How To Stop Wasting Time

Do you ever feel like time is slipping away without you noticing it? Do you ever find yourself sitting down planning on being productive but then finding yourself wasting time? 

If you are a working mom who is also homeschooling, no doubt you wonder how to stop wasting time and get more done in your day. 

Time management for busy moms is important! I know I can’t be the only one who sits down with a full task load on Monday, totally dive in and start chipping away only to discover at the end of the day, it feels like nothing got done! 

I know I did. When I first started juggling both an outside-the-home job, a business, and homeschooling my kids I wondered if I would ever get caught up again. 

There were days when I would fall into bed exhausted at night, feeling like a complete and utter failure because I had only managed to check off 1 or 2 tasks on my to-do list. 

It seemed like everyone, and their grandmother managed to get more done in a day than I did. 

Was there some secret to stop wasting time and be more productive as a working homeschool mom? What was I missing? 

In this article, I will share with you what I’ve been doing to help me use my time more wisely, with intention, and reduce burnout and overwhelm.

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We All Need More Time

I’ve never met a mom who says she has enough time in her day. 

We all have so many commitments- homeschooling, work, meals, cleaning, etc. We all feel we could use a few more hours in the day. 

And the truth is, time is one of our top assets. I know, I know, you are thinking that money is the top asset but here is why I disagree with that statement. 

The difference between time and money is that you can make more money, but you can’t make more time. If you spend money, you can always earn more. But when you spend time, you can’t do the same. Once you spend it, it’s gone. It’s like a non-renewable resource.

With this perspective, I learned that if I wanted to truly be productive as a working mom who was homeschooling her kids, I couldn’t leave any hours to chance. I needed to be intentional with my time AND  I needed to allocate my time accordingly. 

The first step to stop wasting time and be more productive was to figure out where my time was going.

Where Does the Time Go?

I am well aware of how awful it feels not to be productive, to feel behind, like you are never going to catch up. 

Wasting time sucks. And spending time on the wrong things doesn’t feel any better. I mean, sure, the newly organized fridge looks amazing, but missing an important project deadline doesn’t feel great. 

If we want to gain back hours in our day, then we need to identify where the time is going right now. 

Because if time really is the most valuable asset we have, then we need to treat it as such- valuable. 

At this point, you need more than productivity tips for working moms. You need to be intentional about how you manage your time or spend your time. 

How To Stop Wasting Time

The best way to do that is to complete a time audit and identify where you are already spending your time. 

What is a time audit? Simply put, a time audit is keeping track of what you do during the day. 

I’m gonna be honest, I hate doing time audits. They are time-consuming and annoying, but incredibly important to pinpoint exactly where your time is going. 

Identifying your time suckers (things that suck up our time) is key if you are wondering where your time is going.

I’m going to share with you 3 steps to completing a time audit. However, if you want to dive deeper into time audits and how to use them, I walk you through the process in my ebook, How To Identify Time Suckers.

3 Steps To Completing A Time Audit: 

Before I share a quick overview of how to complete a time audit, I want to warn you this is a tool, not a weapon. Keep reading for tips on how to use this information to be more productive. 

Step 1: grab a notebook or a time log and write down everything that you do in 24 hours. I mean everything from the moment your feet hit the floor to when you fall into bed at night. 

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This includes drinking coffee, taking a walk, scrolling social media, and the time you spent homeschooling your kids. Don’t forget to take note of the time you spent answering phone calls, writing emails, doing laundry. 

Write it all down. 

If you have a schedule that changes daily, I recommend you do this for a few days. 

Step 2: go through your list and sort and organize your list. Which ones are time wasters? Which ones are important?

Go through the list and set your priorities. Setting your priorities is important in homeschool time management and for your work.

As you look at this list, make sure to take note of what is keeping you from accomplishing your tasks.

For example, social media is part of my job. It is where I host my free online community and the Working Homeschool Coffee Club, my membership for working moms who homeschool. It is important that I show up there to support and encourage.

But social media is designed to be a time suck. It is designed to get you on the platform and stay there. How can we combat that?

Step 3: Look at your time suckers, and brainstorm ways to reduce the amount of time wasted. 

Using the example above, how can I make sure I don’t get sucked into social media?

A few ideas are:

• Setting a timer
• Designating times for social media and sticking to it
• Limiting my social media accounts to 1-2 platforms

Your turn: How can you stop wasting time? Brainstorm solutions and write them down.

Bonus: Use time blocks and music!

I asked my online community to share their best tips to cut down on wasted time.

