Managing Time as a Busy Mom

Last week, I was in Utah with my family--it was such a nice break, but it feels good to get back on the blog bandwagon.

Today, I'd like to share a few ways that I manage my time as a mom of littles, and one who also "works" part-time from home.  (Just know, that my blog/podcast don't earn me any money really, but I do put in probably 20-30 hours a week on both.  Kind of crazy, huh?)

And just so you know, I (clearly) most definitely don't have it all together.  Time management is always something I am working on.

1) Use Paper: Smart phones can be a great tool, but I find they are a terrible way for me to manage my time.  I like to use my phone to put in appointments on my calendar (including alerts of those appointments), and that's it.  But to make to-do lists and prioritize how I'm going to spend my day, I use a paper planner.  I did a whole post on the one I love, and here it is.  I usually roughly plan out my week on Sunday, and most nights I prioritize what I need to get done the next day.

2) Routine, Routine, Routine: I function best (and so do my little kids) when I live by routines.  Some of my daily routines include? Morning: working out before the kids are up, spending one-on-one time with each kid (like 10 minutes), doing errands/cleaning; Afternoon: similar lunch each day for the kids, "work" during nap time/quiet time, go on a walk/play outside with the kids; Evening: kids clean up, they watch a show while I cook dinner, get kids ready for bed/scriptures/read books, parents clean up house, then mom "works" again until going to bed.

3) Prioritize: This is my mantra for the year.  For me, that means prioritizing what needs to get done first, including spending quality time with my kids and husband.  That also includes how I try to do away with the "fillers" and ways I tend to procrastinate.  I'm sure you share a similar time-sucker as I do: technology.  Instagram and looking at blogs is my preference.  I have a whole podcast in the works on this topic, so I'll save my longer thoughts for that.  But the more purposeful I am about how I spend my time, the happier I feel.  And you know what, you can actually purposefully be on Instagram.  Promise.  Being intentional about it and how long you're going to spend your time even "wasting" your time, will serve you better in the long haul.

Do you have some go-to tips?  I'd love to hear them!

Other moms are sharing how they manage their time today, please check them out for more ideas!  And you can sign up to participate in this Mommy Style Monday series through Madeline and Kiana's blogs: