Time management for women: how a working woman can manage everything

Time management for women is the science of proper time management. It has nothing to do with classic time management. A modern woman has to play many roles. She runs the house, works, and raises children. And you also need to remain a true lady, not forgetting to devote time to appearance, health, and self-development. Is it possible to do all this? How to achieve success while coping with all responsibilities?

Time management for women - how to manage everything

Time management for women is a system of rules that help them cope with problems. This is the science of how to find time to satisfy immediate needs, communicate with your husband, children, meet with friends, professional activities and yourself. The advice for women and men is different. All because of different responsibilities. Men spend most of their time at work, devoting themselves to making money and moving up the career ladder. Women have to work, run the house, and raise children.

Why classic time management doesn't work

There are three reasons:

Women are focused on doing several things at once.
Usually plans and concerns appear unexpectedly. Children get sick, your spouse is late at work, your parents or girlfriend have problems - all this forces you to change your routine, adding new items to it.
Women rarely have free minutes. They work, build a career and at the same time do household chores. It turns out that there are more tasks, but the number of hours in the day does not change.

Working women need time management very much. But classical recommendations in this case are ineffective.

Time blocks

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Task lists have one unpleasant feature: they give absolutely no idea how much time a particular task requires. “Buy bread” and “Finish the report” occupy one line on the list, but these tasks are not comparable in complexity and importance.

A calendar is much better than a to-do list: it allows you to control time visually. You see a big block and realize that the task is not easy. So try the “time block” technique: put them on your calendar and allocate time to each according to the complexity of the task. And while you are doing this or that task, do not be distracted by others.

Time management for women during working hours

Simple recommendations will help you cope with monotonous office work faster:

To get ready for work faster, come to the office earlier. This is better than wasting time talking over a cup of coffee at the beginning of the work day.
Identify important points. Work quickly and efficiently.
Divide the most complex tasks into several small ones. Take, for example, a large report. It can be broken into pieces. Write one every day.
Do the most unpleasant, least favorite tasks at the beginning of the working day. This way you will improve your mood and free yourself from the burden of responsibility.
Another recommendation concerns minor issues. Solve them as they arise. Don't leave things for later.
Don't try to do the work for yourself or your colleagues. Remember your responsibilities.
Find a way to enjoy your work. Organize a small competition, try to beat your own records, check the results from time to time.
Take short breaks. You can work according to the 50-10-50 principle. What does it mean? Spend 50 minutes working, then rest for 10 minutes and return to your duties. And so on throughout the day. If possible, take a walk and stretch your legs.
Do the most serious tasks in the morning. In the hustle and bustle of the day, you can forget about them. As a result, you will not have time to do anything.
Time management for women involves delegating responsibilities. Don’t be afraid to shift some of the work to your subordinates. This will free up time for more important tasks.
Make good use of your free time. This does not mean that you can have fun at work, watch TV series or play computer games. It’s better to read information related to your field of activity, study new laws or watch master classes and trainings.
Time management involves summing up at the end of each working day. Note what you did or didn't have time to do. Transfer the remaining to-do list to the next day.

The main secret of time management for working women: remember, your family and friends are waiting for you at home. Make the most of your time. This is the only way to combine work and personal life.

ZTD

Leo Babauta, author of the productivity blog Zenhabits, believes that David Allen's GTD system is very complex and requires too much effort. He offers his Zen-style system - Zen to Done. To follow it, you need to develop 10 simple habits.

Collect all information in Inbox.
Process all records without shelving them.
Plan your main goals for each day and your biggest tasks for the week.
Focus on only one thing each time, without scattering your attention.
Create simple, short to-do lists.
Organize notes into categories based on their content, just like the original GTD.
Regularly review your notes and get rid of unnecessary things.
Simplify. Reduce the list of your tasks and goals, write briefly and clearly.
To get ready for work, maintain a certain daily routine constantly.
Do something that really interests you.

