Have you heard of time blocking for moms?
First, time blocking for moms is the regular practice of dividing your day into blocks of time. Each block of time is dedicated to a specific activity or task.
Instead of keeping a never-ending (and constantly growing!) to-do list, time blocking can help you see how much time you have each day to devote to certain tasks and activities.
Time blocking’s nearly identical twin is called task batching.
Task batching is the practice of grouping similar tasks together and completing them all in one go.
According to Todoist.com, time blocking can be a great way to structure your days and maximize productivity if:
- you juggle many different responsibilities or projects
- you spend a large portion of your day in “reactive mode” – reacting to the situation directly around you
- constant interruptions are a normal part of your day
- you have a hard time creating time for big-picture thinking and planning
Um. Yes.
Yes, that is motherhood, is it not?
Why time blocking for moms makes a difference
Take a look at the chart below and see:
- Does the column on the left represents something close to your normal daily mom schedule?
- Does the column on the right looks more organized and appealing?
You’ll notice that time blocking can work whether you are a stay at home mom, a work from home mom, or a mom who works outside of the home.
Instead of constant multi-tasking and switching from activity to activity, time blocking helps you increase your focus and work at a steadier pace.
What mom doesn’t want that?
While we’re on the topic of multi-tasking, studies have shown for years that multi-tasking actually makes us up to 40% LESS productive!
Constantly switching from one activity to another causes our minds to lose focus and backtrack each time we return to a task.
Benefits of time blocking for moms
There are many benefits of time blocking for moms!
First, when you time block your day, you can easily see what things you have the time to accomplish that day.
Many feelings of mom overwhelm come from seeing so many things on our to do lists. Often we don’t have an accurate plan for when we will get each one done.
Second, time blocking can help you prioritize the most important things you need to do everyday.
You may even realize that some of the less important things on your to do list become irrelevant or unnecessary.
Third, time blocking can help you create boundaries for yourself.
When you see how you are spending your time, you are less likely to overcommit – whether that’s to outside obligations or to your kids’ regular (and sometimes constant!) demands.
Free time blocking for moms printable
Because time blocking for moms is such an incredible way to rock your mom life and increase your productivity, I’ve created a FREE time blocking printable for you!
It’s inside the Jen Bradley|MOMs Free Printables library, which is full of amazing printables for you and your kids.
Get access to the Free Printables by clicking here or on the image below.
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission if you click through or purchase at no cost to you. For more information, click here.
How to make time blocking work for moms
You may be thinking that time blocking sounds well and good – but still you’re wondering how to make it work for YOU?
No worries, I’ve got you covered.
Because mom life is so variable and interruptions are inevitable, I find the best way to make time blocking work is by task batching.
Task batching is grouping similar tasks together and completing them all at the same time.
Here’s how you can do that around your house:
Time blocking for moms in the kitchen
One of the best ways to start time blocking for moms is by consolidating the amount of time you spend with meal planning and preparation.
Meal planning
Instead of planning meals on a weekly basis, consider planning your meals a month at a time. (Yes, you did read that right!)
Planning your meals a month at a time can help you to
- save time by making fewer trips to the store
- use up leftover ingredients more effectively (instead of having the seldom used ingredients take up permanent lodging in the back of the pantry!)
- save money by creating a big picture look at the month
Instead of dedicating time to creating a new meal plan every week, set aside a block of time once a month to come up with your monthly meal plan.
Read this article for all the details about how to plan your meals a month at a time!
Meal preparation
One of the biggest demands on a mom’s time is often meal preparation!
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel like I spend more time in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house (including sleeping in my bed!).
A great way to cut down time spent in the kitchen is to batch prepare your meals.
Set aside a block of time one day a week to prep as much as you can for upcoming meals.
Here are some of the things I like to prepare during my meal prep time:
- bake granola for breakfast
- mix spice mixes needed for grilling, stir frys, soups, crock pot meals, etc.
- grill or cook chicken, ground beef, steak, and pork
- precook noodles or rice
- make taco and fajita meat
- put together enchiladas, lasagnas, casseroles, etc.
