Time Management Strategies for the Overwhelmed Mom

Where are my overwhelmed mommas at?

We have all been there.

Do you want to thrive instead of just survive?

Claim your time and sanity back?

Do you want to start owning sh*t instead of just reacting to life as it happens?

As a mom to 4 very active kids, I have some tips that will help! I have 6 strategies that you can implement to alleviate the overwhelm!

Strategy #1: Mindset

Mindset is everything! Whether it's time management, motherhood, or just life in general, Positivity is super important! Our mental self-talk sets the stage for our daily attitude. This was always the hardest part for me and that's why I put it first. Think of it as a positivity mantra! We are the best wife to our husband, the best mom to our kids, and every day we are learning.

There are many things you can do to set up your positive mindset throughout the day. Try putting up inspirational quotes around your house. For me, I love to turn to my bible! Spend time focusing on The Word. Find a few uplifting bible verses that speak to you and recite them daily... or try setting them as daily alarms. Or find a couple of uplifting and inspiring podcasts and make a habit of listening to them especially when you are doing something you dislike, like cleaning the bathroom.(Or is that just me?) Listen to music, read, craft, whatever helps get you to a healthier head space.

STOP COMPARING! You are worthy, enough, capable, a great mom, a great wife, a great homemaker. Your clothes are cute enough, your house is decorated enough. If you find every time you go on Instagram you get down, delete Instagram! It's not worth it.

Strategy 2: Vision

I LOVE talking about vision. Vision is your Big WHY! What do you want your impact to be? Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Those questions can help you craft your vision.

Having a vision in different areas of your life can be POWERFUL! These can be Spiritual, Physical, Marriage, Parenting, Finances or Business

With a vision, it's important to break it down into smaller actionable steps. Think of it like this:

> BIG VISION: This is the REASON you do things. The Big WHY!

> GOALS: These are your roadmap towards your vision.

> TASKS: These are your actionable steps to complete your goals.

Make sure to write these down! Statistically, you are almost 50% more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down!

Okay, you might be thinking, Tiff this is great but where do I start. Start by picking one area of your life and create a VISION for it. Then break that down into smaller GOALS and then go a step further into TASKS. Make sure you decide on a way to track detail and progress. Are you a paper person or do you prefer an app?

Decide if getting your family involved would be helpful and if it would be, schedule a family meeting to get them on board. Each day pick your top 3 "Need to Do" tasks that will move you forward to your BIG VISION.

Strategy 3: WERK IT!

Alright, we have our minds right AND we have planned out all the things we want to implement. Now it's time to DO!

Here are some things to consider in the action phase!

What type of planner or system are you using for the day-to-day? Will you utilize time blocks or group your days by theme? I find when I theme out my days - CEO day, social media day, etc I can crank a lot out. Buy a timer and use it! I love timers, especially when I have to clean or want to scroll social. A clean workspace can boost productivity! Make sure you have a separate space to work so you aren't always trying to focus in the middle of the chaos! Also, set your routine with the family so that everyone is aware of the new schedule!

Take time to REST! Self-care and rest are CRUCIAL! By taking time to rest it will be easier to maintain your "DO MODE". Make sure you are really resting too, folding laundry while watching TV or cooking dinner is not resting!

Strategy 4: Focus is Key

As a mom, we were multitasking like a badge of honor! But our brains were not meant to do more than one thing at a time. Multi-tasking actually inhibits our productivity! There is a ton of research out there to back this up too! So let's stop it, okay? I like the motto ALL IN. If it’s family time I try to be all in, phone in the other room. If it’s work time, ALL IN, not checking Facebook or looking for recipes. And trust me I’ve worked with at least one kid at home for the last 12 years, it’s HARD! But setting up routines and expectations and having that mindset in check will make a difference.

Take time to turn off your social media notifications. These are just easy distractions that can spiral into major time sucks! Block your time so you can focus on one task instead of multiple! Make a plan to declutter, if necessary. A clean space can make it easier to focus. Give everything a home and make a conscious effort to return things to their space.

Strategy #5: Systems - My Special Sauce

Anything you do over and over, the same basic way...NEEDS A SYSTEM! Systems for you creatives actually help free up your mind so you aren’t constantly thinking about all that has to be done. If you have systems in place it allows you to be more creative.

When setting up a system, first identify what areas are the time sucks in your life. It might be laundry, meal shopping, errands, or cleaning. Then pick one of these areas to create 1 system in. Make it simple and concise. Adjust that 1 and then add another. There you have it - a system is now in place! So easy!

Hand in hand with systems is delegating! You don't need to be Wonder MOM and do all the things all the time. Start a Home Management Manual. Make sure the kids pitch in, husbands too!

Strategy#6: Simplicity & Consistency

Simplicity and Consistency are most important. If you make everything too complicated you’ll feel overwhelmed and not start. You want something you can stick with.

Thing back to the positive mindset of strategy #1. Keep things simple. Try not to overanalyze or overcomplicate. These will just hold you back. Its best to just get started. Identify your "good enough" so that you aren't striving for perfection!

Ultimately remember that you need to find your VISION, create GOALS that work for YOU and daily implement what works best so that YOU aren’t overwhelmed.