6 Reasons Time Blocking Works for Stay at Home Moms
Create the perfect schedule for stay at home moms with time blocking. A time blocking schedule for stay at home moms helps balance homemaking, working from home, marriage and parenting seamlessly.
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A common misconception is that stay at home moms do not need to manage their time as effectively as moms who work outside the home. The truth is, moms wear lots of hats, and we all need a super time management strategy just to get through each day. This is why I recommend a time blocking schedule for stay at home moms, and all moms.
A time block schedule is a map of your ideal week with all of your activities and commitments scheduled and color coded. It allows you to see how your week should work, and gives you a schedule to work with.
6 Reasons Why Time Blocking is Perfect for Moms
You know when you MUST say NO
Most moms like to say yes. I know I say yes to lots of things that I should really be saying no to. Usually, the issue is time. There are many things I would like to do, really good things, but I just don’t have the time. Having a color coded time block schedule of your week tucked into your planner allows you to quickly make an educated decision when you are asked to commit to something.
You can download the blank template I use for time blocking below!
You can offer some impressive proof
If you are one of those people who has a difficult time saying no, or you are dealing with someone who has a difficult time accepting a no answer, a time block schedule will be your friend! You can physically show yourself and someone else that you just don’t have an extra hour or half hour time block per week.
You can see where you have openings
When there is a task that must be added or something you want to do, you can quickly find the best place to plug that activity into your schedule. For instance, our daughters have lots of doctor appointments. I can pull out my schedule and easily see where the most convenient time slots for these appointments are.
You have a schedule to follow
Having a plan and a vision for your week is key to accomplishing anything in any given day. When I first left my day job to be a stay-at-home mom, I had no schedule and no real plan for my day. I didn’t accomplish much. My husband regularly came home to a messy house, no dinner on the table, and we both wondered what I had done all day.
You can easily reschedule and delegate
When life happens, and it will, with a time block schedule, you can easily see what blocks you missed and know what needs to be rescheduled. If you missed blocks of “mom time” or “downtime,” those may not necessarily need to be made up. However, if you miss your “bill paying time” slot, you should probably make up that slot in place of some other lower priority slot.
Also, don’t miss this opportunity to delegate. When you have to miss designated blocks for things that others can do, try to delegate. For instance, when one of my daughter’s is admitted to the hospital, I can quickly look at my schedule and let me family know that I am missing my laundry blocks or my grocery shopping blocks. Then I ask who can pick those up for me. There are many of my chores that my children can already do.
You can identify times for multitasking
I have lots of travel time to doctor appointments, therapy for my daughters, and activities for my older children. I like to plug my drive time in on my half hour time blocked schedule. This allows me to be super detailed about what I do with my drive time. I note in each block if I am listening to an audio book, talking with one of my children because we have 30 minutes alone in the care together, or simply having some quiet time.
You can control the blocks
Moms often feel like their schedule is not their own. Time blocking allows you to schedule time for things that are needed but often overlooked like self-care, date night, reading time, and time for fitness. You can schedule this time when your spouse is responsible for the children, arrange a baby sitter for these specific hours, or wake up earlier than your house is scheduled to get up.
I’ve been time-blocking off and on for years now, and I’m SO much more organized when I’m doing it. I’ve been getting a LOT done lately thanks to my time blocking routine!
That’s a great idea! I was a stay at home mom for several years and planning is definitely necessary to be effective. I’m visiting from the linky party.