Home time management for working women

Many working women find it difficult to find time for household chores, and especially for themselves. This is the main problem. To solve it, put into practice the best time management tips:

You should not combine several things at once. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do one or the other well. An example is cooking dinner and doing homework with a child, cleaning the apartment and participating in children's games.
Don't be shy about sharing responsibilities with others. Make the work yourself easier and faster. But this is a direct path to fatigue, bad mood, apathy. Therefore, trust your spouse or children with some of the household chores. This way you will stop feeling like a servant.
Set aside a few hours to visit a beauty salon, practice hobbies or sports, read books, or just relax.
Try getting up and going to bed earlier. This advice won't suit everyone. But why not try? It is better to go to bed a couple of hours earlier than to devote this time to useless wandering through the Internet.
Leave work issues outside the apartment. There are already enough women's responsibilities at home.

Another good tip: use the 10-3-2-1-0 rule more often. What does it mean?

10 hours before bedtime, you should avoid drinks containing caffeine.
3 hours before bedtime, stop eating and drinking alcohol.
Give 2 hours before bed to rest and relaxation.
1 hour before bedtime, stop watching TV, reading news on social networks from your phone and tablet.
In the morning, when the alarm rings, you must make 0 clicks to turn it off.

Following this technique helps you get enough sleep and get up in the morning refreshed, full of strength and energy.

Kanban

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A Japanese productivity method that helps you keep track of what you're doing, what you've already done, and what you need to do in the future. Kanban visualizes the workflow in a clear way.

You take a sticky board (or sign up for a to-do manager like Trello) and draw three columns on it: “To do,” “Doing,” and “Done.” Then write your tasks on sticky notes and place them in the appropriate column depending on what you are doing and what you have already done.

Time management for women on maternity leave

From the outside, it seems that on maternity leave a woman is enjoying motherhood and communicating with her rosy-cheeked baby. However, in reality, a young mother has to face a harsh reality consisting of everyday duties, caring for the baby, sleepless nights and other responsibilities. The basics of time management for women on maternity leave will help you keep up with everything. There are 3 simple tips:

Plan your day. While on maternity leave, it is almost impossible to go with the flow. Day by day new problems arise. You need to take the older child to school, clean the apartment, prepare lunch and dinner, and spend time with the younger children. And all this in 24 hours. Planning will help you manage everything. Get a notebook or diary. Write down absolutely all tasks there, even washing dishes.
Try to simplify your life. In the modern world this is not difficult to do. Almost all housewives have washing machines, multicookers and a robot vacuum cleaner. All that remains is to properly plan the planned work. Take cooking, for example. A pre-compiled menu for the week will free up a lot of time.
Most often, a woman goes on maternity leave. The man provides for the family financially. But even in this situation, he can allocate a couple of hours to take care of the child. A woman can devote the freed time to herself or to household chores.

The main advice for women on maternity leave: don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Time management for women - programs

If you don’t know how to plan your day on your own, use special programs. A user-friendly interface, simple controls and useful functions - everything you need for women's time management. There are several examples:

Time Planner. The application is suitable for devices with the Android operating system. Helps create an action plan, highlight important tasks and analyze performance.
Timessheet. A free program that allows you to create voice notes. If necessary, you can calculate payment for working hours and draw up a report.
Focus booster. The program is based on a technique with the unusual name “Tomato” (Pomodoro). Involves alternating work and short-term rest. Equipped with a built-in timer with a sound signal.

Assistance in planning is provided by the online organizer on the website time-master.ru. It helps in creating a daily routine, dividing tasks into important and secondary ones, and monitoring their implementation.

How to find time for work and family without forgetting about yourself. Does a woman need planning? Undoubtedly! Only in this way will female energy be directed in the right direction. And there are several key points that distinguish women's time management from men's.

#ee1d24;»> 1) Have clear focuses. For successful planning, a woman must first of all clearly understand what she really wants in all major areas of life: family, career, finances, health, personal development, etc. Set aside time for each area. If your goal is to become slimmer and achieve good health, then to achieve results you need to schedule time into your day for exercise, optimal sleep, preparing healthy meals and self-care. Go towards your goal without being scattered on things that do not support the main goal, even if they seem very interesting and attractive.

#ee1d24;"> 2) React to events flexibly. In women's time management, prioritization while maintaining a flexible approach is important. If, for example, cleaning is planned in the evening, but suddenly the child demands active participation in the creation of a creative project, then the priority here will certainly be the family. You'll clean it up this weekend. You shouldn’t be upset and “gnaw” yourself because your plans had to be adjusted for the sake of your family. In the words of Stephen Covey, you need to “focus not on the clock, but on the compass of your heart”! Discipline is important, but you shouldn't abuse yourself.

