Time Management: Make Every Second Count
Shepherd’s Village University includes an Essential Life Skills course that is designed to help single mothers face their future with confidence. This is an excerpt from one of the classes that focuses on Time Management. If you enjoy what you read here, please register for the full course and continue to be encouraged!
There are some things you simply can’t control. The passing of time is one of them. You cannot stop the hands on the clock from moving forward. Time marches on whether you like it or not. And once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.
How can you make the most of your time? Make every second count? Especially as a single mom with so many responsibilities resting on your shoulders.
You do it by managing your time very carefully and thoughtfully.
What is Time Management?
Time management is the process of organizing and planning how you divide time between specific activities. Good time management enables you to work smarter — not harder — so you get more done in less time, even when your time is tight and the pressures are high. Failing to manage your time damages your effectiveness and causes excess stress.
Here’s your challenge: Keep track of every minute of every day for two weeks.
It will be an eye-opening experience. You’ll begin to see where you are wasting minutes — hours even — every day. Those wasted hours are what keeps you away from precious time with your child or working on neglected self-care.
Successful single moms don’t merely make random “to-do” lists. They manage the moves they make each day. They form a strategy that ensures every move is connected to both their preceding and succeeding moves. In other words, like a strategic chess player, they know victory demands that every move builds momentum for the next.
5 Of 10 Practical Tips to Do More with Less Time
Here are 5 of the 10 tips we give in the course to help you manage the fine art of doing more with less time:
#1: Manage Your Goals
We’ve already suggested a daily MUST DO/WANT TO DO list. This is just the beginning. Take the Shepherd’s Village University course on Goal Setting and learn about your role in managing goals for the family.
#2: Manage Your Sleep
You may be surprised to find this as #2 on the Time Management list. There’s a good reason for it. Moms often think they can maximize their day by adding more hours to it. Translation: I’ll sleep less. This thinking is wrong. In fact, if you do nothing else, prioritize and manage your sleep needs so you can thrive.
#3: Manage Your “No”
Saying no can be tough, but it is a skill that frees up time you wouldn’t have otherwise. Further, watching you enforce limits teaches your kids the value of setting boundaries, as well.
Don’t know how to say “No” well? Read our blog post, Four Ways to Say No, once you’re done with this course.
#4: Manage One Thing at a Time
Don’t even try to multitask. You hear that and may be like, “What?! That’s the only way I can get it all done.” But you heard it right. Good time management actually looks like NOT multitasking.
#5: Manage Your Standards
Wanting to do your best is an admirable quality, and there are some situations where cutting corners is not an option. But are you wasting time and resources in an attempt to achieve perfection with your day-to-day tasks? Maybe it’s time to take a reality check on your standards.
Summary
You can “get it all done” in the time you’ve got—and have sweet moments of freedom left over. You need to implement a few smart rules into your daily routine. Don’t try to devour all of this at once. Take it one small bite at a time. One of the best things you can do to begin managing your time and organizing your life is to sign up for the rest of this course at Shepherd’s Village University.
Oh…and when you do find that you’ve created leftover room for something new, be sure to do something wonderful and kind for yourself. You deserve it.