Friday, July 27, 2018

I Don’t Know How You Do It by Shana Galen


I Don’t Know How You Do It


Okay, Moms, how many times have you heard this? Even moms who I say it to, say it back to me. My standard answer is that I don’t sleep a lot. And neither do other moms I know. Or, they give up something else—exercise, time with their husband, time to read or do something else they love. The bottom line is we all do what we have to because we have to.

I’m no time management expert, but I have given workshops on how becoming a mom taught me to manage my time. Here are a few tips that might help you. And please give me some of yours, too!

  1. Get up before everyone else in the household and get a head start.
I know from personal experience that the days I am up early go more smoothly than the days I “sleep in.” I can get a lot done when I don’t have a short person calling for me every three seconds or hanging on my leg. I’ve recently been reading a book titled What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam. She makes a great case for the productivity and accomplishments of the early-risers. I suppose if you’re absolutely against mornings, you could do as much of the morning stuff as possible the night before.

  1. Make naptime productive.
If you are lucky enough to have a child young enough to nap, or even one who is willing to retreat to his or her room for quiet time for an hour, take advantage of this time! I know I am tempted to use my daughter’s naps as downtime for me too, but that’s a mistake. Again, I can get a lot done more done without interruption, and I can surf the Internet or watch TV or fold clothes later and with a child talking my ear off.

  1. Make a list.
If you don’t know what you need to accomplish each day, you’re not going to accomplish it. I have a list of what I need to do each day—how many pages I must write, household chores, phone calls to make, etc. My daughter’s activities are on the list too, so I don’t get caught up with laundry and forget music class (not that she would let me!). As a mom, it’s sometimes hard to feel as though you’ve accomplished something at the end of the day. It’s a lot easier if you’re working a traditional job where you make a deal or sell something or cure a disease. But most of the moms I know feel better when they have goals each day and are able to accomplish those goals.

Now it’s your turn. What are your tips?



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