Having a productive and successful day is all about planning. Knowing how to organize your day is one of the most important skills for busy mums to learn because it will allow you to get more done, and feel in control, rather than frazzled.
If you’re a busy mom, juggling kids, home, work, and trying to see your friends and family more than once a year (real talk!)—you probably already know that you need to be organized to get through your day.
The problem is you’re juggling so much. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start and how to prioritize, which is why it feels like you’re drowning. Everything feels important, and you’re trying to do it all right now. It’s just too much.
This is why organizing your day is so important. It’s not just about getting more done—it’s about doing more of the things that matter. Here are nine tricks that will help you take back control of your day.
A Busy Mom’s Guide To An Organized Day
1. Plan your day in the evening
The best time to plan your day is the evening before because it will allow you to wake up with a purpose. It also means you’ll sleep better at night because you’re not thinking about the hundreds of things you need to get done. Get them out of your head and onto a plan, and you’ll sleep better.
2. Make time for interruptions
Life is unpredictable, and children … even more so. There will always be skinned knees and snacks that need attending to, so plan for this. Acknowledge that things will take you longer than expected when the kids are at home by building a time buffer in your schedule.
Allow more time than you think you’ll need to get things done and, if you don’t get interrupted, you’re ahead of the game! You can use that time to get a jump on the next task, or make yourself a coffee and take a little breather.
3. Start your day with the thing you dread most
If you’re dreading that phone call to your kid’s school, make it the very first thing you get done that day. This is called “eating the frog”, and it’s a powerful organizational concept.
It works because, when you procrastinate on painful tasks, it consumes your mind. You waste SO much time worrying and stressing, and a relatively annoying job becomes a monster in your mind. The dread and guilt can completely ruin your day.
But get it done early? Then you have momentum. You feel so good about being DONE, and this tide of good feelings will help you get other things done too. Or even if you complete nothing else, you got something big out of the way, and that’s worth being proud of.
4. Don’t overcommit
Women are often sold the lie that it’s possible to “do it all”—be the perfect partner, mother, worker, friend, daughter—this list goes on and on. There’s SO much pressure but here’s the thing: it’s impossible to make everyone happy. You only have so much time and energy, and you’re a person with wants and needs of their own.
Being organized means spelling out your values with the most important and finite currency you have: time. You aren’t going to get everything done in one day, and trying to will only lead to you feeling like a failure. Instead, assess your tasks and your priorities, and figure out what is manageable in a day.
And most importantly, don’t be afraid to say “no”. This, my friend, is your superpower.
5. Don’t do it alone
You don’t have to do everything all by yourself, and you shouldn’t. Make sure your partner is pulling their weight, and if your kids are old enough, make sure they understand that they have responsibilities as well.
Kids can learn to pick up their toys, clean their rooms, and help out with plenty of other household jobs. It teaches them to be self-sufficient from a younger age, and their future roommates will probably thank you for it!
And look—I’m well aware that realistically, you’re still going to be doing more than your share. It’s hard being a busy mom; there’s so much that we have to do ourselves. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look for opportunities to get help. Be open-minded and look for opportunities every day.
6. Prep for the future
There are plenty of ways to make your life easier and more manageable every day, and they often take less time and effort than you think. If you’re not sure where to begin, think about your future self for a moment.
For example, let’s say your child has a school concert later this week. What would your future self wish you’d do now to make life easier for her? Could you plan a crockpot meal or prep dinner ahead of time?
It’s the little things that make a huge difference, so set aside time to plan on a daily and weekly schedule. I know you probably feel like you don’t have time to plan—but you need to push back against this mindset. Planning is how you make time. Trust me; a few minutes now will save you so much in the long-term.
7. Carry a notebook
It can feel impossible to keep track of everything that goes on in one day. You might get a call about a birthday party, a note about a school trip, and a new big project with a tight deadline all in one day, so you need a system to stay on top of it all.
Carrying a notebook and writing down every important piece of information is a great way to keep it all in one place. Then in the evening, you can transfer it all to your calendar in one hit. If a notebook feels a little old-fashioned to you, this can also be done on your smartphone.
The method you choose doesn’t really matter as long as you refer back to your list often. (It’s not going to help you if you write things down and then never look at them again.)
8. Delegate where you can
You do not have to be responsible for everything, and often taking just one or two things off your plate can make a huge difference to reclaiming your time and freedom. Things like hiring a cleaner, a lawn mowing service, or a meal delivery kit might be completely worth the investment to you.
Now, I know that for some people, the thought of delegating and letting go of control feels scary. If this is how you feel, I encourage you to question the stories to tell yourself. You might feel like you can’t afford to ask for help when, in reality, money isn’t the issue. Instead, it’s your beliefs—you might have been raised with certain thoughts about a “woman’s place” and now, without realising it, those stories are holding you back.
Just remember that you deserve help and you’re not any less worthy because of it.
9. Turn off technology
Technology is amazing, and the things it allows us to do is beyond comprehension. Often though, it can become a double-edged sword that draws us away from what’s important.
Be intentional about checking work emails, scrolling through Facebook, and watching videos so that when you do have downtime, you can relax knowing that you have achieved everything you wanted to out of the day.
How do you organize your day as a busy mom? Let us know in the comments!