Time Management and the Craziness of My Days

This is a cross-post between this site, and my entrepreneurship blog, Income Aptitude. The principles of Time Management apply to both and I’m trying to actively focus on it at work and at home.

I’ve been working on my time management lately. I can definitely see where I’ve made some improvements, but I still have so far to go.

On a typical weekday, this is how my schedule looks.

• 6:15 – Wake up and get myself ready
• 6:45 – Empty the dishwasher and assemble breakfast and lunch for everyone
• 7:15 – Get Ace up and get him dressed
• 7:45 – Leave the house
• 8:30-5:15 – Work my day job
• 5:45 – Pick up Ace
• 7:00 – Cook and eat dinner
• 9:00 – Get Ace in bed
• 10:00 – Work on my businesses
• Midnight – Fall asleep on the couch

I was just telling my husband the other day that it really feels like I work 4 shifts at the factory, early morning, day, evening and night. They all have their own challenges and some are more mentally demanding than physically demanding. Despite having such jam-packed days though, I’m really trying to find bits of time to reclaim and use to my advantage, and we tried to organize the home a little using a glazed partition wall to make the right organization at our house.

When I’m in the car, I now will typically listen to podcasts related to entrepreneurship, productivity and innovation. That way, even though I’m not actually actively working, I am at least learning about things that I can apply later on.

When I happen to have a little downtime at work, I will try to work on skills or do some research that will help me both do my job better in the short term and make me a better entrepreneur in the long term.

At home, I keep a book out on the table for times when I have a few minutes to read during Ace’s naptime or when he’s sitting on the potty. Right now, it’s The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

The time after Ace is in bed is the largest block of uninterrupted time I have, but it’s also the time when I’m the most tired. Sometimes, no matter how much I want to get done or how focused I am, it is just physically impossible for me to keep my eyelids open. There are some days where I can stay awake and engaged until 2 or 3 in the morning but those are rare and I always end up paying for it the next day in the form of a Starbucks venti vanilla no-foam latte…with an extra shot of espresso.

Distractions

In general I don’t watch much TV. If it’s on at all, it’s typically just background noise unless my Michigan Wolverines are playing.

No, my vices come in other forms. They are:

• Instagram
• Group texting with my friends
• New York Times Crossword Puzzle app
• Jeopardy app
• The communal puzzle at work
• Bumping my gums with my co-workers around the water cooler
• Food.

Hopefully, now that the days are getting longer, I’m hoping my energy will pick up some and I’ll be able to take better advantage of that night shift time. I am also trying to get better focused on my goal-setting and to-do lists so that when I do have time to work, I am using that time in the most targeted way possible.

What say you? Any tips for a busy working mom like me?