Where does the time go? Sometimes it feels like a day zips by in a blink of an eye, and I used to wonder if I even truly got anything done. But as I’ve said time and time again, things changed after I had my daughter. Not only did I realize that time is precious and to enjoy the time at home with her, but I also realized if I was going to make being a work-from-home mom work than I needed structure (with some flexibility) and to get organized.
A big part of organization is time management. With only a few short hours to work each day — mainly nap time and after bed — I need to make the most of every minute. Now I have a method to my madness, and it seems to be working pretty well.
The method is a bit flexible, and inspired by the Pomodoro technique, so whether you’re working from home when the kids are in school, at camp, napping, or otherwise having fun, these five steps can help you increase productivity… and spend more time being present when you are with your kids.
Pick a day/time to map out your week
Planning ahead takes practice, but it can make a world of difference to how productive you are with your week. Pick a day to simply sit down and map out your week. I typically do this on Sundays, but if I know I’m going to be super busy that day, I plan to do it on the Saturday, or even Friday before. The key is to do this before the weeks starts!
Figure out what you want to get done this week
When it’s time to map out the week, do a brain dump, a.k.a., write down everything you want to do. Get it all out of your head and onto paper (or in Google docs), and once it’s written out, start grouping it out together. Personally, for my freelance writing business, some of my overarching ‘tasks’ are conducting research, creating outlines, setting aside dedicated writing time, and scheduling social media, for example.
Time block each day with a calendar
Time blocking is where organization comes into play, and think of it as a scheduled to-do list. To time block, first consider how much time you have. You can block in one hour increments, half hour blocks (as I typically do), or heck, even 10-15 minute intervals! I do this in my Google calendar — because I like how it can alert me on my phone for what my next ‘task’ is, and now color code it so I know which tasks are for which job (For me: The International Kitchen and my freelance writing). Time blocking, gals? It’s a game changer… keep reading to see why.
Stick to your schedule
The week is underway. Your tasks are mapped out in a calendar. When it’s time to work, turn off Facebook (except for when you’re working on social media, like I do), close your Gmail, and do not answer your phone. This is the time to focus on the task that you’ve assigned yourself.
Why does this work so well? Because when you work from home, you’re both the boss and the employee. By creating a schedule — and, in a way, deadlines — you’re holding yourself that much more accountable. Plus, when you finish your ‘tasks’ early in the time block, that gives you a chance to take a quick breather and break — which is necessary too!
Repeat (and modify as you need to)
I’m now at the point with this system that I have a lot of things repeating from week to week, so that takes some of the burden off my Sunday planning hours (that I time block too!) That said, with summer now here, I know my schedule is going to be different. I’ll be traveling more and won’t be in front of my computer as much, and with that in mind, I can adjust my schedule accordingly to make my time blocking work for me.
Since implementing this system at the beginning of January (why yes it was a bit of a New Year’s goal!), my productivity has soared. But even more importantly? Since I’m not constantly thinking about what I ‘need’ to do that day, I can focus more on my daughter in the hours that she’s awake. And for me, that’s priceless.
