Time management for moms is a practical tool to help alleviate the overwhelm of the various tasks they are often faced with. The “work window” strategy is one way for moms to improve their productivity.

Having good time management skills as a mom is a way to create efficient workflows that help you maintain a rhythm as opposed to running around in a frenzy. It’s not something that just falls into your lap — you have to find a balance that aligns with your needs.

The work window, as defined in an article from the  HR Daily Advisor, is when you break the day down into “discrete windows of time for different activities.” This strategy is believed to help people balance work with personal obligations. As a mom, when there are so many things that call for your attention, it’s easy to get lost in trying to manage everything that you may often find yourself dropping the ball on certain goals.

Maximizing your work window is all about having the skills to separate your tasks as necessary.

There are several immediate things that you can do to put time back in your day and better manage your flow. This Includes:

1. Creating a schedule. Physical or digital calendars/planners can help you get everything right in front of you so that you’re not losing track of tasks or activities. That way, you’re not overbooking or bogging yourself down with commitments that you don’t really have time for. Calendars are a good way for staying organized in your work life and personal life.

2. Prioritizing your to-do list. All of your tasks won’t hold the same level of importance. Putting things on a timeline and prioritizing what has urgency over what isn’t as pressing can help you knock things out in a specific order. This makes achieving your goals more realistic.

3. Delegating tasks. Having some extra helping hands in tackling tasks can be a gamechanger. If a task on your list is to finish a project at work, can someone you trust take care of getting your kids from school? If a responsibility is making dinner for the night at home, can your partner pick up the groceries needed for the meal? The reality is that you can’t be everywhere at once, and you need the support to get things done.

When it comes to achieving your goals, here are some important factors you should consider implementing:

• Identify your tasks.

• Figure out when you’re most productive (early morning, midday, or evening time).

• Create that schedule and use time blocks. Mornings can be used for responding to emails at work or getting the kids ready for daycare or school. Middays can be used to complete some of the heavier tasks if that’s when you’re more proficient. Evenings can be used for tending to lower-priority tasks.

• Pencil in some breaks and self-care time. You can’t expect to achieve your goals if you’re trying to tackle everything nonstop. You have to give yourself time to rest and refuel. Nice breaks can include a walk, a nap, eating, working out, or reading a book. Getting in some self-care is important.

• Allow things to roll over. While the goal is to follow your schedule as best you can, the reality is that life throws curveballs and things don’t always go as expected. Give yourself grace and adjust as you might need to.

Understanding strategies can help to significantly streamline your day. You have to be able to define your schedule, learn how to prioritize, limit distractions, take breaks, tend to yourself, and create boundaries so that you can excel and achieve your goals.

Different techniques for managing your tasks include:

1.  Time-blocking: Splitting your day into blocks, wherein each block you dedicate time to getting a specific task or a handful of tasks accomplished within that time frame. This can help if you have a lot of different tasks that require your attention.

2.  Task-batching: When you group similar activities together to get done within a specific time frame. This can be a useful technique if a lot of your tasks fall into similar categories.

3.  Day-theming: Giving each day of the week a different theme and assigning specific tasks to each theme. This can help if you find it easier to keep a longer focus on specific tasks rather than hopping from one task to the next.

4. Time-boxing: Giving yourself an allotted amount of time to finish a specific task or goal. This can help if you have tasks that are high-priority and really need to get done.

While this list may not include every technique out there, it is a good starter point for building more efficient time management skills, especially as mothers. Start maximizing your work window, and start achieving your goals more productively!

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