The first time you drove home with your child from the hospital, of the many things you didn’t know, is that it will be very hard to find time to do anything else. Now add the words “working mom” to that agony. Being busy or lack of time has a completely different definition for a working mother. While you and I who in our spare time can catch up with friends, reading, binge-watch, or simply indulge in some quiet time and pampering, working mothers will be spending all that time nursing their children, spending time with them and meet their needs.
I am always surprised meeting and watching all those working mothers at my workplace who are no less than superheroes for me.
I am always surprised meeting and watching all those working mothers at my workplace who are no less than superheroes for me.
So I thought to myself, I can’t physically and emotionally truly understand their dilemma or plight of being working mothers, but I can surely explore more how they can do certain things to save time that will allow them to do what ‘they’ truly like to do. I am sure they don’t even have time to research, so in a humble attempt to help, here’s listing the:
Five Time Management Tips That Will Allow Working Moms To Breathe.
# 1 – Live in the present & avoid multitasking
We women by nature want to be present at three different places all at the same time. While that looks good, it is actually not. Living in the present takes a lot of work. We have to train our minds not to wander or worry about things that don’t need attention at that moment. For example, do not worry about what you are going to cook when you are spending quality time with your child. Listen to what they actually saying, be attentive to them. At all cost avoid multitasking. I have learned that no good comes from that, especially if you are not very good at it like me. Practices like yoga, meditation, and quiet time alone will allow you to clear your thoughts and be more focused on the task at hand. This in turn will help improve your productivity.
# 2 – Step away from the Internet
The Internet is the biggest cause of wasted time. Social media is like an addiction, one glance at Facebook or one like on Instagram will instantly take you to an hour later into your life that you have lost. I am not saying completely cut off social media or distractions of the world wide web, but instead, allocate a stipulated time in the day to do those activities and strictly adhere to it. This should also include reading your WhatsApp messages. You may have to take harsh steps too like switch off the internet, unplug the television or simply lock all devices away, until the restricted hour to indulge has arrived. I urge you to try this and see how much time you will suddenly have at hand.
# 3 – Set attainable daily goals for work and home
If one could collect all my to-do-lists over the years and pile them up, it will be sufficient to build a 10 feet tall building. The sad part is only two-stories will be checked as completed tasks. So all your well-intended to-do-list are useless if they are unattainable. Between work, household chores and child care, you have very little time left to accomplish anything on that list. Hence, plan your priorities and set realistic and achievable daily goals. I, for example, put down ‘reading at least 5 pages a day’. This is attainable over ‘reading one chapter’, which could be long one or a very short one and totally daunting to achieve.
# 4 – Set expectations at work
This will probably be the hardest thing to do. You may not have a very cooperative boss and work environment. People may look at you prioritizing your family first as shrugging responsibilities or being foolish. Either way, you will have to take a stand at work and stick with it. Let your Manager know right from the beginning that your family is your priority, that you would like to be present for your children’s school functions and emergencies if any. On the other hand, ensure that the time you spend at work is highly productive and profitable. This will help them to trust you and know that you want to do right by your family and work. Many a time, it may not be as simple, you may want to then think of diverse career options or job that will allow you that flexibility.
# 5 – Stop trying to do everything on your own
Oh how we all can immediately identify with this statement. I don’t even need to expound it. We find it absolutely difficult to delegate. I don’t have help at home, cause managing the help or doing most things they have done all over again, is a sheer waste of time. This is a problem at work and at home. “I rather just do it myself “ is a slogan most of us live by. Instead of righting someone else’s wrong, I do it right myself in the first place. Right?
No, if you are looking for any time for yourself, you will have to learn to delegate and let go. You must stop obsessing about perfectionism, the right way of doing things and allow other people to step in and help you. Also, don’t take on responsibilities that are not yours in the first place. Allow your partner to do what they are assigned. Do not nag, comment or ridicule their efforts and help. Your partner too needs bonding time with the child, so allow him to take over for a couple of hours daily. This will leave you to catch up on your breathe and do things that rejuvenate you or maybe some more of your pending chores.
A mother’s job never ends. She is a constant worrier, warrior, emotional provider, nourisher and supporter for her family. She cannot switch off, turn-off and just run away from her responsibility as a mother, wife, daughter, and an employee. And no matter how much your spouse helps you, there are some things like making a house a home, cooking wholistic meals with love and fulfilling the emotional needs of our family that are solely our responsibilities. So while the world has progressed and technology has helped working mothers to be more efficient and can help us do our daily jobs with ease, it cannot help us to raise our children to be good human beings and good citizens of the world. Ultimately, that is the duty of a parent.
So in this insanely rushed world, find your silence, find your peace and most importantly find the time to be yourself. Hope the above tips for time-management helps you to read more of our articles too (all smiles).
You may also want to read other article written by the same author ‘Be aware of your emotions and its effects on you‘ , ‘How to be your own goal keeper‘ , ‘What is the best way to say No to Office House Work‘ , ‘ Finding your work life balance‘ , ‘Six top challenges women leaders face at work‘ ‘ How to master the Art of Assertive Communication‘ , ‘ How can you make your resume standout ‘ , ‘ Honest Comparision Between Freelancing Project or Full-time Job‘ , ‘Good Interview Skills Leave a Lasting Impression ‘Have you brought passion to work today’ ‘How to Avoid The Five Most Common Interview Mistakes?‘ ‘Better Work Life Balance‘
About the author:
(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)
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