I love feeling productive. I love making progress on ideas and crossing things off a list. So becoming a mum of two young children has definitely been a shock to my working life.
School runs, nursery bugs, broken nights, life admin and wanting to be present with my children all mean I have far less time to dedicate to my business than I used to. I’ve had to completely rethink what “getting things done” actually looks like.
Part of me would love to switch work off completely outside my working hours. But if I’m honest, that’s just not how my brain works. I genuinely enjoy what I do, and I often find myself thinking through ideas while walking to school or jotting something down after bedtime. Over the years I’ve also discovered a handful of small habits that help me make the most of the time I do have.
I know this approach won’t be for everyone, and that’s okay. But from lots of conversations with other business owners, I also know I’m not alone.
Before children, if I needed extra time to meet a deadline I’d often work late or catch up at the weekend. I’m not suggesting that’s a healthy long-term way to work, but it did give me flexibility when I needed it. These days, that isn’t an option very often, so I’ve had to become much more intentional about how I use my working hours.
I’ve been reflecting on the things that genuinely help me get work done alongside family life, and I wanted to share them in case one or two ideas help you make the most of your own time too.
None of these are revolutionary. They’re just the small habits and systems that help me make progress when my working week looks very different to it did a few years ago.
Let’s dive in!
I rarely have time to sit and read business books, so I listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I’m walking with my toddler. It’s one of the easiest ways I keep learning without needing extra hours in the day.
When an idea pops into my head (often on a walk with an audiobook), I send myself a WhatsApp message to a specifically named chat to come back to later. This is great when I’m having to multi-task as I’m bound to forget it!
When I’ve got half an idea or lots of thoughts flying around, I dictate them into ChatGPT and use it to help me untangle my thinking. It’s like having somewhere to empty my brain before I start properly working on an idea, which means I can get to the good stuff much faster when I do sit down to work.
By being clear on what work matters the most to the future of my business, I’m able to streamline my task list into a clear order of priority. There will always be urgent things that pop up, but knowing what matters most means I can make better decisions about what gets my attention first.
By understanding my long term strategy, I’m really clear on what I’m saying yes and no to. Saying no to the right things means I can protect my time to work on the things that really make an impact on my business.
I group small tasks into a bucket and then time block to work through these tasks one after another. Time blocking with a colour code (mine is yellow so I can easily see it amongst the meetings) has been a game changer for getting things done in my business. The trick is to be strict about how often I can move it around and I never delete one!
The Pomodoro Technique means working in short 25 minute chunks, with a 5 minute break. Within the 25 minute chunk I’m not allowed to look at my phone or emails and within the 5 minute break I have to step away from my desk. I often repeat these back to back.
Sometimes that means working during nap time. Sometimes it means doing a little work in the evening. It isn’t every day, but those small pockets of time really add up.
Getting my inbox to zero is a long term goal (and one I never quite hit), but the idea I follow is to try and get things out of my inbox quickly. It also helps to add things to your to do list, rather than having a lingering email to remind you. Filtering newsletters into a set folder is also absolutely crucial for me to avoid distractions.
I used to compare my output to when I worked full time but that’s just not realistic anymore. These days I’m trying to focus on making steady progress instead of expecting perfection.
One thing I’ve learnt since becoming a parent is that productivity isn’t about fitting more into a day. It’s about being intentional with the time I have.
I don’t get it right every week. There are days when nothing goes to plan and deadlines move, but these little habits help me keep making progress.
I’d love to know, what’s one habit that helps you make the most of your working time?
