HOW TO USE TIME BLOCKING TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE AT HOME!
Updated: Oct 12, 2021

One of the biggest hurdles I faced as a new stay at home mom was that I just didn't feel productive day after day. I left my corporate job where I had thrived on getting tasks and projects completed, to then all of a sudden having more free time on my hands, and a whole lot of work without any deadlines. I took the many small necessary things that needed to be done as a house wife and mom for granted. In hindsight this was probably due to the fact that its never been on my "to-do" list to get basic household chores done- I just did it like clock work. But now I had all week to get it all done and with all this new found freedom, lack of sleep, and a crying baby I found myself exhausted, overwhelmed and deflated because I felt like I couldn't even get the basics done. Things were seemingly slipping through my fingers and I had no direction.
Thats the thing, I felt like I wasn't doing much, but I actually was between feedings, quick clean ups and last minute laundry days (side note, isn't it amazing how much laundry you do with a newborn?). I quickly realized that I was letting my day control me instead of me controlling it. Then it hit me, if I could see it all visually and designate a time to everything I needed to do, then I could get a good idea of where my day was falling apart and I could really see what I needed to change. When I worked I thrived on time blocking and keeping workable lists of all my projects. Organizing my time always kept things together and moving along... and if I were still working I would be using a time management system to stay motivated and on top of all of my responsibilities, so I thought, why couldn't I try this in my home life too?!
The best system that worked for me as a stay at home mom was, and still is Time Blocking. Once I started organizing and planning my days out using this system I started seeing a shift in my attitude and I started to get a feel for what I could accomplish in a day to day basis between bottle feedings and changing diapers. Keeping a schedule also helped me with not being so hard on myself when I set unrealistic goals to be done on an average weekday while my hubby was at work- like purging the garage.
While I adapted the time blocking time management technique to meet my needs as a stay at home mom, it isn't just beneficial for moms that stay home its great for working moms, work at home moms and all busy moms that need to get things done, stay motivated and keep life balanced day after day!
Why Time Blocking Works
Time blocking is a system where you can organize, prioritize and schedule your tasks into blocks of time on your calendar. Having a daily schedule planned out is like having a budget for your finances - budgets allow you to organize your money - giving permission to spend money as needed without worring about taking away from another priority (like your rent and utilities), well, think about time management the same way - it allows you to balance yourself to get more done and reach new goals - its the permission you need to allocate time to things you need and want to do.
Time blocking also allows you to realistically set goals by visually seeing everything you need to get done that day, which is another reason organizing your many responsibilities into a visual color coded system makes sense, you can group your tasks more easily with like tasks and get a clear understanding of how much time you spend in a day on a given task or groups of tasks. It's nice to see how much time I'm spending on momming with a quick glance and know how much time I can allot myself for me time or blogging.
Another perk of time blocking is that it allows you to see your goals every single day. Looking at long term goals daily not only leads to more productivity and success but according to medium.com it helps keep your focus on your priorities, strengthens your commitment and helps avoid procrastination.
Here is how I set up my schedule on a typical day using a time blocking system.
