Reduce Stress with these 7 Time Management Tips for Busy Mums

Easy Time-Management Tips to Help Mums Reduce Stress

Mothers are used to dealing with multiple responsibilities at once. When you have kids, you need to take care of all of their needs while also keeping in mind your own needs and career goals.

Maintaining balance can be quite a challenge so there’s no surprise that modern moms often suffer from stress. Work, household chores, and kids often take so much time that busy moms cannot take a break and dedicate a few hours to themselves and their emotional well-being.

According to research by the American Psychological Association, women report feeling stressed more often than men, and they are also more likely to develop unhealthy habits, including overeating and excessive drinking, in an attempt to cope with stress.

If you’re a mother, avoiding stress completely is impossible. Stress is your body’s natural response to difficult situations, and raising children means overcoming challenges on a daily basis. The good news is that you can figure out what responsibilities are most stressful for you and use time management to make sure that you can still have some time for yourself.

Motherhood doesn’t require you to sacrifice your needs and spend all of your time trying to get things done. Here are some effective time-management tips that will help you minimize stress and live a more fulfilled life.

7 Tips to Reduce Stress and Get Things Done

The concept of time management has changed and evolved throughout history. Some of the traditional methods of time management focused on efficiency and downplayed the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. As more and more people started to experience burnout, a new, value-based approach appeared.

Prioritizing task completion over the overall quality of life might help you accomplish your goals in the short term, but it will also increase stress levels and ultimately lead to lower productivity and exhaustion. 

Therefore, the best solution is to adopt a balanced approach that focuses on your values and priorities.

1. Set clear boundaries for work activities

First of all, think of how much time you can allocate for your work and family activities. You may need to consider many factors to come up with the right schedule, but you won’t regret it. Make sure that your work won’t impact the time that you spend with your children.

Even though such boundaries might be flexible, don’t allow them to extend too far. If you realize that your current job won’t allow you to dedicate enough time to your family, you may start to look for other options.

2. Get enough sleep

This is one of the most important tips because you won’t be able to stay productive if you don’t sleep well. Your brain needs sleep to process information and cope with the stress that you’ve experienced throughout the day.

If you have difficulties with falling asleep because you cannot stop thinking about work, you can try meditation or breathing exercises to distance yourself from work when you’re at home. 

If you cannot stop your train of thought, try journaling so that you can write down everything that bothers you and put it aside before going to sleep.

3. Stay organized

Mothers need to take care of too many things, and the more tasks you have, the more difficult it becomes to remember all of them. Effective time management is impossible without proper planning. Besides, by staying organized, you can avoid a lot of stress because you won’t need to book appointments at the last minute or skip lunch to help your kids with homework.

Schedule your daily and weekly tasks, and set reminders so that you won’t forget the things that have the highest priority. Keep all important tasks on your calendar and check your schedule regularly. Crossing off the completed tasks will give you a sense of accomplishment and help reduce stress.

4. Set realistic goals

You can also avoid a lot of stress by being realistic about your capabilities. Realistic goals will help you stay confident and make sure that you can accomplish everything that you’ve planned. A great solution is to use the so-called SMART approach, which implies that your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

5. Recognize the signs of stress

Stress may manifest itself in different ways. Along with being unable to concentrate and feeling overwhelmed, you may also experience headaches, fast heartbeat, dizziness, stomach problems, and muscle tension. 

Reflect on the changes in your mood and listen to your body to understand what stress looks like for you so that you can take a break and dedicate some time to relaxation.

For example, you may take a walk, do yoga or breathing exercises, or use any other relaxation technique that works well for you. This way, your stress won’t accumulate and you’ll get back to your daily tasks with more energy.

6. Delegate

No matter how old our children are, we always remember the time when they were absolutely helpless so we needed to do everything for them. However, the fact that you need to do it all at some point doesn’t mean that this should become a habit. If your kids can help you with house chores and other simple tasks, delegate these tasks to them.

This way, you will have more time for yourself, while they will learn more about adult life and develop useful skills. Don’t forget to reward your children for helping you so that they will have some motivation.

7. Take shortcuts

If you don’t have enough time to cook a perfect dinner, you can buy pre-cut vegetables and a bottle of sauce. 

If you realize that you won’t have enough time in the morning to write an important email because you’ll need to drive your kids to school, you can write it before going to bed and send it in the morning. 

Take the shortest route whenever you can, and you will have more time for things that you’ve planned.

Final Thoughts

Mothers need to juggle responsibilities all the time so there’s no surprise that many moms constantly feel stressed. 

Follow our tips to avoid exhaustion and manage your time based on your priorities. Plan ahead and make sure to allocate enough time for relaxation.

If you experience disturbing symptoms of stress or burnout, you can also benefit from counselling. Online counselling platforms allow you to get the necessary support with no need to visit a counsellor’s office. This is a flexible solution that can help a busy mom maintain good mental health, no matter how tight their schedule is.

Don’t delay your emotional and mental well-being needs!