Ever feel like you are falling behind on your to-do list before you even begin? Don’t miss these 10 great tips for getting more done every single day!
I have a confession.
The list of things I want and need to do is always much longer than the list of things I actually accomplish. I can’t do it all. I wish I could. I am constantly striving. But at the end of the day, I’m usually just a girl who drops more balls than I catch.
And I’m okay with that.
Learning to balance running a home-based business with the reality of being a full-time mom is one of those thrive-or-die situations. Either you learn to thrive, or it all falls apart.
Thriving does not, of course, equal perfection. My house is not always clean, my kids not always well-behaved, my laundry piles up, our bills are sometimes late, and occasionally we eat cold cereal for dinner. The overachiever in me gets frustrated by these failures, but the eternal optimist keeps hoping that someday it will all come together.
Until it does, here are ten tips for squeezing the most quality time out of every day:
Take 10 minutes to list your priorities and to examine who or what is important to you. Keep this list in a place where you can look at it frequently, and make sure the big stuff comes first. Think of your life as a jar you want to fill with rocks & sand. If you put the sand in first, the rocks won’t fit. The amount of time you spend on things should be somewhat relative to how important they are in your life. Life is short, and moments are precious. Don’t waste time on the things that don’t matter.
Setting the timer can be one of the best ways to motivate yourself. For instance, if you give yourself only 30 minutes to tidy your house, you will most likely get more cleaned in less time than if you weren’t racing against the clock.
Limiting your time on seemingly endless tasks like email and Facebook helps a lot too. If you only have 15 minutes to sit at the computer, then you have no choice but to prioritize. Likewise, setting the timer helps accomplish tasks you might normally procrastinate on, such as paying the bills. Telling yourself you only have to do it for 45 minutes is powerful motivation to get it done.
Give yourself 10-15 minutes each morning to drink a cup of coffee and write down your to-do list. Likewise, take a few minutes at the end of the day to figure out what your plan is for the next day and perhaps complete a few quick tasks that will make your morning easier, such as picking up clutter, making lunches or setting out clothes. Knowing what is coming up, what you have to get done and what you’d like to get done can help keep you focused.
Clear and specific goals are essential to managing your time well. Break them down into long-term and short-term goals, then break larger goals into manageable tasks. All your goals should be specific enough to know when you’ve achieved them, and they should also have an end date. Refer to your goal list often, or post it in a place you can look at it daily. Not sure how to start?
There is something so satisfying about crossing completed items off your list. A daily to-do list helps you stay focused in spite of the billion distractions—kids, phone calls, email, errands, runaway dogs, etc.—you encounter each day. Try to keep your task list small enough to actually be doable. I have personally found that a 3×3 Post-It note pad is the perfect size to keep my list manageable. If the pad is full, that’s enough!
For the longest time I was trying to accomplish things around my kids until one day it finally occurred to me to let them help. Sure, things may take a little longer but instead of ignoring them and saying, “Not right now, Mommy’s busy”, we are spending quality time together.
My youngest daughter loves helping unload the dishwasher, loading the washing machine, wiping the table and picking up toys. My oldest, on the other hand, is a big help with sorting the laundry, hanging clothes and clipping coupons. And they both love to help me cook. The hour or so before mealtime used to be extremely stressful, with 2 crabby, hungry & whiny kids who just wanted my attention. Now they can’t wait to help me make dinner every night and instead of dreading that time of day, I cherish it (at least some of the time).
If you have small children at home, you know how hard it can be to accomplish anything while they are awake. When my kids were really young, I would split my to-do list into things I could do with the kids or while they are awake and things I needed to accomplish while they were napping. The second they would go down for their naps, I would stop whatever awake-time task I was working on and switch to the nap-time list. It was amazing how much I could get done during that time!
Consider how different your life might be a year from now if you committed to waking up 30 minutes early each day and to spending that 30 minutes working towards your most important long-term goals. How many of them would you be able to accomplish? Countless studies have shown that almost everyone is more productive first thing in the morning. Use the peace and quiet of the early morning to complete your most important tasks, and you will never regret missing that extra hour of sleep.
I am a morning person, so getting up at 5am doesn’t bother me. And to be perfectly honest, I love the peace and quiet and alone time I get at that time of day. I am so productive! I figure there will be plenty of time for sleep when they’re teenagers, right?
This includes television, smart phones, computers and tablets, or even video games. We’ve become so accustomed to having an endless stream of technology at our fingertips that sometimes we forget that we don’t need to be connected all the time.
For most people, myself included, the temptation to “just quick check” something—especially after hearing that telltale ping—is often too great to resist and before you know it, a whole hour (or more) of precious time has slipped away. Combat this temptation by consciously scheduling technology-free times each day then by physically logging off or shutting down the device.
