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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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