It’s still warm in Austin. I know in other places around the US the leaves have started changing colors and the morning air is crisp. I feel like we prepare ourselves for change in our lives with the changing seasons. Are you ready to start making personal and professional changes?

I have hit my stride with the start of the school year well behind me. My morning routine is consistent (if you need help with this, check out my post on my morning routine). Don’t get me wrong, I’ve already had a few curve balls like a broken pinky. Even with those unusual situations, I am still feeling pretty comfortable in how things are going, especially since my book was launched last week (more on that below). Woohoo!

Planning and Change Go Hand-in-hand

This is my season for change. I’m a working mom and I set up my year to coincide with the school year. It’s at about this point each year that I set my annual goals and think through bigger changes I want to make. As someone in the corporate world, this was planning season for most pieces of business I worked on. Since I’m a solopreneur, I don’t need the back and forth with my clients. I can set my goals now. Even if you consider your year like a calendar year, this might be a great time to start thinking through what’s working and what you want to change in your career and in life in general.

You might have seen changes you wanted to make over the summer or realize that something isn’t quite right as you started school (again). This is a great time to think through how you’re feeling. See what’s working and what’s not.

How am I Tracking Compared to Annual Goals?

As I shared I set goals for my year that coincides with the school year. And each quarter I set goals and see how I’m tracking in comparison to my annual goals. Do I need to make any changes to ensure I hit my annual and quarterly goals? Are my goals still reasonable? What can I proactively do to achieve what I want to achieve? For example, can I do a training? Do I need to outsource some tasks? Am I realizing I can aim higher, so I need to adjust my goals upward?

What do you want to Change?

Now that I know how I’m tracking, what changes do I want to make as a working mom and entrepreneur for my year? It’s rare that we want to simply start everything over from scratch, so think through what exactly you want to change. What’s working and what’s not, whether on the home front or the professional side? Based on that and my overall goals, what small or big areas do I want to change? How do I want to be spending my time in comparison to how I am spending my time? Katie Krimitos, of the Biz Women Rock podcast, talked about whether your values are reflected on your calendar. This is a great way to uncover if there are things you want to change and what changes you need to make.

What’s the Motivation for Change?

You want a change, but why do you want to make a change? What’s the driving force behind it? Have things happened at work? New boss who you’re not excited about? Maybe you’ve uncovered a new potential revenue stream that you are excited about? Do I (or does my family) have new goals and I need to make changes to reach those goals? Feeling more driven at work or on the home front? Am I wanting to spend some time dedicated to a new passion? Is my family needing me more? Are there shifts I need to make because there is more on my plate (e.g., new baby, spouse is traveling more for work, aging parents who need more care) and I need to make room (short or long-term) for those new things?

Make sure whatever changes you’re proposing actually align with whatever you uncover as your central motivation. If you need help on better understanding your motivation, check out my Know Your Why Guide.

Am I using time wisely?

It’s helpful to understand how you’re spending your time before trying to make changes. This was a great suggestion by Laura Vanderkam. She describes tracking your time for a week. If you’re not sure how you spend your time, make the effort to track your time over a week period. Use 15-minute increments on a Word document or Excel spreadsheet or make sure to track it on your calendar. You might be surprised how much time you have or what you’re spending time on. She compares it to tracking your food intake before going on a diet.

Know how you’re spending your time now. Think through whether things are taking up time or adding value, based on your definition of value. If you made changes, would you be able to take advantage of them?

5 Tips for Being More Efficient Now and Later

Alright, mamas, you’re realizing you want to make changes and that you might need to better utilize your time. These 5 tips can help:

• Say “no” to say “yes”. If your plate is full, it’s likely time to say “my plate it full.” Figure out how you want to say no – maybe no outright or maybe not right now. Proactively take things off your plate, so that you can add new things.
• Be realistic with your daily goals. Have 3-5 goals you establish for the day, but have one main goal you’re trying to achieve. I take bigger goals and break them down into small bite-size goals.
• Prep the night before. I take a moment each night to figure out what I want to achieve the next day. It keeps me on track and helps me strategically think through how to spend my time. That way I don’t take up time thinking through what’s next and, instead, hit the ground running with my to-do’s.
• Keep track of wins to stay motivated. My version of this is having To do vs Did lists. Essentially, I look at what I’ve achieved on my to do list and it helps keep me fired up for all the things left to do. You can do this with pen and paper or with an online to do list. Or use whatever is helpful for you.
• Take time for self-care. It’s really hard to be at your best with everything you’re trying to achieve if you’re not taking care of yourself. When I say self-care, I mean the 360-degree version of this. Eat well, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, and actually do things that fill your cup.

How are you making change happen in your professional or home life? Do you have tips or tricks that help you be more intentional with how you’re spending your time? What are the types of changes you’re trying to implement in the short and long-term?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Interested in learning more about how to be more intentional with your time and you’re curious about the newest Mompowerment book? Download a sneak peek of The Mompowerment Guide to Work-life Balance: Insights from Working Moms on Balancing Career and Family.