Out of all of the issues that being a work from home mom presents, time management is one of the most problematic. As a work at home mom, it can be especially difficult to manage your time effectively. How can you get everything you need to get done completed, when there are so many other distractions need your attention, too? Below, you’ll discover some great time management hacks you can implement as a work from home mom.
How can I improve my time management skills?
Avoid trying to multi-task
It’s common to try and multitask when you’re working at home. Whether it’s trying to work on two different projects at the same time or trying to work and take care of the kids, multi-tasking can prove detrimental to your productivity.
Instead, you’ll need to focus on just one task at a time. When you focus on just one thing, it makes you far more productive. Similarly, grouping similar tasks together can help you to complete them much quicker.
An Unforgettable Thanksgiving Starts with premium turkey and ham, sides and desserts from Perdue Farms!Batch similar tasks together to get them all done in a reasonable amount of time. Once your brain gets focused on a task, it takes less time to complete similar tasks, as well. Here’s some task batching examples to help you get started:
- answering emails and taking phone calls
- grocery shopping and meal planning
- running errands
- planning for the week and signing permission slips for the kids
- going through the mail and paying bills
Some of these will be interchangeable depending on the week and what your life entails. For example, maybe the kids don’t have any permission slips or anything that needs done this week, so then you pay bills while planning out your week.
Depending on your industry, you can easily batch your tasks for work, too. Some people choose to set specific days to do a month’s or week’s worth of tasks. For me, that might look like writing out all my blogs for the month in one day. For you, that might look like scheduling all your meetings for one day or something similar to that.
Others, like me, choose to split each day into different time blocks. Group the lighter activities together and save the deeper thinking activities for another time instead of trying do a mix of both at once.
These task batching time management hacks alone can save you so much time. You’ll automatically have higher quality output when you use task batching because you’re allowing your brain to really focus on the task at hand.
Related: Top 5 Habits To Master Your Brain And Train It To Achieve The Success You Deserve (FREE e-book)
What is the secret good time management?
Create a schedule and force yourself to stick to it.
One of the best time management tips for work at home moms, is to set realistic deadlines. It can be difficult to stay on track when you’re a work from home mama. Creating a realistic schedule with appropriate deadlines and then actually forcing yourself to stick to it is the secret to good time management for moms who work from home.
Use a block schedule with the task batching examples from above to plan out your days, weeks, and months. Then each day, make a list of the most important tasks you need to complete that day. Then, work on them in order.
Set yourself a specific amount of time for each task. You’ll find this really helps to keep you focused on the job at hand. When you work to deadlines, it helps you to get more work done in a shorter timescale.
Giving yourself a deadline will likely lead you to check things such as social media less, when you know you only have a set amount of time to complete what you’re working on. You have to stick to the deadlines you give yourself, though.
Personally, I organize my to-do list with the following categories: must, should, want. This helps me to make sure I’m spending my time on the things that must be done before I move on to the other less important tasks.
If you’re a procrastinator, I especially recommend trying this time management hack for your to-do lists. Get the stuff you need to do but don’t really want to do out of the way first.
Maintaining a schedule as a work from home mom can be challenging. There’s always something or someone else that needs your attention. But, not having a schedule is even more detrimental to your productivity, especially if you don’t have anyone else to answer to but yourself.
You owe it to yourself to establish a routine and actually stick to it, mama.
Always prepare for the day ahead
When you go out to work, you know there’s things you need to do to get ready for the day. You have a routine which prepares you for work. However, when you start working from home you don’t really have that, unless you create it.
Rather than thinking you can now work in your pajamas all day, make the effort to get dressed, maybe even throw on a little makeup. Create a morning routine which sets you up for work. That way, you’ll find it much easier to stay productive if your mindset is geared towards work.
What are the 4 D’s of time management?
Prioritizing your tasks is crucial to your overall productivity. After all, it doesn’t matter if you’re super productive if the things you’re spending your time on aren’t actually growing your business or making you any money.
If you’re struggling to prioritize your tasks, consider using a productivity strategy like the 4 D’s of time management.
- Do
- Take action immediately. Use this category for the things that need to be done now.
- Defer
- Maybe it’s not the right time for the task, add it to your schedule instead. Just make sure it still gets completed later. No procrastinating!
- Delegate
- Let someone else help. Delegating tasks is so important. We aren’t meant to do everything ourselves, especially you, mama. So ask for help and delegate some of your to-do list to someone else.
- Delete
- This one can be tricky. If something is on your to-do list, chances are you think it’s important. But, that’s not always the case. When deciding whether or not something belongs in the delete category, consider the longer term, bigger picture.
- Will completing this task help me to achieve my longterm goals?
- Will this move me closer to my goals? If not, then delete.
- It might be hard, but try to be ruthless when dropping tasks. So many of the distractions we get lost in each day have absolutely nothing to do with our bigger picture vision.
