Managing Your Time as a Stay-At-Home-Mom

When you're a Stay-At-Home-Mom time becomes a disappearing commodity. Trying to get things done around the house and still have time to run errands and do menial things like eating lunch really seem impossible on some days. Between the kids, the house, shopping and life in general, the time just goes by and at the end of the day you often feel as if you haven't done anything.

Going at this crazy pace all the time and not seeing any accomplishments can really be frustrating. The best way to get things done, have time for yourself and feel fulfilled by bedtime is to manage your time effectively. Follow these four guidelines and your time should be making a comeback allowing you to feel productive without the strain of doing too much of nothing.

Make a list
List all the items you need to get done. Not for the day only, but overall items that you want to do or have been meaning to get to. These could be anything from rearranging the bookcases in the living room, to buying toilet paper. Draw a square next to each item so that you can put a check mark every time you complete it. This will be your Master List.

Make a schedule
Next, get a schedule made of your regular day. Write down things such as wake up time, breakfast time etc. Then, depending on your kids' ages put down their school start and end times, diaper changes, or whatever pertains to your kids' situations. Get all the items that have to be done everyday on your schedule and if possible put them into a time frame. When you have things to be done at a certain time you'll be less likely to dilly-dally around them taking time away unnecessarily. This will be your Daily Schedule.

Organize your daily duties
Every evening get your Master List and your Daily Schedule together to make up a tentative to do list for the next day. After writing down any errands you'll be doing see what time slots are left and write down items from your Master List you may be able to do. Don't cram up your day, though; leave some time between items for those unforeseeable emergencies and to have some flexibility. This list will be your Daily Duties for that day.

Make sure you fit in some you-time in your schedule
It is very important for your well being that you fit some time for you as well. Even if it's reading for a half hour, or watching a favorite TV show. Put it in your Daily Schedule if you have to, but make sure that you do something for yourself at least on most days of the week.

These tips should at least get you started in helping you manage your time better. Be mindful to give yourself a break if you don't get everything done in your Daily Duties. Anything you don't get to, write it in for next day's duties.

The tendency for the Stay-At-Home-Mom is to do too much on any given day. The SAHM feels as if she should always accomplish a certain amount of things in order to justify her being at home instead of being productive on a 'real' job and bringing home a paycheck.

This way of thinking is neither productive nor healthy, so start thinking of yourself as a much-needed asset in your home and put some limits on your chores. You keep the homestead running and you're raising kids, this is a huge job. Anything you get done on top of the Daily Schedule items is a feat in itself. Don't feel unaccomplished anymore and make sure you reward yourself for a job well done by saving some time for that great book you've been wanting to read.