Time management for working Mum's

1. Time management for multi-tasking working mothers

2. Analyse

3. Eliminate time-wasters

4. Prioritise

5. Have a routine

6. Organise

7. Use a timer

8. Make fast work of getting yourself ready for work

9. Give yourself a break  

Time management for multi-tasking working mothers
If you're a working mother, you probably feel like the you're always on the go. That is until your batteries go flat, often at the worst possible moment.

The key to maintaining your energy and your sanity is to make time for yourself.  But how do we manage work, family and all the little surprises life springs on us, and still have time to recharge our batteries? The answer is the concept that we all hear so much about, but most of us fail miserably at: time management.
Here are a few tips on using your time more effectively and even freeing some up for yourself:

Analyse
Keep a time diary. Write down a typical week's activities and objectives. This includes everything from getting ready in the morning to watching So You Think You Can Dance in the evening. Note how much time is spent on all your activities (be brutally honest. If you spend 25 hours a week watching television, write it down). This will help you identify important tasks and potential time-wasters. You may also realise how little unstructured time you allow for yourself.

Eliminate time-wasters
Ask yourself "Will anything bad happen if I don't do this?" If the answer is "no", then don't do it or manage it better. Whether it's a friendly chat with a colleague, watching the box or chatting on the phone to friends, you need to assess whether it's really adding value to your life or whether you can schedule it for a more convenient time. Screening your calls, using voice mail, checking e-mail at certain intervals during the day and replying to all your mail during a scheduled time, or not watching TV, can save valuable time.

Prioritise
Once you've chucked out the time-wasters, decide which of the remaining tasks are the most important and schedule them in your diary along with a set amount of time for each one.
Next decide what to do with the less important or less enjoyable tasks. Schedule them for next week? Pay someone else to do them? Forget about them for now?
If someone else can do tasks, delegate! You are allowed to have some time to yourself. And there is much to be gained by paying someone else to clean the house while you spend the afternoon disco dancing with the kids, going on a bush walk with a friend, or surprising your partner with a romantic kid-free picnic in the park.

Have a routine
Write down a routine and make sure everyone in the house knows what it is. A routine will help you to do things without much thought, and these routine activities will end up taking less time. Of course, things will still pop up unexpectedly, but when you have a routine, your daily tasks will run more smoothly, and you'll have more time and energy to deal with the unexpected.

Organise
Organise your life by:
• Write down ALL appointments in your diary
• Use a whiteboard or blackboard to keep track of home and work commitments
• Organise your house and your office. Avoid clutter. Teach your kids that things live in a specific place when not in use so you will avoid those irritating time-consuming "Mum, where’s my……’ episodes
• Be packed and ready to go. Stockpile healthy long-life snacks for car rides and other excursions so you don’t have to waste time by stoping and getting stuff en route. If you need to prepare lunches or pack special items, do so the evening before to ease the morning rush.  Show the kids how easy and fun it is to make their own lunches. Good luck!
• Sort out everyone’s clothes in the evening. If your kids are bigger and they want to choose their own clothes, make time in their evening routine to do so
• Having an "outbox". Put all letters to be mailed, accounts to be paid, etc. in a central place in the house
• File documents as soon as you are finished with them
• Make a to-do list each evening
• Know yourself. Schedule important or tiresome tasks for the time of day when you are most productive
• Hang out with your children every day. Pay some undivided attention to your kids every day, with no games or TV. Make time to read to or play with them, or just have a walk and a chat. Satisfy their need for your company and you'll find they’ll hound you less when you’re busy
• Simplify meals and grocery shopping. It doesn't mean you have to get takeaways every night or live on ready-made meals. Think ahead for the week’s menu of meals, take half an hour to Google some easy recipes, write out your shopping list, and then head to the supermarket for a shopping blitz. Make a game of it – time yourself and try and beat your best time with each visit. Do the supermarket shopping in the evening on a weekday.  Or better still, order groceries online and have them delivered.
• Making technology your friend. Use online banking and do your grocery shopping online (many websites even allow you to store shopping lists, which makes it even very easier). Even it costs you an extra $10 or $15 a week for delivery, think of the petrol you’ll save and the time you’ll save by not driving there, looking for parking or standing in queues.
• Multi-task. This doesn't mean TXTing colleagues while you driving the kids to daycare.
• Just say "NO". Mums are famous for being people-pleasers. But when someone asks you to do something that you really don't have time for, say "no" firmly but politely. Will helping a colleague finish their project mean you’ll be short on time to do a brilliant job on yours? Will minding a friend’s child for the second time this week stop you from enjoying an adventure with your own little darling? Once you know what is important to you, and what you have time for, it will be easier to say "no".

