Lifetime Moms

With all of the distractions today, it’s hard to find time to balance EVERYTHING in a day. As moms we often have to juggle jobs, kids, play dates, sports and other activities while managing a household and a marriage. Things can get pretty hectic and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Recently I discovered some great tips that help manage the chaos.

1. Set your alarm early
Setting your alarm to go off 2-3 hours before you need to get up allows you to get some work done before the kids wake up. If you don’t have to work, then take the time to do something for you.

2. Batch your emails
Don’t let your email control you! Schedule out times to check and answer your emails instead of checking them as they come in. Close outlook, Gmail and any other email client you are using to resist the urge to reply.

3. Be ready for inspiration
Keep a notebook and pen with you at all times, so when that great idea hits you will have some place to write it down. Inspiration comes in the strangest places; you always want to be prepared.

4. Add some tunes
It’s almost impossible for me to work without music -- it tends to keep my energy up. Make sure that the music works for your productivity level. For example, listening to classical or jazz makes me too relaxed to work.

5. Gauge your performance level
Our performance and concentration levels peak at various points of the day and are unique to each person. I’m more productive in the morning but my husband works best at night.

6. Make a to-do list
Arrange your tasks into four groups, important/urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important and not important/not urgent and handle your tasks accordingly. For example, it’s important that you pay your phone bill but if it’s not due that day, it’s not urgent.

7. De-clutter your desk
Keep your desk clear from clutter; it is just another distraction. If you spend a couple of minutes a day de-cluttering your work space it will make you more productive throughout the day.

8. Sign off on social media
Turn off all of your social connections while you are trying to complete a task, they are great procrastination tools that can turn a productive day into an unproductive mess.

9. Make goals visible
It’s important to remember what your ultimate goals are. Having a vision board in your office will leave you with a constant reminder on those hard-to-manage days.

10. Set realistic goals
Adjust your to-do list on a regular basis to avoid setting unrealistic goals, causing you to feel overwhelmed. You want to make sure you are accomplishing one task every day.