A R T I C L E: 

Time Management for Busy Moms
Allison Carter, The Professional Organizer

Lets face it, time cannot be managed. You can tell it to last longer but it just won¹t do it. So instead of managing it, we must manage ourselves and use time well.

The best way to begin the discussion of time management is to take a look at your life and develop a plan, a vision, a program. Whatever you want to call it, it will give your life direction. If you do not have a plan or at least a distant goal, you will not know which path is the right path to take each and every day. Whether it is going to the grocery store without a shopping list, or deciding whether to work full time, a game plan is needed or decisions are haphazard.

1. Know Your Priorities - Write them down if it helps (and it usually does). This creates a roadmap to life and will enable you to clearly see how to spend each day. For example, if you are clear that your priority is to have dinner as a family, then you will be able to say no to activities that take place during the dinner hour.

If academics is a priority, then you may choose to limit the amount of extracurricular activities a child participates in. Set your priorities with integrity and stick to them.
You will also be able to see when you are straying from the path. If you are often straying, then perhaps it is time to reevaluate your plan to see if it is still working for you.

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When people complain that they don¹t have enough time to do something, what they¹re really saying is that the thing is not a priority, and they are doing is choosing another activity in its place.
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2. Decide whether you want to be the Chief, the Manager, AND the Worker - A family manager wears many many hats from chef to accountant to personal shopper to nurse. That doesn¹t leave much time for taking care of oneself. The way to claim more time for yourself is to become a terrific manager and train others in your household to do more of the work. Then (the hard part) be brave enough to let them do it even if it is not exactly the way you would do it.

3. Cut out Time Drainers - Be realistic about how you use your time. It sometimes helps to set a timer when doing certain activities to keep track of just how much time gets eaten up unnecessarily. A good plan is to work for 45 minutes of each hour, then take a break for 15 minutes and use that time to watch TV, surf the web, write e-mails, read magazines, etc. Give yourself a time limit and get back to doing productive tasks.

4. Phone Calls and Other Interruptions - Use a stop watch when you make non-essential phone calls or when you are interrupted by a call. Give yourself a time limit so you can move on to the next thing. Gracefully say you need to take care of something and excuse yourself from the conversation.

5. Shopping - people who enjoy shopping often lose track of time and can lose a whole day without noticing. Approach shopping as a task, not a hobby and you will find time you never had before. Shop with a list or a timer. Go into the store for the things you are there for. If you are at a shop to take advantage of a sale, set your timer and when the timer goes off - you are done. Go directly to the checkout counter.

6. Streamline Your Errands - Do errands when stores are the least busy. You will be amazed at how many essentials you can take care of at 8:30am and at 8:30pm. Banks and post offices all have slower days than others as well. Avoid shopping on the busiest days and the busiest times and your errands will go much faster and with less frustration.

Group tasks by type and location. This means you need to have a list of errands. Determine where you can do each. And go the the area where the most tasks can get done. Or go to the do-it-all-giant-super-mega store where you can do grocery shopping, housewares shopping, get glasses, take pictures, and have dinner.

7. Leave Some Time - We usually think things go faster than they actually do. Leave free time in your day for when life is unpredictable. Also leave small wedges of time between appointments in case of traffic or other emergencies. If there is no emergency, then you can relax, read, make calls, listen to the radio, and sip coffee or tea.

8. Avoid the Last Minute Madness - Plan ahead for what you will need. Planning ahead does eat up some time, but not nearly as much as not planning. Living your life by accident leads to .. well, a lot of accidents. Live with purpose and intention. You will gain a sense of control when you can quickly lay your hands on what you need and know ahead that you have everything you need.
- Create a launch pad area where you keep to do list, returns & receipts, directions, and anything else you will need for your day. Kids need these for backpacks and school items.
- Make grocery lists so you don¹t have to stop and think in the store, and you don¹t have to guess if you have all the ingredients at home.

8. N-O Spells NO! Six year olds can say it, why can¹t we? Stop saying yes to every club, PTA, and family member who asks you to do something. There are still only 24 hours in a day. Make yourself a priority and say NO to someone who is taking you away from yourself! A good rule is never say yes immediately unless you really really want to do it. You can always call to say yes later.

Ways to say NO without saying NO:
"I'll have to check my schedule" (Be sure not to bring your calendar if you use this one)
"I'll get back to you after I confer with ..."
"I'd be happy to if someone will take _____ off my plate so I can have time to work on this project."

Overscheduling makes everyone a little nuts. Keep this in mind for children as well. Too many activities may be more entertaining, but it certainly comes with a certain degree of stress. Even if you are raising the next Nadia or Babe Ruth, every child needs time to do homework, go to school, sleep, eat, and have free time to engage in creative play and thinking.

9. Delegate - As soon as children are old enough, teach them how to take care of organizing, cleaning, and other household maintenance. Teach your spouse as well.

10. Time Savers:
- Layer Activities - Read or talk on the phone while you exercise.
- Let go - don¹t be perfect. Do things just enough.
- Stock up - with a well stocked pantry and school supply drawer, last minute runs to the store will be eliminated.
- Limit interruptions - Ha ha. Well you can try. Kids need moms. But moms need a moment to themselves. Lock a door, hire a sitter, do what you need to do to take care of yourself. Remember, a happy mom is a selfish mom.
- Use computers for routine, repeating lists: Grocery, Christmas Gifts, Baby-sitter Info, directions.
- Use a computer to store information that is constantly updating: Address/Phone, Passwords, Family Information, etc.
- Systemize shopping - keep coupons and list in the order of the store aisles
- Record your favorite TV shows and watch without commercials.
- Eliminate clutter. It takes an incredible amount of time to clean it, move it around, decide where to store it, etc.
- Use checklists to keep from forgetting things at the door
- Use your answering machine to screen calls
- Leave time for traffic, changing diapers at the last minute, etc.