How does a working mother get things done? Here are 15 productivity tips for mothers who work at home or in the office:
- Set aside time for planning. Productivity begins with careful planning. This will save you time, money and energy to get things done. So make sure you find time to yourself to sit down first and plan out what you need to do.
- List down your priorities and your goals. Part of planning is writing down your priorities and your long-term and short-term goals. With this, you set long-term and short-term goals. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish in the next 20, 15, 10 or 5 years. After this, list down what you need to accomplish this year or in the next two years which will contribute to your long-term plans.
- Write a monthly, weekly and daily to-dos list. After writing down your short-term goals, write down what you need to do to accomplish those short-term plans every month. After each month, specify what you need to accomplish every week for the present month. With that, you can already determine what you need to do everyday. Keeping in mind your priorities and goals, you don’t waste your time in unimportant activities.
- Follow a schedule but be flexible. Create a schedule of your daily routine but allocate time for work, kids, husband and house keeping. Sudden changes in schedule are unavoidable, so do try to be open and adaptable in these instances.
- Prepare needed items a night before. Get the ingredients for the dishes ready or the clothes for your kids, husband and for you.
- Plan an itinerary whenever you need to go out of the house. If you are working from home, write down where you need to go, what you need to do and what you need to buy so you can save on gas, time, money and effort.
- Organize your home. Get rid of clutter. Sort out your possessions and label the containers so you can easily find what you are looking for. Having a system with which you can easily find materials and equipment for the kids, work or personal items will ensure you save time.
- Use time-saving devices and tools. Make use of electrical appliances that comes with self-timers or automatic turn off mechanism to help with the housework. If you want to ensure that your family gets healthy meals daily, invest in a good bread-maker, a slow cooker or a Philips Air Fryer.
- Multi-task effectively. Get used to doing two things at a time such as cleaning or cooking while doing the laundry. If you’re working at home, you can think of your projects or assignments or you can read or write while doing household chores.
- Cook nutritious and easy-to-prepare dishes for the family. Think of recipes that don’t take too much time to prepare but are nutritious and delicious. You can find hundreds of recipes on the internet that you can prepare within 20 minutes.
- Delegate tasks. You don’t have to do everything. Ask for help from your husband or family members. If they are unavailable, consider hired help on a part-time or full-time basis.
- Take care of yourself. Get enough rest, eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly and take nutritional supplements. Remember that health is your wealth – always keep yourself fit and active.
- Take some time off for yourself. Have some time to relax, have fun and recreate by yourself or with your family. You can play a few games, get into sports, go to the gym or have an outing with your family at a park or a resort. In this way, you relieve yourself of stress which may affect you emotionally and physically.
- Set up space for a home office if you work from home. Use a room with a door which you can close whenever you need to work. Then inform your children and husband that you are not to be disturbed when you are inside unless it’s an emergency.
- Choose a time when you can work best. Determine the best time when your brain is most active and alert and you can work as fast as you can. The kids’ sleeping or school time can be the best time to work on your projects or assignments.
