When it comes to time management, there are tons of strategies and tips to try. As a Christian working mom, these are the 5 ways I get more done, feel more accomplished and integrate more faith into my day.
Want to listen to the strategies instead? Go to episode 47 on the Moms Grab Coffee podcast.
Looking for tips on running a household with more peace and order? Laura Hernandez of Mama Systems shares her expert advice on episode 48 of the Moms Grab Coffee podcast.
5 STRATEGIES
Strategy #1: Before you dive into your tasks or even write your list down, anchor your day to God’s truth so if and when you feel stressed and overwhelmed, you're able to quickly bring yourself back to the ultimate provider of peace and purpose. There are 3 parts to this:
- Acknowledge God's goodness and faithfulness. Where have you seen Him work in your life? John 5:17 says, "But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” He is always working. The question is, are you paying attention?
- What are you praying for today and what do you believe about God’s character? Reminding ourselves of who God is in our own words allows us to remain firm in Him when things go awry.
- What bible verse is going to ground you today? Find a verse that aligns with what you're praying for and repeat it all throughout your day. That will keep your mental anchor rooted on the Lord and His truth.
I dive deeper into these steps on episode 42 of the Moms Grab Coffee podcast.
Strategy #2: Write all your tasks down that you want or have to get done that day. Don't worry about prioritizing them. Just brain dump them somewhere - a planner, a journal, a piece of paper, your phone - it doesn't matter.
Strategy #3: Time block each task. Now here's the crucial part. Take a look at all of the tasks you want to get done that day and assign an amount of time it will take to complete each one. This is a popular time management strategy called Time Blocking, and it's used by business leaders like Elon Musk and Bill Gates. For a corporate working mom like me, it looks something like this:
9am-10am - Read and respond to emails
10am-10:30am - Review designs and submit feedback to team
10:30am-12pm - Work on strategy presentation
12pm-1pm - Lunch
1pm-1:30pm - God time
1:30pm-2:30pm - Meetings
2:30pm-3pm - Read and respond to emails
3pm-3:45pm - Pull data and insights for tomorrow's meeting
3:45pm-4pm - Pick up Melody at bus stop
4pm-5pm - Catch-up time
A few important pro tips:
- When possible, manage your time around your brain energy: If you're most alert during the morning, schedule tasks that require a lot of brain power then. Least alert after lunch? Complete the easy, simple, straightforward stuff.
- When you start a task, only do that with extreme intentional focus. Your goal is to get it done. Resist the urge to check social media!
- Under-schedule and overestimate the time needed to complete each task. It's kind of like under promising and overdelivering, but for yourself.
- Always have catch-up time, also known as your grace time. Some tasks will inevitably take longer than you planned for, or unexpected things will come up. This grace time gives you an opportunity to still "stay on track" and feel successful at the end of the day.
- Most importantly, meet with God in the middle of your day. Recharge and refresh yourself with the Word.
Strategy #4: Give yourself credit. Checking off a task when it's complete is a no brainer, but what if you worked on it and it's still not done by the end of the day? You still deserve credit! Check it off if you've spent time on it. Once it's officially complete, check it off AND cross it out. Double credit, mama!
Strategy #5: Make it fun! You don't have to use black or blue ink when you plan your day. Go wild and add some color! I like to use glitter gel pens - one color for my personal tasks, another for work tasks, and a third for family events. The colors change every day. The cover of my planner is also a beautiful, bright teal. It's amazing how something as basic as a bright color can change your mood.
Dig deeper into each strategy on episode 47 on the Moms Grab Coffee podcast.
Get expert advice on running a household with more peace and order from Laura Hernandez of Mama Systems. Now playing on episode 48 of the Moms Grab Coffee podcast.
