Excellent Time Management Tips for Mothers Balancing Work and Student Schedules

Trying to balance the demands of work, college, and motherhood is not easy. These roles demand more than love and devotion; they also require smart time management. Here are six tips to help you handle multiple roles more effectively. 

1. Prioritize Your Tasks

It’s important to know what is important or urgent and when it needs to get done. Every day, write down your responsibilities and divide them into must-do and nice-to-do lists. This will help you spend your energy on things that are critical in your home and academic life. For example, studying for a big test or completing a project should take priority over other less urgent tasks. Then, use a digital planner or app that shows you your day or week at a single glance to keep yourself on task.

2. Make a Schedule and Stick to It

Set up a block schedule that carves out time for study, work, and family life. This may seem counterintuitive, but creating deadlines for yourself can free up more time and create less stress. First, plug in the times for classes, work shifts, homework, and family activities on a calendar – whether digital or paper. Be honest about how many hours you can actually allocate to a specific task. Fill your calendar with those blocks of time, and then set aside some time for study breaks, unexpected tasks, or delays.

3. Utilize Technology

Accept technology to make your life easier. There are apps and software for every aspect of managing your time, from calendars to task managers, which allow you to record your tasks, set reminders and deadlines, and – if you have older children or a partner – also assign tasks to other people to share the load.

Here's a list of popular time management apps:

  • Todoist
  • Trello
  • Asana
  • Google Calendar
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Evernote
  • Wunderlist (now part of Microsoft To Do)
  • Notion
  • RescueTime
  • ClickUp

4. Set Boundaries and Learn to Say No

You must set boundaries to stay sane. Make your availability clear to your employer, to your professors, and even to your family. It’s okay to say ‘no’ to assignments that you just cannot fit into your schedule. Use the best website - topessaywriting.org, when you need some help with your assignments. Their essay writers can help lighten your load. It’s also okay to set study and family time boundaries so that you can focus on the task at hand without encroachments on your time.

5. Combine Activities When Possible

Multitasking isn’t for everyone, but blending activities can be efficient. Play an audio lecture during a commute or exercise while you study. Get family members to participate in your workspace – have quiet, shared reading times or homework assignments together. This fosters an atmosphere of study at home and also keeps an eye on the kids.

6. Take Time for Yourself

Don’t forget to recharge your batteries. Taking time out might seem counterintuitive when there’s so much to do, but if you don’t look after your mental and physical health, you won’t be much use to anyone. Make time for an afternoon walk, a 20-minute read, a meditation session, or even just a coffee break with no distractions. 

7. Delegate When You Can

Don’t try to do everything yourself. Delegation is an essential skill that can dramatically lighten your load. For example, you can delegate household tasks to other family members, or at school, you can collaborate with classmates on group projects. (Ask your kids to pitch in with age-appropriate tasks, too.) Use academic essay examples to speed up the process of doing homework. To the extent possible, partner with fellow students to share notes or study together to ease individual burdens.

8. Prepare for the Unexpected

Unexpected things happen, especially if you’re a student and/or a working parent. Factor some slack into your schedule for the times when a sick child means missing a class, an unscheduled work meeting requires you to skip the gym, or you realize that you need just one more hour of revision before taking a difficult exam.

Finding Your Rhythm

Your experience as a mother might be very different from the one described here, but whatever the case is, the most important thing is identifying a rhythm that works for you and your family. The time-management tips above are not just tools; they are a way for you to be a more healthy and happy mother, student, worker, and partner. And we can assure you that you are doing an amazing job. Congratulations, and keep up the good work!