How to Find More Time in a Day for Your Business

Mom, life got you going non-stop? I hear you! See how I find more time in my day to get it all (ok, some) of it done and make the time for a full-time writing career at home. 

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Let Me Tell You a Story…

About a single mom with two kids under two, who only showered twice in two months when her second daughter was born. Things got overwhelming REALLY fast once Emma was born, especially since I started writing for a new company that same week. It was rough.
Finding time to work or even just cut vegetables for dinner felt impossible. Early motherhood is HARD, even the second time around. Getting back to work helped me feel pretty normal after my first daughter Anna was born, but I felt like I was losing myself after Emma was born.

However, slowly, it got easier. A lot of that had to do with her just getting older and sleeping better, but some of it had to do with developing better time management skills. So here is how I started finding more time in the day to build my writing business. 

1-Find a Passion Project

Ok, I know what you are thinking–add one more thing to your daily to-do list? Not happening. But hear me out–reaching a small goal each day can help you feel more productive, more motivated, more in control of your life, and less burned out. Set aside 10 minutes a day to make it happen. For me, it’s writing 200 words a day in my current novel. Hitting this little goal helps me stay focused and confident in my writing business.

2-Make a List of Everything You Want to Get Done in an Ideal Day

For me, this included working a certain number of hours, taking a shower, writing 200 words in my book, reading to my kids for at least 20 minutes, cleaning one room, and lots of playtime. You need to know what you want to get done to figure out how to make it happen. 

3-Map Out Your Current Schedule 

Make a list of what you are doing each hour of the day. I actually use an Excel or Google spreadsheet to keep everything organized but check out my planner pages on Etsy to get an idea of what I mean. (Feel totally free to copy what you see! I’ll be sending them out as freebies at some point if you are subscribed to my newsletter.)

4-Find Little and Big Blocks of Time to Work

When Emma was a newborn, I wrote on my phone or laptop while she was nursing. Now, I work from 8-12 at night, during naptime, and for about an hour in the morning while they play. These little blocks of time add up to a full workday. 

5-See Where You Can Save Time

There are so many small habits that we build that waste time or take more time than they should. One way I saved time was by switching to walks in the neighborhood on some days instead of always driving to the park. You’d be surprised where you can save time!

6-Don’t Just Find More Time, Find the Right Time

Everyone has different rhythms and times of the day where they are most productive. Try to identify those times and figure out ways to get some work done then, so you can get more done in less time. I usually work best mid-morning (9-11) and at night (8-11). Outside of those times, it takes longer to get stuff done, and I crash hardcore in the afternoon no matter what I do. 

7-Prioritize Your List

Some things just have to get done, like work and caring for your kids. And then there is stuff you feel like you *have to* do. Then there is stuff you DO have to do to reach your goals, but don’t always do it because of the things you feel like you have to do. For me, it was feeling like the house always has to be spotless, but it doesn’t. Working on my novel will help me reach my goals, not picking up toys that will be dumped out in five minutes or less. 

8-Think About Sacrifices You’re Willing to Make, and Ones That You Aren’t 

When Anna was born, I was determined to be a no-screentime, hands-on mom that did all the crafts and never sent my kids to daycare while working at home. That obviously didn’t work. So I work for an hour while they play, and Anna gets an hour of screen time while Emma naps. However, I don’t sacrifice sleep (whenever possible) because I don’t like how cranky it makes me with the kids. 

9-Cut Distractions

Do you spend hours binging Netflix after the kids fall asleep? I get it. I’m a scroller. I scroll mindlessly through social media when I feel super burned out, but it usually only makes me feel worse. Spending a few minutes working on my passion project makes me feel reinvigorated and less burned out.

10-Be Realistic

One mistake I always made was planning to get up before the kids to get things done. Guess how often that happens? Maybe once a year. The rest of the time, I’d feel like my whole day was ruined because I failed to do something that I’m apparently not wired to do. Working for an hour in the morning while they are awake and playing makes us all happier. 

11-Plan to Rest

There is a fine line between hustling at your new business and grinding. Hustling is about working smarter, not harder. Grinding is burning out because you think you need to work harder. In order to perform at its maximum efficiency, your brain needs rest. If I am fried from a long day of parenting, sometimes I call it a night and finish my work in the morning. You might not get more time, but you will get more out of your time. 

12-Forgive Yourself

Being a mom is hard. Running a business or starting a new career is HARD. Doing both is almost impossible. And guess what? Time management is a skill that you have to learn. That takes time, but like every other skill you’ve ever learned (except maybe math,) it gets easier, and you get better at it. You are doing great, you’ll get it all done, and your dreams WILL come true, even if it doesn’t happen as fast as you’d like.

Check out my Esty Shop for a few cheap productivity tools, or subscribe to my newsletter for some nifty freebies!