Time wasters are serious business for a work-from-home mom. They rob us of the one commodity we must have to be successful–time.
Battle Strategy Against Time Wasters
#1 Know your enemy
Time is not your enemy, but how you choose to spend it is. Write down the three biggest time wasters in your day. Examples: TV, Snooze Alarms, Facebook, etc.
#2 Track the Time You Spend
Try this for just a day. Track how you spend your time down to the minute. A little notebook will do to just write down what you did from the minute you arose to the minute you climbed into bed. Things like spending 1/2 hour getting your Instagram picture ready in PicMonkey will become apparent. To much time on one picture for one app — why not schedule a time to do a weeks worth of Instagram pics at once?
#3 What is the Cost?
What do you not get to do because you are wasting time? Does the time on social media mean no morning workout? Maybe you would sit down and have breakfast with the kids, if you had not spent the last hour puttering around the kitchen trying to figure out what is for dinner.
The scary part is that as a work-at-home mom you are the only one in charge of your time. Only you can change how you spend it.
#4 Write Down What You Are Going to Stop
Write down on a post-it note exactly what you are going to stop doing this week. Practice stopping this behavior.
I am stopping writing my blog articles in my head and just putting them on the page no matter how messy. Now there are words to edit on the page instead of searching for them in my cluttered brain.
#5 Priorities
Did you have an “ah-ha” moment? I learned that getting up and fixing coffee for my husband, talking and praying before he leaves takes about 1/2 hour. I do not consider this a time waster, but I did need to factor it into my day– instead of just being frustrated at starting my blog writing a 1/2 hour after I planned to do so.
The visual picture of your time wasters lets you set priorities on where you will spend your time.
#6 Write Your Focus for the Day
My day can take off on me, if I do not write my focus for the day at the top of the page. Multitasking is a myth, sorry.
As moms, our blog work may have to take a back seat to a sick child or a household crisis. You may have to switch your focus. Some days are just like that.
On most days, you will have the option of being purposely neglectful of tasks that do not need immediate attention
#7 Reward Yourself Handsomely with Time Pleasures
Often, we are so busy with items for work or home that our “free time” is the 5-minute ride to pick up the kids in the car after school. Cutting out time wasters gives you a few extra 1/2 hours to read, take a walk, sit and daydream, eat lunch with a friend, or take a nap.
How Over-Scheduled Are You Quiz
Five Ways to Include Your Family in Your Blogging Journey
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