing done. Make sure you can do it hands-free and that you won’t need to take notes. And if I’m not on a call, I might be listening to a podcast in my queue. And, don’t worry, there are days when I turn up the tunes and rock out in my car while driving to a meeting or to pick up my boys from school. 😉
Batch meal prep. I talked about batching as it relates to work, but you can also use it for meal prep. We plan meals, shop, and do the prep for most of our meals for the week on the weekends. It makes the week easier and it’s quicker to batch several things together. We switch up side dishes and prep the same entrée for several days. Basically, we never cook for only one meal at a time. And we reduce cooking time itself each day since we do the prep in a batch.
My question to you is what intentions are you going to set to be more efficient with your time so that you can take advance of change? What changes are you going to make now that impact the rest of the year, the school year, or your next few years?
Want to see more concepts related to being intentional with your time and other tips to help you be more productive? Check out the Mompowerment books, available now on Amazon. Learn more about the award-winning Mompowerment books.
