Time Blocking Tips For Entrepreneur Moms

March 19, 2021 read
Time Blocking Tips For Entrepreneur Moms
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Time blocking is the time management technique of breaking your day into designated blocks of time in order to complete more tasks with increased efficiency.

Being an entrepreneur and a mom means there’s a good chance of your days feeling hectic and unproductive. Time blocking keeps procrastinating, multitasking and distractions to a minimum, so you can flow through your day with more ease.

This practice also helps to encourage scheduling time for yourself, like any other priority in your life.

When you plan out your day with time blocking, you’re able to balance your more urgent tasks and responsibilities. Setting time aside in your schedule for appointments, play dates, meetings, deadlines, etc. gives you a visual representation of the time throughout your day, so you can then move things around where it’s possible to make room for things that are higher in urgency in your personal life or business. Not only does time blocking provide you a more realistic representation of your time, it gives you more control over your day.

Time blocking is an incredibly useful tool for productivity once you get it down. It allows you to complete more important tasks quicker and more efficiently than simply squeezing them into your day. By setting aside time specifically for one task, you’re able to get into a deeper work mindset and have a stronger focus, preventing procrastination. When your days feel more productive and less chaotic, you’re able to be more present and enjoy the little moments with your family that make it all worth it.

Here are some tips for utilizing time blocking as a busy entrepreneur mom:

1-

Create a comfortable, productive work environment for yourself. Keep clutter and noise to a minimum while working on important tasks for increased focus, even if that means working before the kids wake up or after they go to bed. If affirmations help to hold your motivation, post them around your workspace. Whatever works to provide a concentrated and focused mindset while you’re working - do it.

2-

Determine what your top priorities are. Look at what you have going on in all areas of your life - work, family, home, and yourself. Time block any appointments, prior engagements, or meetings first, so you know what time you have to schedule in other smaller tasks. When time blocking your work day, schedule challenging tasks early to avoid procrastination. Make sure to schedule in family time and self care, too.

3-

Don’t try to force yourself into typical office hours. If you’re better able to do administrative tasks in the evening, time block those tasks for after dinner. As an entrepreneur, you have the ability to work when it works for you.

4-

Make sure you plan time for daily breaks, so you don’t get burnt out. You should also be scheduling out time for family time and “me time”. The things that bring you joy in life are just as much of a priority as work deadlines. Making it a point to prioritize the things that keep you going early on in your time blocking ensures that they don’t get lost in the entrepreneurial hecticness.

5-

Maintain a theme for your work days. Keeping similar tasks blocked out together means you’re using the same area of your brain, rather than skipping around from social media to blogging to administrative tasks. The less transition you need to make, the more productive you’ll be with a lesser chance of procrastination. Time blocking like tasks increases your focus tremendously.

6-

Using a calendar or planner to keep track of your time blocking improves its effectiveness and decreases your mental load. When your to-do list is neverending, it’s easy to get derailed and overwhelmed. When you block out time to complete what needs to be done, you’re allowing your brain to let go of the constant reminders and stress.

7-

Practice self accountability. When you’re time blocking and setting your priorities, give yourself deadlines and expectations you can hold yourself to. Not only will this increase your productivity and work performance, but you’ll feel a lot more accomplished at the end of the day. However, it’s important to keep in mind that mom life is chaotic and sometimes kids get sick or things come up, so you need to roll with the tide when it changes direction.

8-

Lastly, drop the mom guilt. Allow yourself to celebrate your accomplishments and progress. Everyone has a “why” behind their businesses and, as moms, our families are usually included in what drives us forward. Sometimes, that means missing out on moments or feeling like you fell short for your family that day because you were busy working so hard for their futures. You deserve to be given grace and to stop being your own worst critic.

 

Time blocking promotes increased productivity, accountability and fluidity in our work days and family lives. As moms, it allows us to make time for ourselves and families just as much of a priority as our businesses, too. There may not be a perfect work life balance to attain as an entrepreneurial mom, but it is possible to keep the mental load at a minimum so you can feel free to enjoy the people you love.  

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Created by

Neha Naik
Neha is now a 4 times business owner, and she runs those while raising 2 toddlers! Neha knows firsthand the journey of building an empire while also raising a family - she has lived the rollercoasters of failures, obstacles, tears, self-doubt, not knowing how to do it, overwhelmed by all the advice out there. So she decided to share her story and help other moms start businesses, or simply organise their day with routines and predictability, so that the whole family is energised and happy. She shares insights based both in relentless practice and solid data, and inspires with her personal experiences.

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