Better Time Management

Moms let's talk home time management and how I failed and how I managed to improve it.

Since becoming a stay at home mom and trying to get into a routine, I came across one major struggle. That major struggle was time management.

For some reason, it seems like there are not enough time in the day for me to do what needs to be done. I needed to find a way to improve my time management at home and fast!

I was easily distracted rushing and missing appointments all thanks to my terrible time management. I am no super mom and admitting this to everyone is not easy.

There were days when I overslept, forget things, get cranky, you name it I've done it! Some days I felt like I accomplished nothing and simply just wanted to quit and give up. Then I had days where I felt like I could conquer the world!

Finding a way to improve my time management became a top priority and I needed to find a solution fast.  Reading other moms' blogs and their posts didn't help me much. In my mind, I imagined having the perfect lives. I felt myself wishing I was them!

Then common sense slapped me right in the face and told me to stop it. You see, no mom is perfect. There is no super mom regardless to some moms might think. She just doesn't exist.

We all come with our strengths and our weaknesses, and we look at other moms wishing we could be like them. Is the truth! The funny thing is that when I was working, I preached this to my associates.

No one is perfect! Yet, here I was a stay at home mom struggling with my time management, one of my strength at work, and in my own home, I just couldn't cut it.

I am human, just like any other mom, and I have my strength and weakness just like them. I have to come to terms with this realization and accept it.

With this realization in mind, I wanted to share with you all my top three time management tips that have helped me with this personal issue. I know there are tons of time management tips out there, but these are my top three tips that helped me with my time management.

3 Painless Ways to a Better Time Management At Home

Assess your time

Look closely at how you are spending your time.  Am I spending too much time on Facebook? Yes, I'm being honest here and giving you my example on how I got back into time management. I spent too much time looking at Facebook and didn't realize how much until I saw how long I wasted my time there.

By eliminating the time I wasted on social media each day, I could get more things accomplished. I'm not saying get rid of social media; what I'm saying is evaluate how much time you are spending doing something that could be put on hold or just eliminated while you accomplish other things.  It doesn't have to be just social media; it could be other things as well.

For me, it was social media. After leaving my job, I kept in contact with a lot of friends and family via social media. I also played those addicting games.  Instead of utilizing my time when the boys were asleep I would sit on my butt and “Facebooked” away!

Allowing myself to, as I like I love to refer to it as, time budgeting my time on Facebook,  I was able to accomplish more when they boys were napping.

Prioritize

Write down a list and go over it. Analyze what is important to you and what can be done later.  You have to determine what is your priority. Everyone's priorities are different, so never compare your priorities to others.  What works for me might not work for you.

I love writing a list with my goals and a to-do list that needs to get done each day because I tend to forget things here and there.  One of my biggest priorities is to spend quality time with each of my children every day.  It is something I enjoy and is one of my priorities.

I also use planners such as The Living Well Planner because it works for me. It is small enough for me take with me. I can work on my budget and appointments and join their Facebook group with other moms. If The Living Well Planner is not for you then try other planners just make sure that you are writing things down and prioritizing.

Ask for help

We are no super moms; I know I am not. Life is unpredictable, and things happen. I like things to go smoothly but when things don't go the way I planned…Let's just say I act like it's the end of the world!!  When I don't get something complete, I feel horrible. I have learned to cope with this and to pick my battles.

Can I live with dirty fingerprints on windows for one more day and work on the dirty floors instead? Yes, I can. I have also learned to ask for help.

I have to learn to cut myself some slack and realize that I can't do it all. So when I'm running out of time, I have learned to ask for help.  I have a 15-year-old who enjoys vacuuming, so I recruit her help. If my parents are going to the store, I ask them if they could pick something up for me.

Ask a fellow mom for help and help her out when she needs it. Asking for help when you need it is OK. Remember, we are no super moms here. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness or makes you less of a mom.  Remember that we are all doing a fabulous job being moms.

Now that you have these 3 top tips that helped me with my time management. Remember also to add sleep, exercise too. Remember that our lives are not picture perfect.  I have learned and accepted this. Our strength and weaknesses make us who we are, great moms!

How did you manage to improve your home time management? Share it with us.

The post 3 Painless Ways to a Better Time Management At Home appeared first on My Stay At Home Adventures.