No wonder so many Work From Home Moms have to deal with parental stress. But your ability to manage the time you have effectively can be the difference between meeting all your work deadlines and snapping at your kids. So, how can you juggle being a mom and working from home without losing time? The following time-management tips should help.
1. Focus only on what matters
Not every single task is a must-do, and you need to focus on what’s more important. Start by creating a to-do list based on priority, ensuring that you handle the more pressing matters first. This also helps you save time. For example, instead of spending several hours on your feet preparing complicated meals for your kids, you can opt for quicker and more nutritious dishes like this stovetop quinoa from foolproofliving.com, which takes only minutes to prepare.
2. Use the resources you have
Try to use all the help you can get, especially regarding non-work tasks. For example, instead of doing the dishes, you can delegate that responsibility to your growing kids or partner. Or, you could also seek the services of a babysitter so that you can save enough time for your work. And if you have trusted neighbors, friends, or family members you can call on to chip in their time, why not?
3. Set a schedule
Proper time management also requires you to have a healthy daily schedule. Decide on your working hours and set your schedule in advance. This way, your family knows when your work starts so that you’re not bothered. When setting your schedule, it is important to consider what hours of the day you’re most effective, so you can get more done during those hours. For example, if you’re more productive early in the morning, assign your most pressing or demanding tasks to those hours and leave the less-demanding duties for the times you’re less productive.
4. Take breaks
While time is of the essence, you cannot ignore the importance of taking breaks, especially when it comes to keeping your productivity levels from dropping too low. Very few mothers can work non-stop for 8 to 10 hours each day without taking a break. Think of it this way – the less productive you become later in the day, the more time you’ll need to complete even simple tasks. Because taking breaks will help boost your performance, you’ll get more than in less time. Aside from boosting your productivity, taking breaks also allows you to attend to your children when working from home.
5. Do not multitask
The temptation to multitask is very strong when you’re a working mother. And while most people believe women are natural multi-taskers, it’s a bad strategy to adopt. Trying to do more than one thing simultaneously will only waste your time, giving you a false sense of conviction that you’re getting more done. Plus, you’ll hardly complete your tasks on time
BY TECHIE MAMMA