Placing a task or project into one of these categories helps you manage your limited time more effectively and stay focused on what matters most to you. Pay attention to your activities throughout the day and see where you can make cuts.
When you’re checking your emails, do you get lost in promotional content before you get to the stuff that actually matters for your work? Consider unsubscribing (delete) from those promotional emails.
Don’t be afraid to set firm boundaries with your time. There are always going to be an endless amount of things you could be doing at any given second.
Take time to get clear with yourself about what you want and how you’re going to get there. That will make prioritizing your tasks much easier.
Related: 7 Powerful Ways to Gain Clarity and Focus (FREE e-book)
How can I increase my productivity and achieve more in less time?
Take breaks to get outside
Suddenly being cooped up in the house all day can be detrimental to productivity. It can cause issues with low mood and leave you feeling less motivated to get through your workload.
By taking regular breaks and making time to get out into the yard, it can really boost those productivity levels. Spend just 10-15 minutes gardening or reading a book outdoors to help refresh productivity levels.
Sometimes, I take my work outside, too. There are benefits to changing up your work location every now and then! Of course, it’s important to take breaks away from work. But if you find yourself in a funk, try changing up your working environment.
Utilize the power of nature
Did you know that plants and flowers can help you to feel more motivated? Adding them into your workspace can help to brighten up the working environment. Numerous studies have shown how effective greenery can be within an office environment. So, if you want an easy way to stay productive, add a few houseplants and flowers to your home office.
You can also utilize the power of scent too. In some countries, workplaces spray citrus scents to boost employee productivity. Try experimenting with different scents to see which ones make you work more efficiently.
Take advantage of productivity tools
If you take a look online, you’ll find a lot of productivity tools available. Many of these are free to use and they help to boost productivity when working remotely.
Task management tools are especially great for productivity. They enable you to keep in touch with the team, organize tasks and see exactly what needs to be completed.
You can even find time management tools online. These enable you to better utilize your time, ensuring you get the most important tasks done first.
Personally, I like to keep it simple. I manage my schedule better when I write it out, so I do that each day, week, and month and use Google calendar to keep track of appointments and meetings. If I’m really struggling to stay on task, I’ll set a timer on my phone and try to complete the task before the timer goes off.
Try to find the tools that work best for you, utilize those, and ignore the rest.
How to be productive when working from home?
As convenient and beneficial as working from home can be, it can also prove to be damaging to productivity. The trouble is, up until now, you’ve associated your home as a space for relaxing or doing as you please. So, it can be difficult switching to a more productive mindset when you’re in the comfort of your home. The good news is, there are ways to boost your productivity when working from home.
Dedicate a workspace.
As a work from home mom, you’re always around for everyone’s wants and needs. So it’s crucial that you have a space in your home dedicated to work. That way, your family will know that when you’re in your workspace, you’re going to need uninterrupted time.
A dedicated space may be difficult to setup depending on your home, but even a quiet corner is better than nothing. It doesn’t have to be an entire room dedicated to your office alone, it can just be a desk in a closet or other small room. Wherever it is, try to set some boundaries with your family and yourself so that when you’re in your work zone, you can focus on work.
De-clutter your workspace
You’re going to find it hard to stay productive if your workspace is cluttered. Your physical environment has a great impact on your mental environment. So, before you start, take time to clean up the area you’re planning on working in.
Related: How To Declutter Quickly – 4 Decluttering Tips To Help Conquer The Overwhelm
Get rid of any clutter and organize the space. The cleaner and tidier the space is, the easier you’ll find it to focus on your work. Maybe take 5-10 minutes at the end of each day to clean up. That way, you come back to your workspace the next day, ready to conquer your tasks.
I don’t know about you, but my workspace stays cleaner than any other spot in my home. Why? Because it’s off limits to my family. Proof that my home would be much cleaner if my family didn’t live here. hehe
Eliminate distractions
One of the biggest challenges you’re going to face in terms of time management, is distraction. There are a lot of distractions when you’re working from home. Whether it’s the phone ringing, the kids needing something, the temptation to check social media, or the television; it’s easy to procrastinate with so many distractions around you.
This is why it’s really important to work in a quiet space away from distractions. You could purchase noise cancelling headphones to ensure you don’t get distracted by surrounding noise while you’re trying to work. If you don’t have noise cancelling headphones, try listening to focus or study music while you work. It will still help cancel out the noise and can help you stay focused.
Related: Learn How To Resist Distractions and Achieve Your Goals! (FREE e-book)
Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself or others
Having effective time management and staying productive when working at home isn’t easy, especially as a mom, but it is doable. The time management hacks above can really help you to minimize the challenges working from home presents. What are your best time management hacks? What time management tips do you have for work from home moms?
Until next time,
Stay Courageous!
