Time Management for the Busy Working Mom

"Busy working Mom.” Is there a working Mom that isn’t busy? Honestly, I don’t think it’s possible unless of course, you have many assistants to help you in your personal and professional life.

Nope, the truth is most of the working Moms that I know have no such thing. We juggle and get it done, occasionally dropping some balls, but mostly making it work.

Over the years, I’ve learned some things that help me manage my time. My top three are:

Learn the Power of Saying “No”

I have to admit to wanting to “do it all,” but I’ve learned over the years that thrusting up my arm and saying ”I can help you with that” is a sure recipe for stress and burn-out. The truth is we CAN’T do it all and there is no shame in saying “no” to something that is simply beyond our ability to find the time to do.

Saying “no” is empowering and you will soon find out that no one was upset by your refusal to do something, and the “extra” time you gained was sublime!

Set Realistic Goals

Setting goals is necessary; setting realistic goals is imperative, especially if you want your goals to help keep you motivated and focused on the desired outcome. When you set unrealistic goals, the kind that would require the strength of Hercules or a veritable miracle to accomplish, it is possible to become discouraged along the way. That’s not to say that miracles can’t happen but running your life in “miracle mode” can get you stressed!

Enlist Help and Support

This time management tip is an important one for all of you over-achieving women. We like to think we can do it all by ourselves, and maybe we can, but the question is “why” if we can get help and support at home and work, if we just ask for it. Think about the things you do that require a lot of your time and which things can be done by someone else. There are cleaning services, virtual assistants, meal prep plans, and personal trainers that can come to your home (saving you the time to get to the gym) .Make two lists, one of everything you do at work and the same for what you do at home. Cross off everything that ONLY you can do, examine what remains on the list, and then think about getting help for the things that take too much time and can be done by someone else.

24 hours. It’s the same for all of us. It’s how we manage our time that makes all the difference in the world. Burning out is not an option!