- make meatballs
- mix salad dressings or marinades
You can really get creative with what you prepare in advance – just make sure you have enough room in your fridge to store everything! I use these glass storage containers for everything and highly recommend them!
Finally, one of the best bonuses about batch preparing your meals is that you will only have ONE mess to clean up instead of a new mess every day of the week!
Time blocking for your closet
Another giant chore for moms is taking care of all of the clothes in the house. This can mean keeping everybody clothed or keeping the clothes clean!
Let’s take a look at how to time block and task batch these common and time-consuming chores.
Task batching for laundry
I don’t even have words to describe how much my life as a mom changed when I started task batching the laundry!
Most moms tend to do one or more loads of laundry every. single. day. This means clean laundry is likely to pile up around the house, waiting to be folded.
Instead of dealing with a continual laundry monster, read this article about how to only do clothes laundry once a week!
Trust me, having six laundry-free days a week is life changing!
Create a capsule wardrobe
Did you know that the average woman spends 16 minutes a day deciding what to wear?
That may not sound like a lot – but when you add it up, that turns out be 287 days of an average person’s lifespan – almost ONE YEAR!
Instead of wondering what to wear (and often dealing with decreased self-esteem in the process), creating a capsule wardrobe can be a great way to feel confident in your clothes and save extra time everyday.
What is a capsule wardrobe by the way?
It’s a curated collection of clothes meant to coordinate with each other for a season at a time.
Planning and putting together a capsule wardrobe does take time – it would make a great task batching activity over the course of a few days or weeks.
To walk you through the entire process, I’ve created an online course that teaches moms just like you how to create a personalized wardrobe based on your body shape and natural coloring!
Time blocking for moms in the home
Another big area where you can time block your work is with taking care of and cleaning the house!
Daily pickup
Every evening, plan a small block of time to pickup anything that’s out of place and put it where it belongs.
This simple daily practice can also include a nightly kitchen clean up and wipe down. If the kitchen is clean, the rest of the house feels so much cleaner too!
Weekly cleaning task batching
Scheduling a weekly cleaning is a great way to use time blocking for moms.
Instead of cleaning one room or section of the house at a time, batch clean according to the task at hand – ie: clean all the bathrooms, then living areas, then bedrooms.
This way you can get out one set of cleaning supplies and move around the house getting things done!
If you have a large home or you don’t have any kids who can lend a hand, you may want to schedule several batch cleaning sessions in your week.
But if you have kids who are school age, get them involved in the weekly cleaning schedule too and save yourself even more time!
Time blocking your schedule
Are you feeling like you want to start block scheduling and task batching, but you’re wondering when you’re ever going to make said schedule for yourself?
Easy! Download the free Time Blocking printable for moms and schedule yourself some time to get it done!
In fact, spending some time once a week to create your weekly schedule is a great way to start your time blocking for moms experiment.
Personally, I hold this short planning session on Sunday afternoon or evening. I block out the time I’ll spend blogging, homeschooling, meal prepping, and more.
A few things to know about time blocking for moms
While creating a time blocking schedule has MANY benefits, it’s also incredibly important to remember that it’s only a guideline!
As moms, the needs we meet can change quickly in a short amount of time. There will be days when your time blocking schedule will be wrecked.
That’s okay.
Give yourself some grace, see what you need to rearrange and start fresh the next day.
Also, if you find yourself getting anxious or stressed about sticking to your schedule, it is probably a good idea to take a break for a day or two.
You may find that developing a routine of task batching a few things – laundry, meal prep, and cleaning – is enough of a productivity boost to get you feeling more in control of your day.
And, as always I’d love to hear about your experience with these time blocking tips for moms. Pin the image below to come back to this article in the future!
Related articles about mom productivity:
–How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule
–How to Stop Doing the Laundry Every Single Day of Your Life
–How to Plan Your Meals a Month at a Time
–How to Boost Your Productivity during a Pandemic
–How to Be More Productive as a Mom
What other tasks could you add to this list of time blocking for moms tips?
