Nix9to5

WAHM Tip #3, continued: Organization

// July 26th, 2010 // Balance, Life in General, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

About a month ago, I asked for your suggestions on getting organized and effectively managing time–things that I have definitely been struggling with as I make the transition from working mom to work at home mom.  I got two responses, which lets me know that one of the following is true:

1. You are struggling just as much as I am.
2. You know enough about time management to list “Don’t Waste Time Commenting on Blogs and Piddling around on the Internet” as one of your top time management strategies. (Note to self:  Stop piddling around on the internet.)

I’m just going to hope it is #1 so that I don’t feel so lonely as I fumble along trying to make this work (plus, if you aren’t wasting time on the internet, then you aren’t reading Nix9to5).  Since I’m working on the assumption that balancing it all is hard for you, too, I’m going to give you the two bits of advice that came from Nix9to5 readers.  Tomorrow, I’ll follow it up with some tips from the August issue of All You magazine.  (If you don’t subscribe to All You magazine already, consider it.  It has great ideas for saving money and time and comes loaded with coupons.)

Our first bit of advice comes from Charla at Charla’s Confessions and Hootie Momma–a cool little Etsy store selling adorable diaper cakes, burp cloths, and t-shirts.  Charla says that she has to make sure to get up before her little girl every morning, rather than waiting until Little Miss wakes her up in the morning.  This is a strategy I seriously need to incorporate, if for no other reason that to have a chance to put on makeup or do something with my hair besides put it in a ponytail.  I think that, once Hot Husband goes back to work when school starts, I can manage this.  However, as someone who is Not a Morning Person, this has been a struggle for me this summer.

Next, Michelle, a Nix9to5 Facebook fan, says that she takes her weekly to do list and breaks it up into daily tasks.  Rather than looking at one long, impossible list, she has a few items to accomplish each day.  I like this idea, and I’ve started using it to manage my copywriting projects.  I look at what I need to get done for the month or for the week and break it up.  This prevents me from procrastinating, and it allows me to schedule myself days off.  If I have plans for family time, couple time, or Mama Needs a Break time, then I schedule the work around it.

If you have other ideas for time management and organization, I’d still love to hear them!  Post a comment here or on the Nix9to5 Facebook page, or send me an email through the Contact page.