Busy.  Busy.  Busy.  We mothers like to wear the title of “busy” like a badge of honor.  In fact, whenever somebody asks me, “How are you doing?”  My answer is always, “Busy!”  I understand that this is a phase in my life.  A phase that has lasted over 23 years for me and will not be finished for quite some time.  However, just being busy is not good.  Accomplishing tasks is what is important.  Look around at your group of friends.  I bet you all have kids with lots of sports practices, scouting events, dance classes, and more.  You and your friends are probably busy with work, keeping up the house, and volunteer duties.  So why is it that your one friend seems to get so much done each day and the others do not?  Think about your one friend that you always comment, “I don’t know how she does it all?”

 

 

Is that friend just “better” than the rest of you?  Does she have some magical ability that the rest of you don’t have?  Surely not!  The difference………..she is organized and focused.  At work we talk about people with certain skill sets.  Some people are processed oriented.  They go through certain steps and as long as they have done those steps they feel they have completed a task.  Other people are results oriented.  They are concerned about completing a task no matter the steps they must take.  As busy moms, we should focus more on being results oriented if we want to be the mom that “does it all.”

Today, I am sharing 5 Time Management tips that you can add to your “results oriented tool box”.

Plan Your Day:  Sitting in a chair all day drinking coffee and scrolling through Facebook sounds fun, but you won’t accomplish much unless you create a plan for the day.  Make a list of things to do or a schedule for your day.  Whatever works for you is fine.  Roaming aimlessly through the day is not going to work.  Planning will help to prevent “crisis mode” from happening too often.  You will have less surprises in your day and be able to accomplish tasks with greater ease.  Sure, kids get sick when you least expect it, but let’s be honest……it doesn’t happen every day.  When you are more intentional about your day, you will achieve much more.

 

Use Technology:  Most of us have computers and phones that are never far from our hand these days.  Put them to good use.  That do so much more than just entertaining us.  Can you get an answer online quickly rather than making a phone call?  Can you schedule events online?  I have times where I am waiting for kids to finish their sports practice that I can quickly check my email and cross them off the list of things to do.  Set timers and see how much you can get done in 15 minutes.  It amazes me how much more I can get done when I have a deadline.  I like to keep notes in my phone so I don’t forget things.  When I make a new appointment it goes right into the calendar on my phone so I don’t forget anything.  My husband and I share a grocery list on our phones.  That way we both can add to it.  I also like to take pictures of sports schedules with my phone.  I then go back and fill in the schedule weekly.  I’ve found that helps me to make less mistakes and I don’t have to keep the paper copy……which usually gets lost.

 

Schedule For Real Life:  This tip I dedicate to my husband.  Love you honey!  He is so good at realizing that there are lots of tasks to be accomplished in a weekend and with great energy he plans to accomplish them all…………usually in the span of two hours.  Of course, that is not possible when the first task will certainly take an hour and a half.  Be realistic about your time.  Try not to overschedule or you will lose focus and begin to exhibit frantic behavior.  That is to say, you will drive yourself crazy when you can’t get everything done.  Organize your day and weeks in a realistic manor.  Unless you have cloned yourself, you can not be in two places at once……no matter how much you want to be.

Prioritize What Is Urgent vs Important:  Everything needs to get done, but does it all need to get done on the same day?  The answer is usually, “No.”.  Figure out what is most important each day and do that first.  For example, I need to sew patches on my daughter’s Girl Scout vest and help her complete a project.  The project is due in two days and the next Girl Scout event is in a week.  The project is the first priority and if there is time afterwards we will start the sewing.  “How does she do it all?”  She is really good and prioritizing and understanding deadlines.

Take a Deep Breath: What sets apart folks who run around all day and don’t get much done from those that are high achievers?  It’s quite simple really.  Deep breaths.  It is important to take a deep breath which allows you to pause, think, and complete tasks with focus.  Stay in the moment rather than constantly worrying about what comes next.  You will achieve far more when your mind is focused on the current task rather than scattered in a million directions.  When your task involves your children, you really want to be present.  There is no do-over for childhood.  Watching your child play baseball?  Put your phone away and really watch.  Once the game is over, take a deep breath and then move on to the next thing on your list of things to do.

These are just a few tips to get you going.  Life is about so much more than being “busy”.  Clear the busy and make time for what matters most to you and you will certainly feel better about your own life.  It’s not too difficult to get it all done when you add focus and intention to each day.  Share this post with your friends and help them out too.

Since I always want you to be thinking about eating real food…………..If you are looking for help in making the transition to eating more real food, you should check out the Real Food Experience posts. You can get started at the beginning or jump around the challenges. You can find a complete round-up of the program here. Each week’s challenge is full of terrific advice to help you transition from fast and processed food to a real food diet. Changes that will help you to live a healthy lifestyle and have the energy to keep up with your busy schedule. I would also love for you to join me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a regular basis. Leave me a comment and let me know you are there. I love to visit with my readers.