10 Time Management Tips For Busy Moms

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Disclaimer: I received a P&G gift pack and a Meijer gift card as a thank you for writing this post. All opinions and thoughts are still my own.

Moms are busy. Wait, that doesn’t even begin to cover it. Moms are SUPER busy! Plus I’d say a large number of us either work in or out of the home on top of everything else. I actually work both in and out of the home on top of being a single mom. It’s exhausting, but being a mom is so rewarding. Still, there is no need for any of us to work ourselves to exhaustion when we can use some basic time management tips to help us cut some corners to save ourselves some time.

10 Time Management Tips for Busy Moms

1. Prep the Night Before

Do you feel like you run around in the morning like a chicken with your head cut off? Well, I can tell you that you are not alone. Mornings have a way of easily getting out of hand. A great way to have smoother mornings is to prep for them the night before. Have everyone’s clothes picked out and ready to go. Have bags packed with all necessary items and have them sitting ready by the door. No mom wants to run back for the forgotten homework! Make a lunches the night before as well. I find it’s easy to get them ready to go while making dinner.

2. Use Your Spare Time

We lose so much time every day waiting for things. How much do you think you could get done during those couple minutes that you’re heating up leftovers in the microwave? All of those things during the day where you’re standing around waiting a few minutes here and there can be put to good use. Start making lunches for the next day, pick up all of the junk on the kitchen table, wipe down the kitchen counters, or dust a room. Those are just some ideas of what you could do instead of waiting around and doing nothing.

3. Create a Command Center

Families today are busy. Between doctor appointments, dentist appointments, dance class, sports games, and everything in between there is a lot to keep track of. Plus we know that every family member is always asking us to tell them what’s going on. With a family command center everyone can see what’s going on. Plus papers with new activities can be tacked up so that it can easily be added. Plus, when everyone knows what’s going on it’s much easier to plan errands and dinner which can really help with time management.

4. Don’t Put Things Off

One saying that I always try to remind myself is, “Don’t put things off that which can be done today.” If you have something that needs to be done, and it’ll only take a few minutes, then do it! Those little things don’t take much time at all, but when you let them build up they can become a huge time suck and they can kill time management. It’s just like telling your kids to put things away before they get something else out. It doesn’t take long to pick a few toys up, but it can take forever when every toy they own needs to be picked up!

5. Take Time to Meal Plan

Getting dinner on the table can be a stressful time, and it can be very time consuming. Nothing is worse than having dinner time sneak up on you and you still don’t know what you’re going to make! If you plan your meals ahead of time you can keep that stress at bay. Plus if you know well in advance what you’re making then you have the ability to prep some of the food ahead of time. You could even set an hour aside on the weekend to do as much prep work as you can for the week.

6. Create Routines

I’ll admit that Nick and I have always thrived on routines. Honestly, neither of us do well when our routines are thrown off. The great thing about routines though is they are great for time management. When you have a routine you, and your family, know exactly what’s going to happen next. Have you ever just stood somewhere for a moment wondering what to do next, or trying to remember what you had been doing? Well, with a routine you are on autopilot so you simply move from one thing to the next seamlessly. Then you don’t waste any time standing around thinking.

7. Get Good Sleep

This is the tip that I struggle with the most, and I usually pay for it. I have a habit of pushing to get things done at the end of the day which always results in me getting to bed late. Which means that the next day I’m dragging and it takes me ten times longer to get everything done. Not helpful at all! There are so many benefits to getting enough sleep. Not only will it give you the energy necessary to get up and go, and to get a lot done, but it’ll also help keep you healthy. I don’t know about you, but I do not have time to be sick! Talk about not being able to get stuff done.

8. Use a Timer

Timers are wonderful things. It doesn’t matter if it’s a timer on your phone, a kitchen timer, or some other type. They can all do the job of keeping you, and your kids on time. I know a lot of adults that use timers for their kids to monitor how much computer time they get, or even for when they are done in time out, but adults rarely think to use the timers for themselves. Ever gotten on Facebook or Pinterest for a few minutes and ending up wasting an entire hour? Don’t feel bad because we’ve all done it, but if you set a timer for 15 minutes then you’ll keep yourself from wasting the day away on social media. You can use it for other things as well. You’d be amazed at how your mind will stay focused on a task when it feels like it’s racing the clock!

9. Shop at Meijer to Get Everything You Need

As busy as moms are, the last thing we have time for is running around from store to store to buy all of the things that we need. Instead what you need to do is go to a one stop shop! My favorite store hands down is Meijer. I love Florida, but for the one semester I lived there I totally missed being able to run to Meijer. I can seriously get everything I need there and the selection is fabulous! I know there are other stores out there that are trying to be nice super centers, but in my opinion they don’t compare to Meijer. I feel for all of you that don’t live in a Meijer state because it’s a great store to have!

10. Accept Help!

For some reason most of us today have the feeling that we need to be super mom. We think we can do it all! I used to feel this way, and now that I’m a single mom and have to do a lot on my own I realize how necessary help is. If someone offers you help take it! If you need help ask for it! When you let someone else help you it frees up your time to do other things, and then both things get done!

We’re all busy, but with a few time management tricks we can be much more productive every day!

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