Want to Master Time — Management? Just Become a Mum
An ultimate guide from an experienced organising expert — a mum of three
There may be better ways to learn time management, but I can promise you that being a mother (or at least following their blueprints) is the fastest way to develop superior time management skills.
Nothing prepares you better to be thrifty with your time than motherhood.
I still remember clearly: I had a newborn, a 3-year-old, and a 6-year-old.
On top of that, I had a small business, two blogs, and writing gigs. I was tired, sleep deprived, but the only one who suffered was me — God knows how, but I was able to do majority of chores every day.
For the first six years of my parenthood, I learned some tricks and tips that helped me survive. Today, my teens do not need me as much as they did then, but I still use the same tips in my daily routine to keep me organised and sane (well, most of the time).
If you need to master time management and ace your days, you have much in common with an unorganised mum who just delivered her first baby. So, keep reading and follow my steps, it will pay off!
1. Stick to the routine. Some days at least
No matter if you love being spontaneous or you believe you need to breastfeed your baby on demand, if you do not come up with some sort of schedule in the first month after the baby is born, you’ll go crazy.
So, first things first, create some kind of routine (do not complicate, stick to the simplicity!). Your schedule might be very different from one day to the next, but creating a routine is very helpful in maintaining order and managing your time. This will help you realise how much time you actually have.
Also, when you are a mum, having a routine will give your kids a sense of security and let them know what to expect. It’s the same with us — having a routine means less struggle with the transitions and less time wasted.
I had a bedtime routine with kids for years — dinner, peaceful play, and then mum reading to them, it made getting to sleep smooth and less stressful for all of us. But, there were illnesses, sleepless nights, or occasions where we simply had guests and kids were still awake at 11 PM. Oh, yes!
So, just pretend your business is your baby, the principle is same.
Same as with parenthood, you have to be flexible too — kids are unpredictable, same as life, leave the space to adjust if needed.
The schedule is there to serve you, not vice versa.
2. Plan ahead
Write everything down. Period. Then, assess each point (is it necessary, what logistics are behind it) and ideally, time-block it in your calendar, otherwise, you’ll overestimate how much time you need for each activity. If you want to be better at managing your time, you first need to be realistic about where that time is going. My to-do lists used to be too big and too ambitious, so instead of feeling pride and accomplishment, at the end of the day, I usually felt overwhelmed and stressed out.
But, there is a trick. Yes, you can write everything down and build your “second brain”. But, mark just three tasks as the most important to be done. What are the three things that will make a difference in your day? Focus just on them. On some other days, I was ticking off task after task, feeling like a queen of time management. On some days, my focus was only to keep my kids fed dry and safe and tried not to cry, nothing more.
3. Learn to say no. To kids (maybe) and others (ultimately)
There is always something someone will want from you (when you are a mum, there is a little fella asking things from you ALL THE TIME). Learning to say no will help you reclaim your time.
Remember, every time you say yes to someone, you say no to something for you.
If you learn to say no, you’ll own your time more.
I personally still struggling with it. But, I’m learning to be better at myself.
4. Prioritize Your Top Tasks
If you’re anything like me, you probably have an extensive list of things that need to be accomplished. Writing things down helps me get rid of anxiety. It’s necessary to let go of the notion that a day is only successful if we cross everything off of it. Such thinking is absurd!
Instead of attempting to do everything, review your to-do list at the beginning of the day and identify the top three items.
When kids were little, my top 3 were always connected with them — their sleep, food and play. But, that’s ok, because they were my priorities. Everything else could wait.
You’re more likely to complete those crucial chores when you’re simply concentrating on three tasks.
5. Outsource What You Can
Another lesson I started learning when I become a mum — we mums have a tendency to take on too much at once.
It’s simple to believe that we must complete all tasks, including those related to our jobs, our homes, and our children, or any other role we might have. You’ll need to learn to relinquish some of this power if you want to manage your time effectively.
Examine all of your routine tasks to see which ones you can outsource.
Although you believe you can do all of them best, it’s crucial for your time management and your mental health to let it go! I still remember clearly how nervous I was when my toddler picked up after her meal for the first time. More mess than ever! But, I learnt that if you want to empower others to help you, you have to give them space and tools to learn how.
So, let it go!
6. Eliminate Distractions
This one is “ biggie” as we all live in a distracted society: if you’ve ever started to work on something and then picked up your phone and got sidetracked for a bit, you know what I’m talking about here.
You understand what I’m talking about if you’ve ever begun working on anything, picked up your phone, and then became distracted for a while — realising after 45 minutes that you got stuck.
Being productive is seriously hindered by constant pings for notifications such as emails, texts, and other items. I don't have notifications on my phone anymore. Also, Using 5-minute pauses throughout the day to do things like check email or get into Instagram is one method I deal with this.
7. Practice Self-Care
A burnt-out mom isn’t good for anyone. A burnt- our writer or entrepreneur isn’t either. When you’re writing out a schedule and making a to-do list, don’t forget to put yourself down as a priority.
Self-care looks a little different for everyone, but there are essential components that remain the same across the board. Make sure you’re eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising and blocking some time just for you.
And when I say self-care, I don't mean having a bubble bath, a new manicure, watching Netflix, or scrolling Tik Tok for hours. I think about creating a life you don't want to run off. Creating the right balance between procrastination and fear of your goals and hustling 24/7.
Time management is an ever-evolving life skill, so don’t expect to be able to master it all at once. As a mum or small business owner, it’s important to allow yourself flexibility from one day to the next.
Staying organized and following some of these practices will help you reclaim some of that lost time, so you’ll be feeling less stressed and more able to handle the many curve balls that life throws at you.
Marketing Fairy Recommends: Todoist
Todoist is a task management tool that helps you keep track of your to-do list and get things done more efficiently. It allows you to create tasks and subtasks, set due dates and reminders, and categorise tasks based on priority, project, or context. Todoist is feature-rich on a free plan, but there is also a paid option for advanced planners or ones who want to organise their entire life even more seamlessly.
I like it because:
it’s cloud based, so all your tasks are synchronised across all devices.
It’s full of features, but it’s not overwhelming to start with and use it.
UX and UI are seamless and make using the app super easy.
You have great choice of templates even on the free version
It has list and my favourite board view.
Natural language input. If I say, write blog post every Tuesday 8AM, it will make a recurring task at the defined time.
I combine Trello and Todoist for all my personal and side hustle projects and tasks, and they save me hours every week. I also use Trello to organise my tasks at my full time work.
Quote that matters
"We often make choices based on immediate outcomes. What can I do to experience a little joy in the next 30 minutes? What can I accomplish in the next hour? But if you always expect to get a little bit of reward for a little bit of effort, then you often overlook actions that lead to greater payoffs down the road. The relationship between input and output is rarely linear.
The course of action that could provide greater happiness, meaning, or satisfaction in the long run may not make you happy in the next 30 minutes."
Thanks for reading.
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Angelina, Marketing Fairy