As mompreneurs, we have a lot of balls that were juggling. But there is a way that you can actually manage your time to ensure that you get not only your business tasks, keep your business running and keep your clients happy, but also have the time that you want to spend with your family and even carve out a little time for yourself (Time Management is not one size fits all. See where you land on the time management spectrum!).
So here are my top five time management tips for busy moms.
Time Management for Busy Moms
First, make sure you understand your priorities. So many people skip this step. Most moms just say “oh I want to spend more time with my kids.” But that’s not specific enough. It’s not something that you can put boundaries around. In order to live the mompreneur lifestyle, you need to get really specific on what exactly you want to do. What does that mean to you? Does that mean you want to go to every baseball practice or you want to see every soccer game? Or pick them up from school and help them with homework? Eat dinner together? Whatever it means, you need to make sure you write it down in your specific about it because only when you truly understand your priorities will you be able to create a schedule that’s in alignment.
Second, make sure you block off all non-business activities first. block off a little time for you whether you want to take a yoga class or something like that make sure you lock that off first or it won’t happen. And then block off all the kids activities whether it’s taking them to practice or picking them up from school or helping them do homework. Whatever that is black that off on the calendar first. So many people ask me why I start with non-business activities first. If we don’t block them off they don’t happen.
Third, I want you to list out all the tasks that you do for your business. Some of you will know exactly all the tasks you need to do everyday and every week for your mompreneur business.. But some of you might not. So you need to have your business priority for what you want to focus on for the next month or two (check out my post on why I don’t think quarterly plans work for mompreneurs). So whatever your time frame is, whether it’s two to two and a half months, make sure you have a business priority for that time. And then list all of the tasks that help get you to that goal for that priority.
Fourth, once you have your list of tasks, you’re going to start creating time blocks. Start grouping similar tasks together. So for instance, most of us all need to invoice, pay bills, check your bank statements, and check our income. These tasks could be considered an administrative block. And it’s helpful when you do similar tasks together. When you do invoicing and paying bills – you’re using one part of your brain. It’s more efficient if you do several of those tasks in a row.
Most of us also have to create content so whether it’s writing blog posts or creating videos or social media post whatever that is for you try to block those all together again because you’re using one part of your brain and it’s much more efficient than if you wrote a blog post and then switch to invoicing and then switch back to another blog post. Your brain has to work harder switching between different tasks. Plus it usually takes much longer to refocus. I definitely recommend that you try to group together, batch similar tasks, for efficiency. Remember you want to work with your brain, not against it.
Fifth, you’re going to put these blocks into your calendar. Now we’ve already blocked off all our known business activities first. Now you know how much time you have to work on your business. Next you want to add your work blocks to your schedule. Other types of blocks that most businesses need is a CEO time block for creating the big vision for your business. Or a professional development time block where you have time to read a new book on business. Or learn a new skill.
Many of us will know that we’re better at maybe writing in the morning and when we’re tired we could do invoicing or social media engagement. Make sure you’re thinking about your energy levels when creating your schedule. When you’re arranging your time blocks, don’t put a writing block Friday afternoon when you’re know you’re tired. Instead, if schedule it first thing in the morning.
While time management as a mompreneur can be challenging, if you follow the above tips you can run your business and still have time for your family.
Want more tips on time management for busy moms? Curious how to create a time block schedule that fits your life? Check out my free Time Block Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs!
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