Productivity Tips For Working Moms
As a working homeschool mom, you are pulled in a million directions each day. Your daily to-do list includes work, parenting, and homeschooling tasks. That’s why you need productivity tips for working moms.
Learning time management for busy mom hacks can help you stop feeling busy all day but not productive.
That push and pull to “get it all done” can feel overwhelming fast. While some working moms are really good at managing their time, most of us could use a little help.
I find I get some great systems in place, feeling like a superstar, and then life changes, and I need to step back and find a new way to make it all work.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this problem. We all have different families, homeschool schedules, and work situations.
In this article, I will share tried-and-true productivity tips to help working moms get more done in less time.
Organizing Your Day
When it comes to getting it all done, learning to organize my day has had the biggest impact on my productivity.
This doesn’t mean that the plan doesn’t fall apart from time to time it does! It’s just easier to get my life back on track when my day is organized.
Creating a weekly plan will allow you to be intentional with your time.
You might work outside the home or work inside the home or both, like me. Organizing your day will help you find the time to get it all done without sacrificing the time with your children.
What should you organize each day?
To reduce decision fatigue, I try to make as many decisions one day a week as possible.
- Create a weekly meal plan
- Use a daily cleaning schedule
- Using a family calendar
Moms are often in charge of cooking, cleaning, and making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be.
Using a family calendar is one of the best productivity tips for working moms because it makes it easier for your family to help.
These three systems are a great place to start when it comes to implementing productivity tips for working moms.
Create A Daily To-Do List
If you want to be more productive, you need to know what needs to be done each day.
Create a daily to-do list. Write down everything that needs to be done each day. Bonus: Include how long it takes to do each task will help you from overpacking your day.
To-Do List Tools:
- Homeschool Planet
- Google Tasks
- Post-it notes
- Tear away daily tasks list
- Planners (Homeschool Planner for Working Moms includes daily pages.)
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Try to do the hardest tasks first otherwise, you will be tempted to keep putting them off and never get them done.
Set Priorities
Once you have your daily to-do list written, it can be hard to figure out what to start with.
If you are working at home with kids, chances are you have small time blocks to work in, and the list can be overwhelming.
Look at the list and decide which ones need to be done today. What needs to happen now versus later? If there are tasks that need to be done later in the week, move them to the appropriate day.
Are there tasks that you are dreading? I would start with those and get them out of the way; then, you can do the fun things!
Set Boundaries For Friends & Family
This one is so hard, especially if you work at home.
While many feel that homeschooling and working at home is more manageable, the truth is many of your family and friends equate “I work at home and homeschool” to “I am always available,” which is not true.
“Why can’t you do this co-op you work at home!”
“Can you take the kids for me while I run errands?”
“I’m totally going to drop in unannounced and stay for hours.” Okay, they don’t actually say that, but they might DO it.
Boundaries. You have to set them.
If you can set dedicated working hours and dedicated homeschool hours. During work hours, focus on work. During homeschool hours, give your kids your attention.
Single-tasking can really help you stop wasting time and be more productive.
Use Time Management Tools
Time management is a real issue for moms that work and homeschool their kids.
Using the right tools and programs to help you get a handle on your time can really help you boost your productivity and allow you to focus on the task at hand.
Learning to use online time management tools and productivity apps is one of the best productivity tips for working moms.
For example, you can set Alexa up to create reminders for you, such as when to start working, when your time block is up, when it’s time to move to the next task, and when to take a break.
Make The Most Of Waiting time
Waiting is a part of life. You wait at the dentist’s office. You wait at the restaurant. You wait in traffic.
Instead of viewing this as a roadblock, make it as productive as possible.
Create a list of tasks you can do while you wait, such as:
- Catching up with friends
- Read and reply to emails
- Sort and delete emails
- Return calls (check your privacy first!)
- Research for work or a new recipe you want to try
- Update your planner and to-do list
Choose tasks you can do in just a few minutes that don’t require your attention.
Time Management & Productivity Courses:
These time management courses are designed for working moms who homeschool:
- How To Tame Your Hectic Schedule & Get Things Done!
- How To Identify Time Suckers In Your Life
- Take Charge of Your Life (Self Guided)
Learning how to manage your time can help you be more productive as a working mom.
Productivity Books:
One of the best ways to learn productivity tips for working moms is from books or audiobooks.
Here are a few that come highly recommended.
Take Back Your Time: Identify Your Priorities, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity9 To 5Eat That FrogThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 15th Anniversary Infographics Edition
Look for these books at your local library.
Productivity Tips For Working Moms
When it comes to being productive, remember less is more.
Use these productivity tips for working moms to cut through the chaos by organizing your day in a way that makes sense for you. Creating a to-do list to help you stay on task.
Choosing your priorities will help you know where to start, and setting boundaries will help you cut down on distractions.
Time management tools, courses, and books will help you continue to be productive! Which of these productivity tips for working moms will you start using today?
More Productivity Resources:
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
