The Mom with No Time
Where does the time go? I find myself often asking this question and feeling overwhelmed with how to balance it all. Moms often carry the burden of managing the family schedule, grocery shopping, swapping out children’s clothes for seasons and usually trying to achieve their own goals in their career all at the same time. Yes, I acknowledge with the most recent cultural shift, household responsibilities have become more equal thankfully; however, if you are a mom reading this blog right now, I know you understand the lack of time in motherhood. You are trying to juggle it all without losing your mind.
Well, let me tell you that I’ll raise my hand first to say I have not figured it all out when it comes to finding more time. Recently, I came across an amazing Ted Talk by Rory Vaden that completely changed my understanding and relationship with time.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the concept that we have been learning about time all wrong. Mr. Vaden speaks to the transformational idea that you cannot manage time but only manage yourself. What?! This was a huge mindset shift for me.
3 ways you can self-manage yourself
1. What is something that you do not NEED to do today? Take a minute and think about this. Is what you are spending your time doing, worth it? Jot down anything that you can eliminate out of your daily schedule.
2. Often, we spend the same amount of time daily on tasks that we could find a way to setup to do the work for us in the future. For example, every night, I take the TIME to help save myself TIME tomorrow by presetting the coffee maker. This is an example of making time in my today to better myself off the following day in saving me time each morning.
3. Delegating a task can be a challenge for moms. Moms can struggle with thinking, “Someone else can’t possibly do it better than me”, so we just do it ourselves which sucks up more of our precious time. What small (or big) task could we potentially allow someone else to do, so we can get more time back? Perhaps, it’s hiring out a cleaning service for the house or arranging carpools for our children. Even if you can do the job better, can you let go of this idea that moms have to do it all and do it perfect?
You can feel overwhelmed with the long list of “to-do’s” and easily feel like you have no time. But let me tell you fellow mom, that you DO have time. You can MAKE time. You can decide to be the mom who has TIME. Time for the important things in your life. Do not let time manage you. You can choose to manage yourself within time. How can you change your narrative to be “The Mom who has Time”.
Disclaimer: This is in no way a replacement for a therapeutic relationship or mental health services. This is for educational purposes only and should be in used only in conjunction in working with a licensed mental health professional. Reading this blog or responding to it does not constitute a provider-patient relationship. If you are looking for a local mental health professional feel free to use the contact tab to request an appointment or search Psychology Today for local therapists in your area. If this is a mental health emergency and you need immediate assistance please call 911 or your county’s crisis line to speak to a mental health professional.
