Into Motivation

We know that we have 24 hours in each day and that this should be plenty of time for us to complete everything that we have to do, with ample time to spare. The dawn of each day should bring a fresh outlook to all of us and we should feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle anything that life has in store. However, for one reason or another it seems that we are always playing catch-up, despite what we might feel are our best intentions. When the sun has set and the hours are winding down, we often feel frustrated, as we have not had enough time to complete all those tasks. This seems especially apparent as a busy working mum and we often ask ourselves how we can become more efficient, or find an extra hour or two to help us out. Is this possible?

1. Set up your phone so that all calls are processed before they reach you. There are some great programs available these days, including Google Voice, which will help you to prioritise the calls that you really need to take, from the calls that can wait. This technology now allows you to block callers that you do not want to be bothered with, in the future. By having your own, personal secretary in this way, you will not waste valuable minutes.

2. Learn about outsourcing. It might be difficult to consider child minding, as it is so difficult to find somebody reliable and you might want to take this task on yourself whenever you are operating out of your home, but there are certainly other chores that you can outsource, including all that cleaning work that you have to get done.

3. Get a good time management software program, learn how to use it and stick with it. It might seem a bit alien to you at first, but if you are really stringent, you will save a great deal of time each day by focusing your attention.

4. Plan as much as you want, but make sure you follow through. If you have a rather muddled list of things that you have to accomplish in your head, you will bounce back and forth between these chores and not be efficient. Before you go to bed, or immediately when you wake up in the

morning, spend time planning out exactly what you are going to do.

5. You need to set aside an hour for communication. This time will include your access to Facebook or other social networks, time to check e-mail and to make all those phone calls that you need to return. You would be amazed how much time can be lost if you’re constantly checking e-mails or taking phone calls without a structured plan.

6. When you’re planning your time, include a “buffer” at appropriate intervals. Never allocate time for a string of tasks, one after the other in an unrealistic fashion. If you allocate a certain amount of “buffer,” you will not get sidetracked, harried or fall off your schedule.

7. Be extra productive when you are exercising. Never avoid physical activity and allocate at least 30 minutes per day to do so, but when you do this combine it with time to catch up with anything that is newsworthy. To do this you might have to put a TV in your home gym, utilise that electronic book reader or even just listen to a particular news or media channel as you go.

These days, online coaching experts know full well the value of time management and how adequate planning can help you to free up extra time that you might have overlooked. Not surprisingly, professional coaching is not just for corporate executives, it’s now widely available and recommended for people in all walks of life. Don’t forget, professional coaching for women is particularly recommended in your case!

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!