The importance of mums cannot be stressed enough, they are often overlooked, maybe sometimes undervalued but society would not be able to function without you. My work with families and research into productivity has allowed me to make some observations into some pragmatic tips below that mums can use to get more done during the day and make your casual world saving slightly easier.
1. Use Lists
There is a lot mums have to remember and think about, and this can be a source of stress. Spending 10 minutes listing everything that needs to be done in a day or in a month can be a very cathartic experience, reducing stress and allowing you to see visually what needs to be done. It doesn’t mean that all the tasks are complete but it’s a great start.
2. Two minute rule
This was made famous in David Allen’s book ‘Getting things done’, and states that if a task takes less than two minutes, do it now. This makes it more difficult to procrastinate and can lead to momentum for getting other things done.
3. Time Blocking
Now we move onto a tactic to actually handle and complete tasks, instead of trying to estimate how long a task takes to complete (because we know that tasks often take longer than we plan), a useful alternative is time blocking. That is when you give yourself a certain amount of time to complete as many of the tasks as possible. It’s more efficient to group similar tasks together, to prevent the disruption of your mind switching between disciplines. One of the great things about time blocking is you can schedule several blocks in a week so if a task or group of tasks overrun it can spill over into another time block.
4. Use a Calendar
Along with using to do lists for everyday tasks, calendars help to see what is going on over a longer period, appointments, sports matches, family holidays etc and allow you to plan accordingly. You can use a digital calendar like google calendar and set up notifications and alarms to remind you of what is coming or if you want to reduce your screen time, you can use a physical calendar.
5. Prioritising
There are going to be some days when you will not complete everything on your to do list or you may be running out of time in the day to complete tasks. In this case you need to prioritise the most important tasks of the day and these should take precedence. Ask yourself which one of these tasks could I not get away with completing today? If you at least get your prioritised items completed, this is a decent achievement.
6. Automate as much as possible
With the amazing amount of technology we have in the 21st century, it can definitely make a mum’s life easier. If there are items you use consistently that are available online you can schedule these to be delivered to the home coinciding with your schedule instead of going out to shops to buy them. This will leave you with more time to do other things.
7. Prepare beforehand
This may include setting the dinner table before bed or arranging your outfits for the week on the weekend, or possibly even doing meal preps instead of cooking fresh all the time. Preparing beforehand nearly always saves time and stress for the future you.
8. Family Summit
A family summit or meeting is a great way for everyone to feel involved, understand the direction the family is going and set goals individually and collectively. You can take it very seriously and set agendas, have motions and maybe even have voting. If you have it at a set time every few months or once a year it can be something that the family looks forward to.
9. Reset Weekend
Schedules and order are great, and allow for the smooth running of a household, but occasionally it’s nice to break the rules and do something different, and a reset weekend is the perfect opportunity to do this. It could mean you spend the weekend binge watching movies, playing games or just resting, whatever your family enjoys to do.
10. Not agreeing to everything
Being the real life superheroes that you are there can be pressure to do everything, but you don’t have to. Be particular on the things you want to invest your finite resources, time and energy on and learn to say in the politest of ways to say No!
11. Self Care
How do you relax? What do you enjoy doing? What is important to you? It’s essential that you prioritise the things that give you life. You’re doing yourself and family a massive disservice if you’re not healthy and happy. Regular self care is a must!
12. Anti-guilt policy
It’s important to recognise and acknowledge that it’s impossible for things to go to plan 100% of time, if you’re trying your best there is no reason to feel guilty if things don’t work out as you envisioned.
If it’s the evening and you haven’t got as much done as you would like, you have two options, power through and do your best or you could write the day off relax and get a head start on tomorrow both are perfectly valid. Either way adopt a no guilt policy because you’re doing the best you can!
13. Ask for help
This is a big one! As a mum it is not your responsibility to do absolutely everything (even if it may seem like that sometimes). There is absolutely no shame in asking for help, no mum is an island, if anything it shows you’re serious about your selfcare. Discuss as a family how you can be better supported, talk to friends, even hire extra help if you need to. You do not have to do everything yourself! I REPEAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF!!!
14. Never stop learning
The world around us is constantly changing as well as the individual needs of your family, it’s essential that you continue to grow and develop as a person. Read a book, watch a youtube video, take a class, learn something new. Do everything you can to continue to move forward!
Bonus Tip: Trial and Error
You don’t have to get everything right straight away, the suggestions in this article are changes you may want to implement gradually. Some may work better than others, give them a go, refine and tailor them for the cadence of your family. The goal here is not perfection but progress.
These are just a few suggestions that I have observed to work this list is in no way definitive, what are some of the techniques you use to get things done?
Samuel Adu-Gyamfi is the CEO and founder of Sam Tutoring, a tutoring service and consultancy in London he founded a decade ago.
Sam Tutoring provides private one to one tuition along with group and online tuition for families in Central London and internationally, as well as tailor made services for schools.
Working with students from the ages of 7-18 we provide academic support and mentorship.
Email info@samtutoring.london, to book a consultation or visit www.samtutoring.london to see how we can help your child succeed. Read more tips by Sam tutoring here.
