Time Management When Everyone Is Depending On YOU

Many of my clients are single mamas. Some of them aren't technically single but feel like it in many aspects of their lives. Many deal with feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and even depression at the sheer amount of work they feel they have to do just to keep their head above water. I know all about this. As a single mom of six for three years, I felt all the weight of the world. I remember going to bed dead tired every night, wondering how I would be able to get up and do it again the next day.

Now I have 11 kids, 8 of which live at home. I am the president of the young women's organization at church, fairly newly married, and am an entrepreneur running my own coaching practice. Although my days are different than they were and some of my responsibilities have changed, I still sometimes feel there are too many things to fit into my day. Time management has never really been a strength for me- I have been the "free" type that wants to be spontaneous and have flexibility in my days.

Here's what I have learned though. Flexibility is nice and all, but it doesn't get the job done. Why? Because sometimes there are things that need to get done that require mental focus and command, and if I am in the mindset that I want to be flexible, my brain is telling me a story of why I don't need to do that thing at that time. Where I see this most is in things that require me to focus, sit still and do something I don't particularly enjoy.

What I am learning about time is that we really DO have the time we need to do what is most important. And when we schedule our days and block out focused, set times to do certain things, we can enjoy the other times so much more! We don't have those pesky little tasks nagging at us as we try to enjoy "free" time.

One other thing I have learned and that I teach my clients is that it is absolutely essential to spend time every single day in something that feeds you from the inside out. Essential. When we have many people depending on us, we can become depleted and exhausted SO fast. Schedule those things FIRST. Do some experimenting to find what fills you up, and then do those things. When we put filling ourselves up first, we can handle what the day throws at us so much better. I find that when I know I have taken care of myself, I don't feel resentful when so many people are needing things from me. I met my needs first.

Another great tool in time management is giving yourself a limit of how much time you will spend on something. Need to make a meal plan for the week? Schedule it out and give yourself an exact amount of time to finish it. This way when you are perusing the internet for new recipes to try, you can pull yourself back in, get focused and make a decision because you know you have a time limit. This works great for tasks like budgeting, completing work tasks, or many other quantifiable things you may need to get done.

So back to my moms out there who are single and shouldering it alone. The more you can take budgeted time for yourself, give yourself time limits for the tasks you need to get done, and try not to slip into overwhelm, the smoother things will go for you. I promise!