Mother’s Day is this weekend, and I thought it might be good to do a little shoutout to the hardworking, time starved Mom’s out there.  Of course, as a time management expert, I feel strongly that Mother’s Day should not be the only guilt-free day of the year where you take time for yourself.  Busy Moms need time for themselves daily and weekly, so that they have the energy to keep on giving to others.

 

This Mother’s Day, here are three techniques that will help you find, and enjoy, YOU time on a regular basis.

 

Strategy 1-SHED YOUR BACKLOG, so you can relax GUILT-FREE!

 

Many people feel that it’s hard to relax when there’s always a 4 page to-do list of unfinished projects and good intentions waiting for their attention.   Maybe you could spend part of Mother’s day going through your endless to-do list (with your spouse and kids by your side), and SHED as many of the burdens as possible.  Use the 4 Ds to get things off your list, and your mind for good:

Delete- what is on your list that can be eliminated completely, that, upon reflection, are really not the best investment of your time.  Your family will let you know that they’d rather spend time having fun with you than have you perfectly decorate every room in the house.

Delegate – identify which to-do’s your partner can tackle for you, and which your kids can take on.  Sharing responsibilities enables everyone in the family to make a contribution, develop life skills, and frees you up to spend more time with them!

Delay- figure out which of your time consuming projects can wait (till your work-life is calmer, or the kids are older, and or you generally have less on your plate). Organizing all of your photos online may be a good project for August—not at the end of the school year when so much else is going on.

Diminish-come up with shortcuts for things that must be done, but simply take too long.  For example, if writing thank you notes has you stumped, use an online greeting card service that has tons of endearing messages all pre-written.

 

 

 

Strategy 2-CREATE A “BABYSITTING” CO-OP

 

With summer coming, if you have young children, you are about to face tons of time with the kids home—which will make taking time for yourself even tougher.  Of course, you aren’t the only family in your area who will be facing this challenge.  Think about coordinating with a couple of other families to create a babysitting co-op. Create a series of 1 hour coupons (or use poker chips), awarding each family 5 to start—which would total 5 hours of babysitting for trading.

 

The idea is that when you are due for some me-time, and need a couple of hours to take a yoga class,  instead of spending 20 dollars to pay a local teen, or begging your mother in law to watch the kids for 2 hours, call a fellow network Mom and pay her in coupons!  Then, when she wants to go to a movie, she can trade in a few of her coupons with one of the families in the network. As people cash in and trade hours, the number of coupons increases and decreases—but everyone feels good about who their kids are with-and the whole barter system creates a wonderful community of families.

 

Strategy 3- DECIDE HOW TO SPEND YOUR “MOM” TIME

Even when you are successful in finding time for yourself, busy Moms usually don’t have the luxury of many consecutive hours off. Their breaks usually come in small parcels of time—of ½ hour to a couple of hours. The best way to make the most of those brief windows of time is to know in advance how you will spend them.  Pre-select simple activities that instantly restore, relax, and recharge you. A pilates class? Movie with a friend? A manicure/pedicure?  A nap?! Choose a couple of things that you don’t need hours to unwind and get into, and keep that little “menu” of fun handy, so any time you find for yourself can be put to instant, satisfying use. One to two hours, invested well, can work wonders to keep you going, giving and happy!