FINDING MORE ME TIME IN YOUR DAY IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS

Have you ever looked at another mom and wondered “how does she manage to get so much done?” or “how does it seem like she has more hours in her day?”

Chances are she is consciously working on managing her time.

To some of us moms it doesn’t sound reasonable that you would spend time, that you already don’t have, writing lists and putting down stuff that needs to get done, in an effort to save time.

Usually planning is associated with the work place – the place where different schedules need to be coordinated and ‘important’ stuff needs to get done.

As moms we all recognise that there is in fact little difference between the work space and our homes. There are different schedules to coordinate, departments that need to be looked into and there is always something “important” that needs attention.

If you have been looking to manage your time better at any point, you have already had plenty of advice. Even so, I am going to share with you my three personal favourites – the ones that have always worked for me.

1. Wake up early – and I don’t mean 4 AM. I just mean wake up earlier – maybe even just half an hour earlier than everyone else. You will be surprised, but that might be all you need to give yourself 10 minutes of ‘quiet’ ‘alone’ Another 10/15 minutes to plan your day ahead and even have that peaceful undisturbed cup of hot coffee.

2. Plan ahead – from weekly meal plans, grocery lists, things that need to get done for the day/week, everybody’s schedules and activities, work – anything and everything that can work with a plan. Don’t just plan it in your mind – write things down so that you don’t have to keep replaying the same information in your mind.

Something as simple as a weekly meal plan – will allow you to think through the meals and pick up or order the groceries only once a week – saving you time, energy and a lot of mental stress.

3. Reduce clutter – I cannot stress enough on the idea of a place for everything – both physical and mental. Taking the time to declutter the spaces around you and prioritizing what’s most important, allows you to free up space in your mind to think and act more calmly and with clarity. Reducing the constant mental clutter opens up the opportunity to do something new.

The secret is to deal with both physical and mental clutter as you go along, without leaving it for a time where it becomes overwhelming.