How to Effectively Use Time Blocking as a Stay at Home Mom (or Work at Home Mom)
I have struggled, almost my entire life, with time management. I am a proacstiplanner (procrastinating with planning) at heart and I have a terrible time focusing.
Sometimes I’ve wondered if there was something else at work because when I do focus? I hyperfocus. I am so narrowed in on something and I feel like I can accomplish everything.
As an autistic mom with a neurodivergent family, and as a work at home mom? My attention is pulled in so many different directions at any given time. So if my time isn’t being managed properly, I will get to the brink of stress and burnout.
If time management is one of those things that you struggle with as a stay at home or work at home mom; then I would encourage you to read on and learn about how to use time blocking as a stay at home mom.
Why do autistic moms struggle with time management?
One of the biggest struggles that many stay at home and work at home parents face, is time management. Especially when you have younger children at home. I know for me, personally, this is a constant source of struggle. That’s why I want to share how I have effectively used time blocking as a stay at home mom to help with how I plan out my day.
Then you add in the executive functioning issues? This is tough.
My time management skills, at one point, were fairly non-existent. I would work on my blog when I could and that often meant putting far more hours than necessary into tasks.
Did it help with growing my blog?
Absolutely.
But, I was also failing as a stay at home mom in the process.
Start small with tiny changes to your morning routine. The next step is just one click away.
Time Management for Moms who Work from Home
I knew that I had to create a time management strategy that was going to help me:
- Be a better mom
- Be more present with my children
- Still grow my blog and business
- Be a better homemaker- especially when it came to things like daily housework
Part of that involved a mindset shift from finding an optimal work-life balance to finding a better way to use my time to be more productive.
I know, that almost seems counter productive, when many are trying to use time management to find that work-life balance.
But I’ll be honest with you- trying to find balance was just frustrating me more. I knew what I wanted to do, I just didn’t always have the time to do it.
How Time Blocks Helped Change My Time Management
I started with a smarter cleaning schedule and then came to a realization. If I could apply this to cleaning, why couldn’t I apply this to other areas of my life? Keeping a time log also helped. I was able to see where I was spending time and where I was wasting time.
From there, I was also able to see when I was most active during the day. I can’t say I’m a morning person by nature, but rather because I have to be.
Still, I am more productive in those mid-day hours while I prefer to keep my evenings and nights free.
Now, I knew what I was doing with my time and when.
My time is divided in several ways:
- Organization and decluttering (my own things and my kids)
- Cleaning/household chores
- Work Tasks
- Recreation
And while I didn’t want to quite balance all of that, I did want to prioritize what needed to be done and when.
I still have no set schedule but I do have a routine and system in place.
Start small with tiny changes to your morning routine. The next step is just one click away.
Simple Ideas for Time Blocking for Moms
I batch work and block my time for my blog so I’m not spending all day on that unless it’s something that’s more time consuming. For example, quarterly analysis of my SEO and analytics or setting up a yearly editoral calendar.
I have purchased two planners this year in hopes of staying on top of everything that I need to do while still meeting long-term goals that I have set for myself. I’ll use one for planning out affiliate and product launches and one for planning my blog, overall business, and every day life.
I also have a goals journal that will tie into my two-planner system.
The planner that I purchased has an hour-by-hour time track so I can schedule things in blocks. I’ll use colored pens and sticky notes to organize that further. On the sticky note, I’ll have daily tasks that I can move around along with weekly tasks.
The colored pens will correspond with either a blogging, home, or life task.
At least this is how I have things set up in my head. I will be taking some time before the end of this year to sit down and actually plan this out.
Time blocking changed my time management skills for the better
I’ve thought, at times, about walking away from blogging entirely. But then I came to the realization that I’ve put far too much time, money, and energy into this endeavor.
Blogging has opened up so many doors that I wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise. However, I’ve also recognized that the time has come for me to evolve and to change things. My blog will still be here, I’ll still be here.
Just that my focus and goals will be different.
And that was another thing that I realized after implementing a time block strategy. There are several bloggers that I admire who do this. One in particular has an eBook about it and after reading her eBook, I knew I could do it too.
And now, I have a plan and a time block strategy to go with it.
Kori
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