At the beginning of the month, I gave y'all the first installment of Managing Your Mommy Time. Since then I have thought of a few more ways that I have been able to save time and I would LOVE to share them with you.
Managing the Map
I am a super visual person. Whenever I leave the house, I see a map in my head. My brain had a GPS in it before GPS was created. :) That being said, I have a hard time just lazily driving around. I plan my errands around the "map." When looking at the errands that need to be run AND the appointments that are made that week, or sometimes the next week, I will plan when I go somewhere. For example, if I know I have an appointment on Thursday near the bank, than I will wait until Thursday to go to the bank. Or if I need to go to Ikea, which for us is over an hour away, I will plan my trip around a lunch date I will have with a colleague. But usually, we have more than 1 errand that needs to be run, so I plan out my errands in a circle or straight line. And of course I will make a list of places I will go, which ones come first on my way from point A to point B. One thing to take into consideration is the amount of time each stop will take. If you know that the post office will only take 10 minutes then going on the way to your appointment might work, but the grocery store usually takes longer than that. Add that to the list after your appointment. My grocery store is in my neighborhood so I would end up adding it to the end of the list.
Get a Babysitter
I highly recommend hiring a babysitter. I do almost all of my business on Thursdays, and have a business meeting for my other business. So I need a babysitter. Instead of only hiring her to come just for the time my meeting is, I tack on a few more hours so that I can run around town getting all of those little things done. This not only helps me have a little bit of alone time but also allows me to have the desire to run into those stores that I absolutely hate taking kiddos to. If you don't want to hire a babysitter, utilize your spouse or grandparents. Pick 1 or 2 nights a month that you want to get out and do things for your business OR 1 or 2 nights that you might want alone time in order to get projects done. Never feel bad for leaving your kiddos for a couple of hours so that you can accomplish tasks. I guarantee that 2 - 4 hours a week is much better than 40 hours a week in daycare. Being a work at home mom is hard but finding time for your business is essential.
Keep a Notebook
As women we come up with brilliant ideas but often times we will end up forgetting them! This makes me so frustrated. I am sure I could have been a millionaire by now if I had written down some of those great ideas that came to me, right before a child interrupted my thoughts. This is why I write things down. I used to keep a mini notebook for these ideas but recently I upgraded to using my phone. Within my notes section on my phone, I can organize my lists/ideas within folders. I have a Business, Personal, and Church folder and within those folders are many different lists. When I think of something new, I either add it to an existing list or I make a new one. Then whenever I need inspiration or a reminder, I know just where to find it.
I hope you like this part 2. As I come up with more ideas, and make a list of them, I will add more parts. I really hope they do help you find new ways to find time for all that is important in your life. Now I am off to meet the teacher night! Woohoo!
Much love!
Shellie
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