Still recovering from this sickness, I’m organizing my week on the assumption that I’ll be back on my feet tomorrow. Here’s to wishful thinking.

But as I’m looking at my list, I start to feel overwhelmed that I have too much to do, and too little time to do it. Such a mindset is not uncommon from a mom who works from home and has a husband, kids, and a house to take care of.

However, in an attempt to not embrace the victim mindset, I have compiled a list of ways that I manage my time, this week, and every day.

So here is what I have come up with that has generally helped me stay ahead of the game.

Get Up Earlier

I actually love to get up early. Generally, that’s when I get to go for a run, and do my meditation before I have to get the ball rolling with my family.

While sometimes life gets tiring and a sleep in from time to time, my days are significantly more successful when I get up early. Plus, on nights when I didn’t get as much sleep, I can time a little mini nap while my baby sleeps and the kids are at school. So sleep deprivation can NOT be an excuse for me.

Write it down

Now, waking up early wouldn’t be half as effective if I did not religiously maintain my planner.

I tried to digitize and keep track of my day in my phone. And while sometimes setting alarms can be very beneficial, I love my paper planner. Statistically, if you have a physical list to refer back to and cross off, you will be more productive throughout your day. Prioritizing and defining your focus is so important to finishing your list…although, heaven knows we are all human, and many times I have items left over that creep into tomorrow’s duties. But it does help me see where I can fit little projects in.

15 minutes at a time

When I am completely overwhelmed with the many things I still need to get done, I set a timer to work on one specific thing for 15 minutes, and then moving onto the next critical thing for 15 minutes. This really helps me power through and get so much done. On days of serious struggle, it really helps to calm my anxiety to have everything broken down into smaller portions so it all looks more manageable. Sometimes you have to actually see that physical breakdown to compartmentalize.

Non-negotiables

I like to make a list of items that I HAVE to do every day. IE:

1. Working out
2. Meditating
3. Kissing my husband good morning/goodbye
4. Making the kids lunches for school/dropping them off

Otherwise, I have to remind myself that the other things on my schedule are things I would like to get done. Things I will do my best to accomplish. But if I don’t get them done that day, it’s not the end of the world.
There are probably at least a million other ways to manage your time. And things are not always going to go according to plan, and that’s ok. Just make sure you are finding what works for you and sticking to it.

As long at you are taking the time to live in the moment with kids and partners, or really seeing the beauty in this Earth we’ve been blessed with, you’re going to be just fine. Taking the time for people and for loving life is far more important and beneficial than a list of chores.

Leave me a comment with YOUR favorite time management ideas!