Best Time Management Tips For New Moms

Are you a new mom trying to adjust to the rhythm of your new life as a wife and mom? Check out these tips on time management that you can apply.

 Effective time management is a huge concern for many new moms. One day you are on top of the situation and the next, a sweet baby is added to the mix and your time management schedule seems to have taken a hike. For most of us moms, time planning feels like it should be easy considering that we are still young, healthy and economically viable. Yet, it is such an uphill task that begs the question why.

     Here in Nigeria, the arrival of a newborn requires the attention of the baby's grandmother or in her absence, any experienced elderly woman who will give after-birth care to the baby and mother. For most of the three-month maternity leave, the new mom will enjoy being pampered - her food will be prepared, her clothes washed, her house cleaned up and her baby taken care of. She gradually eases into her new role until after the baby is christened at three months old and she is expected to take full responsibility because the caregiver will return to her home. The new mom now has to learn how to manage time afresh because the help she had is gone. 

You may feel like you are trying to catch up on everything. You and your partner both work, you do not get regular help, your baby's sleep time has changed and you don't have time to shop for groceries or cook. How much more when you have a toddler or a child of school age to deal with also?

There are days I wake up feeling like I have a million things to do especially after weekends. Shopping for food items, planning meals for the week (for adults and a toddler), laundry to be done, blog posts to write, choir rehearsal, prayer meeting and cooking too. Sometimes seemingly unimportant tasks like trimming my toddler's nails and taking him to get a haircut can slip through the cracks.

Best time management tips for new moms

The following tips can be used by moms to reduce the stress of their busy lives, create more time to have fun with kids, spend quality time with their partner or some time for much-needed self-care.

1. Organise your tasks

It is not an easy task to remember all that you have set out to do for the day. It helps to write it down and better still, there are other aids such as alarm clocks, reminders, planners and calendars. Take advantage of them and keep them where you will easily consult them and not where they can be easily forgotten.

It does not mean that you have to cram your day full of tasks, just be realistic about what you can handle daily. Break your chores down into pieces that can be handled at a time, say 10 to 15 minutes.

Make an effort to stick to your schedule and check in with your planner to be sure you are following it. There are days things will not go as planned, emergencies can change your plans for the day and you must continue from where you stopped when you have taken care of the emergency.

2. Develop a routine

Getting things done at a certain time during the week can make your work easier. Find the dynamics that work for you and your family like when you wake up, when you go to bed, how often you do your laundry in a week, when you mop the floor, how often you restock on food items, etc. It saves you the trouble of hearing a planner for them each week and time to get other tasks done.

3. Ask for help

Inadvertently, you will require help on your journey of transition to a new mom who is learning good time management. Ask your friends and family to help you out when they can, after all, it takes a village. They could help out with some errands like shopping, cooking or looking after your baby while you cook, washing clothes, or anything you need help with. You could also ask your partner for help or other people living in your household.

4. Don't pile up more chores

While you are going through your set tasks for the day, do not leave them unfinished or create more work to finish up later. While you cook, clean up after yourself; put the clothes in their proper places after folding them, wash up the dishes and put them away after meals, etc. Don't save more chores for later.

5. Keep your mind on track

When you are cramped with so much to do and very little time, it is easy enough to allow your mind to drift towards negativity and feelings of overwhelm. You need to remember that you cannot always be in control. Be sensitive to situations that trigger the negative messages you feed your mind so that you can respond with positive feelings. Remind yourself that you are a great mom, speak positive affirmations over yourself or talk to a friend. Whatever works for you, do it.