Use a timer
If you have trouble keeping track of time or often get distracted, use a timer to help you focus on the task at hand. Set a timer when you want to accomplish something fast.

A timer can be a huge help with very young children, as they have trouble conceptualising time. When there are only five more minutes before bath time, set a timer to announce the end of play time or tidy-up time. You could also use it when you are busy to signal when you're finished and can now spend time with them.

Make fast work of getting yourself ready for work
Many working mothers complain that they don’t have time to look glam, or even comb their hair in the mornings. Here are some tips for getting yourself out that door looking your best.
- Get up before the kids do.  Get into this habit and you’ll find life is transformed, especially if you get at least an extra half hour
- Bath or shower before you go to bed and after the kids are asleep. This will give you time to wash your hair, shave your legs, pumice your feet and elbows, exfoliate, moisturise, pedicure and manicure. Just have a quick wash in the morning. Your other half will like this new routine too
- Buy dresses rather than skirts and tops. You don’t need to think with a dress. Just put it on, no mixing and matching required
- Layer your dresses with vests, jackets and cardigans to suit the weather and occasion
- Flats or low heels in both shoes and boots look great with dresses and allow you to move faster! Also safer when carrying children, driving the car, and running to catch the train
- Choose clothes that don’t need ironing. Knits are good for this reason
- Hang your clothes up so even if they do wrinkle, they won’t wrinkle as much
- Stockpile tights, footless tights and pantyhose too if you wear them. You can never have too many pairs. Ideally, devote an entire drawer or a basket to each type of leg wear. You’ll be amazed how much time this will save you
- Keep a second makeup kit in your handbag so you can always do your face en route to work or in the work bathroom once you’ve ‘checked in’
- No time to wash or blow-dry your hair? Hide it with a funky hat, stylish scarf or headband, or some cool hair accessories
- Keep your hair simply chic: get a great haircut that doesn’t require lots of home maintenance or lengthy sessions in the salon. A bit of length is good because an up ‘do’ is so easy and looks good too
- No time to wax or shave your legs? Pull on a pair of footless tights!
- Keep a travel pack of baby wipes in your handbag to clean off those spots you’ll only notice down your front once you’ve left home

IMPORTANT: there is nothing wrong with children eating their breakfast in the car on the way to daycare or school. They are sitting down and you’re together. So when you doing the weekly shop, grab a box of healthy muesli bars and stash them in the car glove box.  Because there’s bound to be at least one morning in the following seven when you won’t have time to scratch yourself let alone whip up a gourmet feast of toast and condiments.

Give yourself a break  
Make time to relax and to do something you enjoy. And when you do, don't feel guilty about all the things you're not doing, or had to say "no" to. Guilt is a counter-productive emotion. Instead, enjoy the time you have off, and recharge your batteries.

It might take some getting used to and a little practice, but time management will certainly reduce your stress and increase your quality of life. Soon you feel like… well, you'll feel like you again.

* Payment by nib of dental benefits is subject to serving relevant waiting periods and annual limits and service limits. Check your cover and annual limits at nib.com.au or call 13 14 63. The dental check-up covers an examination, scale, clean and fluoride treatment (dentures and x-rays not included). The services provided will be deducted from your annual limits and/or service limits. If any of the listed procedures are unable to be carried out due to a patient’s health history and/or condition, they will not be provided nor substituted by other items.

Back to top