For me, this is the hardest part. But I’m learning. Luckily I have a great husband who not only helps out around the house but helps remind me of my priorities and tells me it’s okay if I can’t do it all.
Because no one can do it all. It is just not possible. So try to relax, do what you can, take a break when you need it and don’t get so caught up in your to-do list that you forget to take each moment as it comes.
Life is short. Moments are precious. Don’t waste time on things that don’t matter.
1. Evaluate Your Priorities
2. Set the Timer
3. Take Time to Regroup
4. Set Concrete Goals & Write Them Down
5. Use a Daily Checklist
6. Involve Your Kids
7. Divide and Conquer
8. Wake Up Early
9. Turn off Electronics
10. Give Yourself a Break
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Thank you!!! I already have numbers I am going to start using. I hope you don't mind, but I really wanted to print this out for myself to visually see to do everyday, and ended up creating a 1pg pdf that all 10 fit on. It's something I thought would benefit other entrepreneurs I know, friends, family, and followers as well so I created a post referencing your post and linking it to the pdf I made for anyone who would like to use it. You can find it at http://www.blisstherapy.org/getting-things-done
Thank you again for the ideas!!!
I've never commented on a blog before, but this is something I'm really struggling with right now! Thanks for the helpful tips!
I loved this article. Informative and straight to the point. a'Life is short.Moments are precious. Don’t waste time on things that don’t matter." Love the timer idea. It is so easy to spin my wheels on things. Thank you for taking the time to write this.
I just love my timer! I use the pomodoro technique, where I focus on a fast for 25 minutes and the unwind for 5. Work like a charm!
What mom is not a full time mom?
Some great ideas, although I like to make big daily lists by bulking them up with little jobs, or splitting one job into mor e.g. do laundry becomes wash laundry, dry laundry, put away. This way it makes you feel like you've accomplished even more when you are ticking then off. Also I give myself little goals to work towards e.g. I'll do this then I can have a cup of coffee, and it makes those rubbish jobs seem faster when you have something to aim for. Thanks for your tips and hope mine help :)
Hi Ruth,
I stumbled upon your blog page - and can't even remember from where, but I've been on here for a solid TWO days seeing and reading up on all the useful information. I'm a 36 yr old single mom, and a recently enrolled full time college student. Last fall, I was diagnosed with ADHD - let me tell you, after years of feeling I had my life under control, and in my own hands - - when I found out I have that, and learning how to deal with it everyday....well, it's hard to admit, but I lost control of my life. I have to now RELY on a calendar, and a to-do list, complete with set-timers for each activity. This has been something that I've really had to get used to (and to be honest, I'm still not used to it), but I'm TOTALLY lost if I don't have some sort of calendar/to-do list with me at ALL TIMES!!!! In addition to the ADHD - well, actually as a result of the medication (which works wonderfully, no more sheets of fog taking over my brain and thought process - yay!), and drinking coffee, I now not only have ADHD, but depression as well. It's been a hard short 4 months trying to get used to the "new me"....
I'm so thankful for your blog - I've already gotten many useful things from it...and the "lists" are just one of them...along with an introduction to google calendar (thank you!)....
Thanks for all you do - not only for me, but for all these ladies on here that follow you = you're making my (our lives) life much easier to handle...well, at times. ;)
No, when they are teens you will have different sleep issues. And if you're going to shortchange yourself on sleep, you could lose years to illness, like I did from having overtired myself. Not exactly a productive way to live! Sleep is God's good gift to us; enjoy it and you will be more productive in the long run!
God bless you.
No you will not get more sleep when they are teenagers...but if thinking that keeps you going now hold onto that thought. (Mom of 7...ages 35 to 15...22 years of waiting to hear the key in the lock late at night and being willing to hear confessions and dramatic tales that only seem to be able to be told sometime just before bedtime...you will love it.)
True words Donna! Mom of nine, 16-32 over here. Young children are physically taxing...older ones are emotionally trying. But every age is a gift from God. So very very thankful for my nine blessings, AND their wonderful Dad
I just signed up for your free planning workbook - I just need some kind of system and I'm far more tactile so the online scheduling is just not cutting it. I found this via Peg sharing it on G+ and sure glad I took the time to read.
Hello Ruth,
I'm so glad to have discovered your blog. I 'm sure my response to your post is not a priority, however, I must say I am finding myself agreeing to your words spoken here. Because? I do the exact same thing. I'm a type A, Make daily list, set priorities, try working on & within a time schedule. Involved my kids & still do, Use a planner, enjoy my early morning time to myself, and rarely watch tv. Only difference is that my kids are already teenagers, and yes I do get more sleep now. I am gonna give the pick only one thing in each category of the 4 mentioned; my hope is I'll find it as rewarding as you did.
I'll let you know how it works for me.
Connie