Whether you are a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, an entrepreneur, a blogger, a freelancer, a writer, or in whatever profession you are, being a mom feels like less time and so many roles and responsibilities to juggle.

You are overwhelmed with a long to-do list, going back and forth, and confused about which one to finish first and which next. You have little or no time for yourself.

You feel exhausted, stressed, and burnt out in the process.

Sounds relatable??

So, let’s see how you can manage your responsibilities within those 24 hrs and still can have time to pursue your hobbies or passion, with some simple time management tips.

Tip #1. Write Out Your Plan For The Day

The most effective way to manage your time is to write out your plan for every single day. Writing down the plan gives you clarity about the day and clears out your brain. When you keep everything on your head, your brain gets cluttered and tired of remembering a long to-do list. So, you lose focus on the task you are doing.

Research says, when you write down your goals and plans, your brain sends action signals to your body and keeps you motivated to stick to your plan.

So, free up your brain by writing down your plan for the day in a notebook or planner.

Download this weekly planner printable and start organizing your days.

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Tip #2. Use Time Blocking

Time blocking helps manage your time better. Time blocking is a time management system, where you divide your day into blocks of time.

Starting from the time you wake up in the morning till you go to bed, create a schedule for the entire day and block time for each task.

Let’s break it down step by step.

• First, make a list of the tasks that are parts of your daily routine like shower, breakfast, lunch, etc. and block time for each of these tasks.

For example,

 6 am – Wake up

6 am-7 am – Morning rituals

8 am-8.30 am – Breakfast

• Now, you can visualize how much time is remaining after blocking time for your daily routine tasks.
• Brainstorm the tasks that you have to do apart from your daily routine and create a to-do list.
• Now pick 2 or 3 most important tasks from your to-do list and block time for each of these tasks.

Tip #3. Set Priorities

 Figuring out what matters most is key to effective time management.

All you need to do is know your priorities and plan your day wisely.

I found the Eisenhower Matrix by Dwight D. Eisenhower the most effective while setting my priorities.

The matrix has four quadrants.

Let me help you understand what each quadrant stands for.

Divide your tasks into these four categories

1. Urgent and Important – Do it now.
2. Not Urgent but Important – Schedule it.
3. Urgent but not Important – Delegate or ignore it.
4. Not Urgent and Not Important – Limit or avoid it.

Quadrant – I (Urgent and Important)

The tasks which have short deadlines and may result in negative consequences if not done on time belong to this category.

For example,

• Paying bills
• Taking your sick child to the doctor
• The task with a strict deadline

Quadrant – II (Not Urgent but Important)

These are the tasks that are not urgent, but the most important things to do.

For example,

• Exercise
• Cooking healthy meals
• Spending time with your kid
• Meal planning
• Household chores
• Your personal development
• Working towards achieving your goal

All of these tasks are not urgent, but these are your top priorities. If you don’t exercise or cook healthy meals, your health will be at risk. If you don’t spend time with your kid, he/she will feel neglected. If you don’t plan your meal, then your week will be stressful thinking about what to cook, and you may end up eating unhealthy.

So, the tasks in this quadrant demand all your attention. You need to invest your time wisely here.

Quadrant – III (Urgent but Not Important)

The tasks that seem to be urgent, but not important belongs to this category. These are the tasks where most of your time gets wasted. So, completely ignore these until you have finished the tasks in quadrant-II.

For example,

• A notification on your phone that your friend has posted an update on social media.
• A not so urgent call.

A notification gives you a sense of urgency making you feel tempted to act upon it instantly.

 But please hold on and ask yourself….

Is that urgent??

Are you going to put your phone back after checking your friend’s update??

And most probably the answer will be NO.

You will end up scrolling through other posts as well. And, sometimes you might end up checking your emails and other apps too.

Does it sound relatable?

So, there are a few ways you can avoid such distractions.

• Turn off your phone notifications.
• Keep your phone in silent mode while you are working on your most important tasks.

Quadrant – IV (Not Urgent and Not Important)

These are the tasks that have no or the least priority.

For example,

• Watching T.V
• Spending too much time on social media
• Mindlessly browsing internet
• Chatting with friends
• Gossiping on phone

You don’t need to omit these tasks completely if you enjoy doing these. But be mindful of how much time you spend on these.

Watching TV, surfing the internet may be relaxing, but not when you have a pile of dishes to be cleaned.

What you can do instead, listen to music or podcasts, talk on the phone while doing household chores like cooking or cleaning. Watch your favorite show while folding clothes.

Tip #4. Wake Up Before Your Kids

Waking up before your kids wake up helps you start your day with more clarity. I was not at all a morning person before I became a mom. But now I love those peaceful hours in the morning. I devote this time to myself. It’s my ME time. I finish my morning rituals, go for a walk, have my morning drink in peace, make a healthy breakfast, and I am ready to give my full attention to my kid once he wakes up.

Tip #5. Plan Your Meal

Planning your meal not only saves time but has several other benefits too.

• It helps save money
• Reduces food wastage
• You eat healthily by incorporating a variety of food into your diet.
• Reduces multiple trips to the grocery store

If you feel overwhelmed while planning your meal, then this article might help you.

How To Plan A Balanced Diet For A Vegetarian Kid? A Step-By-Step Guide

Tip #6. Delegate Tasks

Don’t try to do everything by yourself. You will feel burnt out. Try delegating fewer priority tasks to other family members. Encourage your kids to do age-appropriate chores. Your kids will be happy to help you.

Tip #7. Be Flexible

While it is important to stick to your plan, you need to be flexible enough to accommodate the unexpected things you may face like kids falling sick, kids skipping their naps, etc.

With a little planning, you can manage your time in the most efficient way.

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