Priorities: Take Control of Your Time and Values
If you’re like me, you probably create lots of to-do lists for yourself and then multitask like a madwoman to get everything on your list done in the scant 24 hours you have a day.
There’s the morning routine, then the midday errands and chores, then the afternoon/after school routine, then dinner prep and cleanup and bedtime routines. And then add on your job, if you’re a working mom, and some quality time with your spouse (if you want to stay married) and on and on and on. Heck, when I add it up, I realize I spend about four hours everyday working in the kitchen alone… How’s a mom to get it all done?
The straight answer is: You actually do have enough time to get done what’s important to you.
It’s time to stop trying to get everything done, and instead to focus on your priorities and let the rest go. The reason I spend four hours a day in the kitchen is my choice. Healthy eating and homemade meals are a top priority for me and my family, so I choose to make time for that while choosing to not make time for watching TV (or doing laundry…).
Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management.
Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” ~ Betsy Jacobson
I love this quote. Moms struggle constantly with balance, which is a word many of us use to mean “getting it all done.”
It’s so easy to get caught up in doing things that really aren’t important to us. We can say that healthy eating is a top priority, yet when we look back over the way we’ve spent the last month, we realize we’ve been so busy that we’ve dined out or grabbed fast food more than we’d like to admit.
Consider for a moment the things that you value the most. Some things that may come to mind are: family, health, security, honesty, fun, love, etc. To take control of your time, get clear on your values and priorities, and let them motivate you. Make your choices and enjoy them!
What is most important to you when it comes to your daily routines? Of all the things that you could choose to do today, which of these most deserves your precious time? What choices will you make that honor your top priorities?
Photo courtesy of Flickr.
Lara Galloway, The Mom Biz Coach, is a speaker, a business coach and the founder of the Mom Biz Academy, the “MBA” for mompreneurs. She teaches moms how to do what they love without compromising their priorities. Grab her “Six Steps for Creating a Sustainable Mompreneur Business” audio course here!
I agree completely! So much in fact that I wrote two guest posts about balance at the request of the blog owners.
http://www.livingwithlogan.com/2011/02/8-ways-to-find-your-balance.html
http://www.workingmomjournal.com/adding-balance-to-your-life/
The words you use are almost identical to what I wrote – it’s about letting go – not doing more.
I agree and part of this I think is teaching our children that they need to prioritize too. We have finally recognized that more is not necessarily better when it comes to activities so we are now down to one activity per child.
I fully agree. Being a work outside of the home mom, a blogger and a family of 7 kids, I have to prioritize on the run and say to myself, “Stop… enjoy this moment.” On Tuesdays I know not to schedule too many things, because I drop my toddlers off at their dads that night and I make sure to spend time with them for the hour I have them after work.
It is hard not to schedule too many things, a stop by the grocery store, etc. We’ve learned to leave the babysitters, stop by McDonalds to play and listen to Disney Princess CDs. So today… that is what I’ll be doing in an hour… spending time before running out and having dinner/drinks with my girlfriends.
Because every woman needs to have “girl” time to unwind, right?
[...] week, I wrote a post about how moms need to get clear on their priorities and let go of the idea of “getting… Several of you commented about how doing less can feel like more when you’re doing the things [...]
Daria–We are definitely on the same page
. Simplifying and letting go are ideas gaining a lot of popularity in the mom circles I run in. But I still marvel that I’m one of the few moms I know who doesn’t have her kids scheduled into 3 different activities every week. I can’t fathom that kind of craziness added to my life. While we moms may be willing to simplify OUR lives, needs and wants, it seems we still have a hard time not wanting EVERYTHING for our kids. Your thoughts?
@GetGoingGirly–Love that you mention pairing down the activities to one per kid! That’s our rule, too. I’m all for having well-rounded kids, but I believe our kids need the unstructured down time to be silly, hang out with their family and friends, help with chores, etc. After all, when a kid starts to feel bored, it’s a perfect opportunity to teach them how to be okay with that or how to find a way to occupy themselves. Doing less + getting bored = more creative, resourceful kids! (At least, that’s what I tell them
@Suzanne A big “YES” to the girl time! I think it’s awesome that you have figured out a way to fit in that quality time with your kids.