5 Time Management Tips For Busy Mums
Photo: Ryan Hyde
We fill so many roles as mums that it’s inevitable our days will fill up quickly. Between cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, prioritizing time with our husbands, paying bills, running errands, and sometimes keeping down a steady job, our 24-hour days don’t always seem to be enough. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or short on time, here are some time management tips to get you back on track:
1. Make lists. I learned from my mother that lists can be a mum’s lifesaver, so I have little lists all around my house: daily to-do lists, grocery lists, don’t-forget-to-tell-my-husband lists, etc. Your mind is probably already swirling with your many tasks and responsibilities, so give your brain a break and just write things down so you don’t forget. Not only will your life stay more organized with lists, but you’ll also gain a great sense of accomplishment by being able to check things off.
2. Multi-task. If you’re to-do list seems a mile long, try to accomplish two or more tasks at one time. Water the plants while you’re waiting for dinner to cook, or make a phone call or two if you’re sitting in the waiting room at the doctor. Women are generally pretty adept multi-taskers, so be intentional about accomplishing more than one task at a time.
3. Plan meals for the week. Seeing that you’re technically in charge of 21 meals per week for every member of your family, figuring out what you’re going to serve each day can be one of the biggest challenges as a mum. We all know how frustrating it can be when dinnertime rolls around and you realize there is hardly any food in the house, so consider planning your meals before the week begins. If you correspond your meal plan with your grocery list, you’re guaranteed to cut back on time and stress around mealtime – and save money, as well!
4. Figure out where time is wasted. If you’re really serious about time management, it might be helpful to make up a detailed family schedule that accounts for all of the activities that go on during any given day. As you map out the day minute by minute, take note of times when there really isn’t much going on or you aren’t being productive. You probably feel like your days are jam-packed, but chances are you have some spare time in there that isn’t being used to its fullest potential. Pinpoint those time slots and increase your productivity. Scheduling errands to coincide with other trips out of the house are not only helps with time management, but saves money on gas, too.
5. Learn to prioritize. It’s important that you choose to prioritize tasks based on importance so that things that really need to get done aren’t pushed aside for other tasks. Maybe you can divide your to-do list into sub-sections like “To be done today,” “To be done by the end of the week,” or “To be done some time this month.” Make sure the pressing needs are taken care of before you tackle the optional or long-term tasks.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pace of your life, stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and put some of these ideas into action around your home. You really can get it all done with just a bit of intentional planning.
Do you have time management tips you’d like to share? Feel free to post them here!
Category: Frugal Living
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About the Author (Author Profile)
Kelsey Bohler is a young wife and mother who loves to write and strives to pursue simple, intentional living. She and her family are currently living abroad and are learning firsthand what it means to stick with a budget and live frugally. In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling, writing music, playing the piano, and being a Mum to her precious daughter.
These are great tips! I believe my wife exercises each of these. But there is one more thing she uses – delegating tasks to me! Honestly, I don’t know how moms (I am from the US) fit 48 hours worth of work into 24 hours.