Simple Tips for Finding More Time

By Ann Gomez

Is it just me or is everyone struggling to cram way too much into their day? (And yes, my friends would confirm that I am no stranger to this habit.) As moms, our responsibilities never end. We never seem to have enough time.

So how do we find time? As a productivity consultant, I'm often helping people to do just this. I'll share some of my favourite tips here.

Focus

We can learn a lot from watching CEOs prepare a speech, professional athletes compete and children play a game of hide and seek. These three very different groups have a finely tuned ability to focus. And yes, exclusively focusing on one thing may seem to be far too decadent for a busy mom. Yet research indicates that focusing on one thing improves our productivity. Multi-tasking, on the other hand, can mean we spend longer on each task, increase the risk of making a mistake and decrease our overall impact.

Schedule Time

When we hear people talk about not having enough time, they often mean they don't have enough time for the things they love. It goes without saying the best way to find time is to make time. This could mean signing up for parent & tot swimming, enrolling in a learn to paint course or joining that running group. The rest of your life will find a way of filling in around these scheduled activities.

Set Limits

At the same time, we need to address all those things that seem to absorb way too much of our time. Work is often a guilty party here. If we really thought about it, there are countless things we can do to reduce our work hours, while maintaining quality. We could be less prone to distractions, more efficient during our meetings, and more committed to leaving on time. In so many cases, work will expand to fill the time allotted.

Touch it Once

Make the touch it once principle part of your daily routine. Avoid having to go back and re-read an e-mail or respond to a school memo. It's amazing how much time you can save simply by adhering to this principle.

Ann Gomez is a productivity consultant and the founding president of Clear Concept Inc, a workplace productivity consulting firm. Ann works with professionals and corporate executives across industries including law, consulting and health care. She has been quoted in the Globe & Mail, Queens School of Business Inquiry Magazine and has appeared on ROBtv. She is also a mom of two adorable young children.

The Yummy Mummy Club www.yummymummyclub.ca is the online destination for modern mothers looking for guilt free adult stimulation. Created by Celebrity Yummy Mummy Erica Ehm, the site is packed with cheeky articles, playful surveys, groovy giveaways, a sassy book club, and hot online shopping. Yummy Mummy Club speaks to the woman in every mummy. Sign up for the free newsletter today and win!!