Single moms have to juggle all the things that other moms do but also have to do it all by themselves. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done. Michael Lee wrote an excellent article listing three very good time management tips for single moms that I have found to be very useful.
His first tip was to plan and organize:
“Your days should be mapped out to maximize time. At the start of every phase in your life, a new job, a new year, after your birthday, etc., plan how your days go. Scheduling is imperative, if you seek to do the most that you can with every hour that you’re given. Stick to your schedules, giving allowances only for priorities and your children.”
This is really an awesome idea that I use every day. I have tried various ways of scheduling such as creating an hour by hour listing of what I’m going to do, and writing lists of things that the children and I needed to complete during specific blocks of time. But the best form of scheduling that I have found to work for me is a basic plan of what we are supposed to be doing. For example my schedule right now looks like this:
7:00-8:00 before school prep
8:00-9:00 work prep
9:00-12:00 client work
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6:00-7:00 after supper activities
7:00-8:00 bedtime prep
The children and I have lists of things that are to be completed during these time frames. For example one of the children’s lists includes the following activities to be completed after school:
Unpack backpack
5 minute bedroom rescue
Homework
Fold and put away laundry
The second single mom time management tip he offers is to prioritize:
“Just list down everything you need to do, and then rank them up by urgency. Limit yourself to ten per day, and tick off these tasks as you finish them. If something comes up that you also must attend to, prioritize only the most urgent and most important tasks to fill your day with. Remember, you are no Superwoman. Take care of your sanity too.”
Every day at the end of my day, I take a simple spiral notebook and list the tasks that I need to do for the next day. I have a heading for each of my clients and list what projects/tasks they need me to do, another heading for school and list the assignments/projects that I need to do for each class, and a heading for household tasks where I list the chores I need to do. Whatever I don’t accomplish that day I carry over and rewrite for the next day. If there are a lot of things on my list I put a star beside the top three things that I need to do in each category so that I make sure I work on those first. Another important step that I do each day is to budget a specific amount of time for each category. Each client has a specific amount of time allotted to them, a specific amount of time allotted to homework, and a specific amount of time allotted to household chores. This helps to ensure that I have a balance in what I’m doing and don’t spend too much time on any one area and neglect the others.
The third time management tip for single moms is to delegate:
“When you know that you can’t do everything on your schedule, you need to ask for help and give some of your tasks to others. Remember that you’re only human. You need to have time for yourself, too. You also shouldn’t let yourself get run down by multi-tasking. If you can’t mind the kids because you have to work, get daycare. You could also look for a babysitter.”
Another important aspect of delegating for single moms is in the area of chores. You are only one person and can’t be expected to do everything. You can and should expect your children to help you with the various household chores that need to be completed each day.
At the end of July I will be launching a new book called Chore Time Challenges; this will be an excellent resource for single moms to give them new ideas and inspiration for getting their children to help out with household chores and since it’s written from the perspective of a single mom you’re sure to find that this is geared towards ideas that you can implement without the assistance of another parent in the house.
If you wish to read the article “Time Management for Single Moms – How to Save Hours in a Day” by Michael Lee you can visit: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/time-management-for-single-moms-how-to-save-hours-in-a-day-138471.html.
