Do you often feel that as a working mom you are doing so much and yet you are unable to accomplish much? Do you constantly find yourself short of time as you juggle with a demanding job, household responsibilities, and your kid’s activities? If your answer to these questions is a yes then you need to know how to manage your time more effectively. Time management is an important skill for working moms. We have a few tips for you that will come in handy if you are looking forward to manage your time more effectively.

Prepare a Schedule for the Week

You can plan a family calendar for the week and share it with your spouse, babysitter, and other people who help you manage the household. Prepare a detailed list of everything that needs to be done for the week. For instance, grocery shopping, laundry, doctor’s appointment, meetings, and the weekend brunch with friends. This way you will not get stressed over missing anything that’s important.

Set Realistic Goals

Setting up unrealistic goals bring a lot of disappointment and frustration. So, it is important to set attainable goals that will help you save time. Very often we plan to do so much in the limited time we have and this is a recipe for disaster. As a working mom you might be under constant stress to get things done but you should set goals based on priority. Be flexible and if something can be moved to the next week then it is good not to overburden yourself with a lot of tasks.

Delegate Household Chores

As much as you would want to, it is good to not try doing everything on your own. You should make an effort to get your spouse and kids involved in household activities so that it eases the burden. Rather than having a list of chores, just tell the kids what needs to be done at the moment. Start with simple tasks such as wiping down the TV, putting the toys in a basket or any other task that they can take up.

Minimize your Phone Time

Mobile phone addiction is becoming a common problem that is affecting societies around the world. Very often we tend to waste our precious time on social media as a couple of minutes may turn into a few hours. Use Apps such as Screen Time, Net Nanny, and UnGlue that help you track, manage, and limit your screen time thereby leaving you with more time to do other tasks.

Don’t Chase Perfection in Everything you Do

In a constant effort to balance work and home, happiness takes a backseat. Moreover, many of us are obsessed with constant improvement that can lead to perfection. People chasing perfectionism are often hard on themselves as they feel bogged down with the desire to be flawless at everything they do.

Having a relaxed approach in life works wonders. Understand that we all have many responsibilities in life but nobody is perfect in every role. Rather than being plagued with thoughts that you could have done something better, it is important to let go.  When we know that short term disappointments cannot prevent us from achieving our long-term goals, life becomes easy.

Don’t Ignore Yourself

Amidst all the day-to-day roles and responsibilities, do not forget to take some time out for yourself. Reserve a couple of hours a week to do something that you like and pamper yourself with a relaxing massage or go out for a dinner with friends.  It is important to refresh and rejuvenate yourself so that you are able to manage your time better. Remember that taking good care of yourself will make you a better parent and spouse. It would also make you more focused on the tasks at hand leaving you more time to do other things.