Time Management? Who Has the Time?

YOU DO!!

You’re a mom, or perhaps you’re not, you work from home, or perhaps you commute, you want to work out, make dinner, read, learn French, blog, clean, and you want to save the world from turmoil. The reality is, all these tasks and to-dos are creating mental turmoil and tornadoes that are affecting your happiness and health. Oh, and the chaos is also affecting your productivity. So what’s a gal to do?  Not to mention the growing beast we call “Mommy Guilt” when trying to navigate through the game of life and raising children.

There are many things that make up our day that are always a part of our day, some new goals and tasks pop in, and then there are those pop-ups that throw our entire day off. We get pushed off the track and then next thing you know we feel we haven’t gotten a thing done. Plus if you have children (or 2 cats on top of it like me!), you want to have that quality time with them as well. Here are 10 of my top tips to get your days back on track, therefore allowing you to prioritize your day, so you feel confident and can enjoy your family (and YOU).  Oh, and you can blast and blow away the Mommy Guilt beast.  It has no room in your life:

1. I like to plan my day the night before. If your days aren’t consistent and life just pops up in your face throughout the day, then this is crucial. This will also clear your head before it hits the pillow and ease any anxieties about how “busy” your day is going to be.
2. Wake up 30-60 minutes before you have to pop in the shower. Enjoy your coffee or tea (or whatever morning ritual you have), take in the silence, look at your day, and charge your mind. Pre-morning routines are killer amazing and start your day off the right way. Versus jumping out of bed in panic and starting your day in a blizzard.
3. Write down your time wasters you do every day and try to eliminate them or save them for a Sunday night. Mine? Facebook and email subscriptions. Be gone!
4. Do one thing at a time and do it right- set a timer and focus on that one task. Multi-tasking is over-rated and everything gets done half @$$.
5. When do you feel the most productive? Evening? First thing? Use that time to do the important things in life.
6. And how do you know, you may ask, what is important? Well, we have things in life that are urgent and then other things that are important.   There is a difference. Urgent things demand our attention RIGHT NOW and can get addictive and drive adrenaline, making us feel good. Making us feel we have to do these things in order to be happy. Things that are urgent are mostly related to other people’s goals.
7. Workout to enhance brain and focus- it is scientifically proven. Even for a half hour- simply try to take a walk outside on your lunch break or during your day. Being disconnected for a half hour isn’t going to kill anyone.
8. Outside accountability- get your partner involved so that you are held accountable to your day.
9. Set a specific time frame with your kid(s) every day and stick to it. Think of distracters and get them out of the way (Facebook, Twitter, emails, phone in general).
10. Still have Mommy-Guilt?  Write down all the positive things you do for your child on a daily and lifetime basis so you eliminate any mommy guilt. There’s no room for it when you’re trying to be grateful and happy.  Then write down all the wonderful things your child has been doing or has done that will give you the confidence that you are being an amazing mother. Tell your child this, even if they’re not talking yet. They will love to hear that plus you hearing your own voice will ignite pride and happiness.

Follow my gal, Marie Forleo, and you’ll learn about the world of important versus urgent.  Important things are different. They are quiet, no alarms, no drama, and they relate to our own goals and dreams. Important things require us to be self-motivated, dedicated, and self-starters though. So they are unfortunately easy to blow off.

You have to know what’s important FIRST to know what is not (Kudos to Marie Forleo). Label the important things so you know what to do first in your day. When you feel pulled to do urgent things, ask yourself “Can this wait? Will anyone be hurt if I don’t do this at this EXACT second?”  Dedicate time to a task and take it seriously- as if it’s a project- with a no fail attitude to match.  It is essential to have ZERO distractions during that time so turn things off so you can focus on the task at hand.

And for cryin’ out loud, give yourself time in the week or the day to reward yourself, recharge, and ignite new thoughts and goals!

And breath…