Time Management Tips for the Work at Home Parent

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Time management is an extremely important skill when managing business and home. I am one busy momma with an extremely active 4 and a half year old son. I run, write, design and market two blogs. Additionally, I keep a clean house and cook dinner nightly.

If it were not for some of the systems I created and put in place nothing would ever get done. I use calendars, spreadsheets, apps, and notebooks to plan out my day, my work, and my chores.

Related Post: 10 Habits of Highly Motivated People

Every person no matter if they work from home, work out of the home, or are stay at home need to have systems. Systems help you manage all the expectations of your day to day life.

Putting Time Management Systems In Place

There is no one time management system that works for everyone. Time management systems need to be created and tested based on your individual needs.

There are a few systems I have tried that have worked well for me. Try them for yourself. If they do not work well for you, adjust them as needed or look for other time management systems that will work for your needs.

Create An Ideal Schedule

You can do this with a spreadsheet or a calendar. I had mine set up on a spreadsheet with different colors to block out my time for a while. Then I switched to a google calendar so I could change it if necessary.

This worked well for me because I am on my computer all the time. I had the calendar pinned in my browser so I could have a reminder to stick to my ideal schedule. If you aren’t on your computer all the time I do have one other option that also works well for me.

The first system I used was a bullet journal. I still use a bullet journal and it helps me to stay on task with everything I need to get done in a day. You can create custom spreads for your time management needs with a bullet journal. Plus, bullet journals are usually small enough that you can keep them in your purse.

Check out my post How To Start & Use a Bullet Journal.

Any one of these schedule systems will help you keep track of your day and keep you productive.

Do the Same Thing on the Same Days

For example, on Monday’s you might schedule social media posts. On Tuesday’s you might create new products for your business. Wednesday’s you may ship products. So on and so forth.

This could go for any tasks, cleaning, running errands, and more.

If you schedule weekly tasks for the same day in the week you can start building habits that will help you remain productive.

Setting up a routine worked extremely well for me. I still follow a similar routine though I don’t always have a task scheduled for every day.

Once you get used to your routine it just comes naturally. I find that routines like this are helpful to keep the days from blurring together like they sometimes do.

Check out my post How To Create a Routine That Works For You.

Utilize Tools

We have so many different tools and technologies to help us remain productive start researching and utilizing them.

I use Pinterest as my main marketing tool. In order to make my marketing go faster I use Tailwind to schedule my pins. Tailwind is my biggest time saver because I don’t have to waste time tracking all of my pins, where they go, and when.

Try a blocking app to stop notifications on your phone during certain time periods. Evernote is another fantastic app for taking and organizing notes. It’s like a notebook on your phone. I personally adore Trello for all of my brainstorming needs – everything from grocery lists and meal planning to blog posts and business planning.

If you prefer to keep it simple utilize a bullet journal, notebook, or white board. It is recommended that you fill out any to do lists the night before. This prevents you from laying in bed thinking about your to do list and not falling asleep. It also helps you to remember everything instead of forgetting what needs to get done.

Schedule a Day Off

It is important to take a day off from time to time. Even with manual pinning and social media marketing. I promise if you are doing things right your traffic and sales will not dip much and you may actually see an increase the next day.

Days off are important to your sanity when running a business while raising children. You need a day or two here and there to relax, unwind, and recharge.

By taking a day off you can clear your mind to handle things in your business more efficiently. Have a hobby that does not make you money and do it from time to time.

Check out my post How to Get More Done By Lowering Your Expectations.

Final Notes

Setting up systems for your business and for your life keeps you sane during an extremely busy time in your life. It’s important to try out different systems or tweak systems to make them work for you. Do not force yourself to stick to a system that doesn’t feel natural.

Scheduling your entire day, setting up routines, and utilizing apps will keep you on track for completing tasks. Remember the importance of taking a day off. Burn out is the #1 killer of productivity and becoming productive again after a burn out can make things really difficult.

One final note, if you fall behind don’t be afraid to cancel plans or other tasks that aren’t as important to catch up. Prioritize what tasks are most important and do those then just pick up right where you left off on the not so important tasks.

If you have systems that work well for you please leave a comment below. Follow me on Pinterest and pin this to your organization and business boards.

Related Posts:

• The Morning Routine Of A Work At Home Mom
• How To Say No To Favor Asking When You Work From Home
• How To Start A Side Business When You Work Full Time
• 10 Habits Of Highly Motivated People

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