Chase said, “Time blocks help me. Like making a budget for your money- set aside 20 minutes to do one thing, and stop after. Sometimes I make music playlists to help me track how long I am to do a task. When the music stops, I have to move on. It helps with the sort of weekend tasks that never end, like sorting out hand-me-downs. It’s easy to get bogged into something like that for hours!”

A time audit is key to understanding exactly how we are using our time and how to stop wasting it.

5 Ways To Stop Wasting Time And Be More Productive

Remember, for your hard work identifying time wasters to be a tool, we need to use that information to move forward. 

Now we know where our time is going, but how can we stop wasting time and be more productive?

1. Group Like Tasks

Did you find that you were wasting time making multiple trips into town? Or to the grocery store? One way to stop wasting time is to group “like tasks”.

For example, if you are running into the grocery store, ask yourself, what other errands can I cross off my list on the route?

Can you drop those books off at the library? Do your banking while you are in town?  What other errands can you do since you are in town anyway?

Cluster your appointments to minimize driving and save time.

2. Create A Simple Plan.

Did you discover you spent countless hours trying to figure out what needed to be done both in your work and homeschool? When were your appointments, and where you need to be?

Again, you are one person and you have a lot of things to keep track of, so grab a planner and map out your simple schedule.

Make sure you add the priorities above into your homeschool planner first, then add the rest of the important things.

Once you have a plan in place, you want to stick to it.

Remember that you are one person, and you have limits.

Again, don’t take on every single task. Don’t stuff your schedule so full you can’t breathe… make sure you have breathing room.

Lastly, take time at the end of the day to quickly review what worked that day and what didn’t.

Keep doing what is working and try to problem-solve what didn’t.

3. Delegate & Outsource

Guess what? You don’t have to do everything yourself. Take a few minutes and look at your time log. Is there anything on there you can outsource or delegate to someone else?

Often when we think of outsourcing, we think of paying someone to do things such as bookkeeping or housekeeping. If you can pay for a housekeeper, go for it!

As you go through your time log, ask yourself what tasks other people can do for you. What can they take off your plate?

Can they plan meals? Shop for groceries and other items? Clean and tidy up the house? Get your family involved!

Warning: Be clear in your expectations.

Your family and co-workers can not read your mind, which is a good thing! When you ask someone to take on a task you do as a routine, include the information they need, such as the steps required or where things are located. Make it as easy as possible for them to take over a task for you.

4. Make Decisions Ahead Of Time

One of the best ways to stop wasting time is by making decisions ahead of time. One of the workshops inside our Coffee Club Membership is all about reducing the number of decisions you make each day which can lead to decision fatigue.

From the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning, we make decisions from what will you wear to what you will eat to what needs to be done first, and so on. 

Weighing out each choice and waffling on making a decision takes up precious time and energy. 

You can stop wasting time and be more productive by making some choices ahead of time, such as deciding what to make for dinner, planning your homeschool day ahead of time, picking out your clothes the night before, or using a capsule wardrobe to lessen the choices. 

Look at the decisions you are making each day and see which ones you can make ahead of time.  Make a decision, move forward, and adjust as necessary.

5. Create Special Time Blocks

Remember that list of time suckers? Those tasks are not always tasks we can remove. Instead of removing them, create and reserve special, limited blocks for those “time suckers” like email, scrolling social media, etc.

For example, you might spend hours answering direct messages and emails. 

The great thing about Direct Messages (DM), Private Messages (PM’s), and emails is that they can WAIT!

Unlike telephone calls which must be handled immediately, you can set specific times in your schedule to answer DM’s, PMs, and Emails when you have the time.

If you set boundaries, as mentioned above, don’t answer the phone! If it is urgent, they’ll leave a message, and you can get back to them. And if it is really an emergency, they will keep calling you!

You Can Stop Wasting Time

Now that you know what your time wasters are and how to stop them, you need to stick with it. 

Remember, change is hard. Give yourself grace when you find yourself falling back into bad habits. 

To help with this, consider setting up a system of accountability to keep you in check. Join an accountability group or set up recurring reminders on your calendar to check in. 

More Frazzled Mom Help:

• Online Time Management Tools
• Homeschool Time Management
• Homeschool Planner For Working Moms
• Time Management Techniques To Reduce Stress

Lastly, if you notice you are feeling overwhelmed and behind, go through the steps above and adjust. 

In order to stop wasting time and be more productive, you need to see where your time is going. Get started with a time audit.

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