How becoming a mom improved my time management skills
5 tips for thriving in less time.
Becoming a mom is a life changing experience. After the mystical moment I realized how amazing it is to put a brand new living being on Earth, the reality with all its triviality slowly set back in. One of the first things I noticed was how much time I had before. Countless hours spent surfing the web, shopping and doing my nails, or at best time doing exactly nothing, where wiped out overnight. Going back to work was another sort of awakening. Once I used to log in over 50 hours a week and still felt as if I had done only half of what I was supposed to. Now I get all done in 4 days and manage to pick up my son from Kita at 5pm. How? I’m not a superwoman, and I regret not having used some of this techniques before. So here I’m sharing my 5 tips, in the hope they will help you saving more time for funnier things:
1. I don’t read all my emails
This might not be a popular thing to say and apologies to all those people still awaiting a reply for me. Chances are, I’ve never even opened the email. First thing in the morning I skim through my inbox and mark as read anything that looks like a) don’t need my input and b) don’t add valuable information. Of the 100+ emails I get every day, I read only roughly 30%. I’ve been doing this for over a year now and I’ve only skipped relevant info a couple of times (for the record: less than I used to before). In all other cases, no one even noticed.
2. I only focus on what’s important
Surely you’re familiar with the Eisenhower matrix. The rule is simple: focus only on the important things. It’s easier said than done, especially when urgent but not important tasks are filling the day. I first check they are actually urgent and of some value (as I do with the email), then proceed to either delegate them or if this isn’t possible complete them in the quickest acceptable way. The result might not be perfect, but is always good enough.
3. I use checklists for everything
Another thing that is saving me both time and mental energy is setting up a checklist for all routine tasks. I’ve a checklist for when I leave the home, one for my son’s diaper bag, one for when I leave the office. Checklists are extremely easy to create and very effective for all those trivial tasks which must be done on a regular basis and you could forget by distraction, as picking up the office badge or checking the meetings for the next day.
4. I ask for help and advice
If I got a cent for every hour I spent trying to find the solution by myself I’d be a millionaire. Sure, that’s numerous advantages in learning by cracking the essence of the problem all by yourself, but is this the most efficient way? Not really. The luck of working in a big company is that it’s full of people, so it’s easy to find someone who knows more than me and can give some help. If not, Google and online forums 99% of the time have the answer or tip I’m looking for.
5. I eat lunch at my desk
I know, Never Eat Alone is the mantra, but time is scarce and I would rather spend it with my family. In order to get all job done and pick up my son on time, I spend most of lunches at my desk. It’s an incredibly productive time as usually people are either out of office having lunch or too busy themselves to come interrupting. Plus, if you manage to bring your own lunchbox is also cheaper and healthier (but I cheat with the canteen quite on a regular basis).
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