Do you struggle to find time to do all the things you need to do for your business?
I know the answer to that is a resounding HELL YES.
Time is a momma’s most precious commodity, and as a biz owner you find yourself in even more of a time shortage, right?
I wish there was some kind of crazy magic that could actually create more hours in a day (which I would totally use to get extra work done and then paint my nails while watching Real Housewives of New York, because that’s my guilty pleasure).
Alas, that’s not going to happen. But what you can do is be more efficient with the time you do have. Here are my favorite tips for freeing up time to work, write, plan and yes, watch RHONY every once in a while.
Tip 1: Batch tasks
The life of a business owner includes many small tasks that aren’t hard, but are time consuming. To make these tedious to-dos more efficient, group like tasks and complete them together.
For example, I schedule the bulk of my weekly social media posts on Sunday nights. I still check in on my accounts daily to respond, read and share, but scheduling my posts for the week on Sunday means I don’t have to worry about going silent on social if my week gets hectic, the kids get sick, or life throws me a curveball. It’s both a time and sanity saver.
Tip 2: Whip up some make-ahead meals
When you work for yourself, life and work can be really intermingled. A time-saver at home can mean more time to put toward your business. Which is why I looooove taking time to put together freezer meals.
It’s a life-changer, because you can cook or even just prep a few meals now that you will be thanking yourself for when you need to work late. Instead of rushing around to make dinner, or ordering pizza for the zillionth time, you can go for easy, healthy meals you have on hand.
(For busy-mom friendly recipes, check out my Pinterest board.)
Tip 3: Prioritize
If you want to make the most of your limited time, you have to have focus. Prioritizing your to-do list gives you the clarity you need to have a purposeful and effective workday.
Sounds easy, but many people (including me!) can be guilty of working on what they most feel like working on at the moment. This often leads to panic when you haven’t completed the things you should have based on, you know, actual deadlines. (And if you’re Type A like me, the idea of a missed deadline brings on serious anxiety.)
Start your work day by completing the biggest, most important task first. This saves the panic of rushing to complete something, and allows you to kick off the day with a purpose, and feel driven and accomplished.
Tip 4: Go to bed early
You think I’m crazy, right? How can sleeping more save time? Doesn’t it mean less time to dedicate to your work?
Well, yes—but no.
When you’re overtired, it’s harder to think, focus, stay motivated, and do your best work. If you are exhausted, trying to accomplish anything can feel less like progress and more like bashing your head against the wall.
I know this advice can be annoying, because as a mom and business owner, you often can't control the amount of sleep you get. Sometimes you have no choice but to work late, and your babies might disturb the restful night's sleep you intend to get. I totally get it (in fact, I'm there-- my 8-month-old still doesn't sleep through the night and I. am. always. tired.).
But you have to do what you can, when you can.
Instead of pushing yourself to work harder, allow yourself to rest. Give yourself permission to go to bed early, and you’ll find you are significantly more productive the next day. Sleep changes everything.
Tip 5: Relax
A mini time out can bring the focus and energy you need to power through the day.
Take whatever time you can to do something that relaxes and reenergizes you—even if you only have 10 minutes. The key is finding a method of relaxation that gives you an energy boost, not something that makes you feel like a coach potato (in other words, this is not the time when I binge on RHONY episodes, it’s the time that I do some quick yoga or meditation).
It might feel odd at first to manage your time by doing less, but what you’ll find is that it opens you up to being more creative, focused and productive during the remainder of the day.
When you put these ideas into regular practice, you become less stressed, which makes you worry less about time. Which makes it feel like you have more time, even though of course there are still only 24 hours in the day (dang it!).
Your newfound time efficiency can help you create time to focus on the aspects of your biz you never seem to find time for, the things you love and wish you could do more of, time to think, plan, do and dream. And you deserve that time, momma.
Tell me: What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to getting things done in your business? Does creating content overwhelm you? Is social media your biggest burden? Let me know in the comments.