#ee1d24;"> 3 #ee1d24;">) Plan your days. The night before, write down all the tasks for the next day, important and small tasks: from meeting with business partners to getting a manicure. Transfer all your plans onto paper as much as possible, this will help you unload your thoughts. After all, your brain is like a computer: if the RAM is overloaded, the processor works slowly. Don't take on everything at once. Highlight 10 things that definitely need to be done. The rest, if you don’t have time to do it, rewrite it for another day or, even better, delegate it. Place things in order of importance.

#ee1d24;"> 4) Keep track of time wasters. Your day is planned out, you’re spinning like a squirrel in a wheel, but you’re always running out of time? Over the course of a week, write down everything you do and how long it takes. Perhaps you are constantly distracted by messages in the PTA WhatsApp group, or you open Facebook for a second and hang there mindlessly scrolling through your feed. Understand what prevents you from using your time effectively and track time wasters: social networks, TV, chatting with friends, etc.

#ee1d24;"> 5) Rest and take care of yourself. Don't lose sight of your circadian rhythms: if your body asks for 8-9 hours of sleep, sleep. After all, when you sleep, the brain scans and “repairs” your body, and also fills you with energy reserves. Every weekend, give yourself nice gifts: go for a massage, a manicure, take a walk - do something that allows you to relax and recover. Yes, plan regular vacations too!

And the last piece of advice: take a free video course on women’s leadership from Elena Kuzina (click here). I'm sure it will be useful to you!

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Books on time management for women

They introduce you to the basics of planning, teach you how to properly manage time and manage everything. Popular books on time management for women:

"The Muse and the Monster. How to organize creative work,” Yana Frank. The publication is suitable for women raising children over 5 years old. Shows how to plan time, in particular leisure time. Considers issues of joint creative work.
Time management for young mothers or how to manage everything with a child,” Maria Heinz. The name speaks for itself. The book helps women make tactical decisions and cope with stressful situations.
“Time management secrets for working women. How to balance your personal life, family and career,” Ruth Klein. This book is especially relevant these days. Shows how to properly distribute tasks while remaining a mother, housewife and wife.

There are other books on time management for women. Take the time to read and put the tips into practice.

Time management tips for women

Time management like a woman suggests following 10 simple recommendations:

Don't think of planning as limiting your freedom. This is freeing up time for yourself.
When creating a daily routine, divide tasks by importance. Also group them by area. This could be work, family, entertainment, etc.
Don't burden yourself with things to do. There should be a maximum of 10 of them. And this includes small tasks. Otherwise, by the evening you will feel like a squeezed lemon. This is not the best state for communicating with children and spouse.
Complete 2 global tasks during the day. Let the rest be less important.
If possible, resolve some issues over the phone or via the Internet.
Try to do several things at the same time. For example, when taking your child to kindergarten or school, go to the grocery store. Or listen to foreign language programs while cooking dinner.
Learn to say a firm “no.” This skill will be needed at work when someone is trying to shift responsibilities to you. Do your job, don't solve other people's problems.
Trying to cope with everything at once, women are in a hurry, confused and nervous. Do not hurry. This is one of the main rules of time management. Solve problems confidently and calmly.
Don't forget about rest. You must have at least 1 day off per week. On this day, do something that distracts you from everyday life and the bustle of everyday life.
In your daily routine, indicate a clear time allotted for completing a particular task.

These tips prove that women have enough 24 hours a day to remain good mothers, housewives and wives.

Method number 2 - divide the day into blocks

You know how it happens - we get out of bed, half asleep and start working. By the time the energy flares up, it’s already evening. There is a lot of unfinished work at work, there is no time to clean the house again, the children are offended, the hobby is once again postponed until a vague “tomorrow”.

But it’s enough to distribute things correctly throughout the day, and you can get a lot more done in the same time. The mood will also be fine.

Break your day into 4 blocks:

1. Concentration. At a certain time, approximately 2-3 hours, do the most important things. Try not to get distracted, take short breaks and please don't open social media