I need time management help! I'll admit it.
Summer is over, kids are back in school and I should be getting more done, at least in those hours when they are out of the house. But I feel like I'm spinning my wheels most days. So I went hunting for some expert advice and here's what I found that might actually be helpful:
- Hire a babysitter.
Oh no, you think. I work at home so I can BE with my children, they are the most important thing, etc. The reality is that being a Mom is a full-time, 24/7 job and if you don't set aside some time to focus on work, you might as well give up on the idea of working. When my kids were much smaller, I paid a sitter to come to the house for 4 hours a day during the summer and it was the best investment I made in my business. - Don't Get Distracted Online. Yeah, OK. This is a big one for me. A quick peek at Facebook turns into an hour of following up and responding, leading to a great sale which leads me to research prices which leads to... you get the idea! Saving social and entertainment browsing for the END of the workday instead of the beginning can have a real impact on what you get done.
- Set a Schedule. Wow, this is so hard to do, for me. I believe in it, I think it is definitely the way to go and I can't tell you how many times I've started out with a strong schedule. 8:00-9:00- clean and straighten, 9:00-9:30- answer emails, 9:30-10:30- prepare newsletter, etc. I tend to work on what interests me at the time and have a hard time stopping because the clock says it's time to do something else. But sticking to that schedule can force more productivity into your day and is well worth the effort.
- Group Similar Activities. This seems obvious when it comes to running errands and I naturally group my groceries, mail and bank stops into the same time slots, but I don't always think about it when it comes to things like checking email. Instead of checking email a few times an hour, do it at the start and end of your day ONLY.
What are your best time management tips for working moms?
