Are you a busy mom who has no time to exercise, cook nutritious meals or make personal time for yourself? If yes, then you should read this article. This post contains some useful productivity tips for busy moms.
Being a mother is tough. Juggling between work, family, friends, and personal life can be exhausting. And if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to give your kids the attention they deserve.
People who work long hours are more likely to make mistakes, have poorer interpersonal communication, and get less done.
Here are some ways to boost your productivity and get back into shape.
Planning Your Day Ahead
If you have a lot on your plate, planning your day ahead will help you stay organized. You need to plan what tasks you want to accomplish that day and when you want them done.
You can use an app like Asana or Trello to keep track of all your projects. It helps you prioritize your tasks and organize them in a way that makes sense to you.
You can also set up recurring reminders so that you never forget about something important. For example, you can create a reminder for every week to check your email once. This will not only save you time but it will ensure that you do everything on time. It’s also important to factor in your morning routine, for things such as having a cup of coffee or going for a morning walk.
Prioritize Your Tasks
When you have too many things to do, prioritizing them becomes crucial. You need to figure out which task needs to be completed first before moving onto another one.
Make sure that you focus on those tasks that require more effort and time than others. For example, if you need to write a report for school, you should spend more time writing it rather than doing other stuff.
In the midst of your striving for productivity, it’s really important to make sure that productivity itself is not your main goal. In relation to productivity, organizational psychologist, Adam Grant , says “A better option is attention management: Prioritize the people and projects that matter, and it won’t matter how long anything takes.” Remember that, as much as we all love productivity, it in and of itself is meaningless. The more you focus on your true priorities and limit the non-essentials, the more you’ll get done of what truly matters most.
This will help you complete your daily tasks without having to worry about anything else.
Using Timers
It’s easy to lose track of time while working on multiple tasks at once. To avoid this from happening, you should use timers. Set a timer for each project you start and stick to it until it’s finished.
For example, if you are cooking dinner, you can set a timer for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, you can come back to whatever you are doing and move on to the next step without unnecessary delays. This will help greatly reduce stress and ensure that you finish your tasks on time.
Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is a simple yet effective method of getting things done. The idea behind it is to break down large tasks into smaller ones.
Once you have decided how long each task will take, you divide the whole process into 25-minute intervals. During these intervals, you work on one thing at a time. After completing the interval, you take a short break and repeat the cycle.
Once you have mastered this technique, you can apply it to any situation where you feel overwhelmed.
Set Goals
Setting goals is very helpful because it gives you direction. When you know what you want to achieve, you will find it easier to manage your time effectively.
To set goals, you need to think about what you want to accomplish. What would you like to change? Do you want to lose weight? Get fit? Learn something new?
Write down your goals and make sure that you review them regularly. If you fail to meet your goal, you will have a better understanding of why you didn’t succeed. This will help you improve your performance in the future.
Summer goals should be easy to accomplish. I’ll make sure my kids get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and spend quality time together. I’ll also make sure they’re doing well academically. Fall goals should be more difficult to achieve. My kids need to learn how to work hard, study, and complete homework assignments. I want them to start learning how to cook healthy meals, read books, and practice the piano.
Get the Toughest Part of the Day Done First
If you have several tasks to complete, try starting with the hardest task first. It may seem counterintuitive, but by tackling the most challenging task first, you will end up feeling accomplished.
This way, when you finish the rest of your tasks, you won’t feel as bad because you already completed something.
You can even do this with household chores. For instance, if you have to clean the house, you can start with dusting the furniture. You can then tackle the kitchen and bathroom later.
Procrastinating is bad because it makes everything else harder later. You should use your prime time to work on your most important tasks. Don’t spend your prime time doing trivial stuff. Save your easy tasks for later.
Delegate Chores to Your Kids
BY delegating chores to your kids, you not only save yourself time, but you are helping them develop responsibility and independence.
Children should do chores because it helps them feel responsible for themselves and others. Doing chores makes them feel better about themselves. As they grow up, they’ll have less time to spend on things that aren’t important.
When you delegate chores to your children, you give them an opportunity to show initiative too. They will learn from watching you and observing your actions.
They will also gain confidence and self-esteem. By being able to handle their own responsibilities, they will become independent adults.
Take Some Me Time For Yourself
Taking some me time means taking care of yourself. It’s okay to take breaks during the day. You don’t have to go out shopping or running errands. Just sit back and relax.
It’s good to get away from your family so that you can recharge your batteries. Take some me time whenever you need it.
As a sleep deprived new mom, I used too much time trying to do things I didn’t enjoy. I put pressure on myself to be the best home maker. I had a clean house some days but I was miserable!
Taking time for you will not just rejuvenate and recharge your sense of yourself, but also boost your energy and confidence levels! So don’t feel guilty about taking breaks! Your job is 24/7, and it’s OK to need a break sometimes!
Group Your Similar Tasks Together
One of the biggest productivity hacks is doing related tasks together and doing them in a batch, just like a factory line. Batching refers to grouping similar tasks into groups. This allows you to complete multiple tasks at once within a time block.
For example, instead of washing dishes by hand, you could wash the entire load in the dishwasher at the end of the day. This can be applied to other chores like your laundry as well. You’ll find that doing these tasks in batches save you so much more time, compared to other moms who are doing all kinds of chores at one go such as doing their grocery shopping, cleaning the house, etc.
By grouping similar tasks together, you can save time and effort. When you’re done with a group, you can move onto another group without wasting any more time.
Unwind and Relax Now and Then
If you’re feeling stressed, try to unwind. Go outside and walk around. If you’re indoors, turn off the lights and close all the curtains so that you can have some quiet time. It’s also ok to have some nap time when needed. You also have to make sure you are getting an adequate amount of sleep every night.
Just let your mind wander and focus on nothing. You may find that you’ve been thinking about something stressful for hours. Once you’ve relaxed, you’ll be ready to deal with whatever comes next.
Try to keep stress under control. Stressful situations can make us act irrationally. We tend to lose our cool when we’re stressed. This can lead to arguments and even violence. In order to avoid this, we must manage our emotions.