Blog

When you’re a busy Mom, the idea of having free time - whilst it may bring you an overwhelming sense of excitement - is often met with the disappointment of realizing that it just isn’t going to happen. How are you ever going to make some free time when you’re always running around after everybody else, cleaning the house, or simply just going to work and trying to get enough money together to pay for all of the things that your family need (and want)? However, there are some ways that you can find some free time, and we’ve noted them down here for those busy Moms.

If you feel like you’re always so busy because you go to work during the day, come home in the evenings after picking your kids up from daycare, and then you’re back to cooking dinner, bathing the kids, and helping them with their homework, your time could be overtaken primarily by the fact that you have to work inflexible hours, and you’re struggling to fit your life around them. You could benefit from looking into jobs that you can do from home, such as freelance writing and photography, so see what is out there, and it could help you a lot. You can start and finish when you want, which is great news if you’re looking for some extra time.

Another issue that you may have as a busy Mom is that you just don’t know when to call it a day. Give yourself a cut off point, like 8pm, and tell yourself that you’re not going to do any work or cleaning after that point. It may seem like a trivial thing, but if you don’t know when to switch off, you’ll really feel as though you don’t have any time to yourself at all. You can make this easier by writing a list each day of the things that you want to do, and ensuring that you don’t do any other tasks afterwards. This is good for those Moms who think that they can do everything in a day, but really don’t take the time to do what they want to do, such as relaxing when the evening comes around.

As a busy parent, you may have to take your kids to school, and then take a bit of a detour to get to work. In some cases, you spend a lot of time just sitting in that rush hour traffic, wondering why so much of your time is spent driving around, and getting stuck amongst all of the hustle and bustle of the rat race. Whilst you can’t avoid the commute altogether (unless you work from home) you could cut it shorter, by getting a bike or an electric scooter, which will also help you to get some exercise in before you spend that long day sitting down at the office. Sometimes, the most time-consuming part of your day is driving to work, so cut this down by changing up your mode of transportation.

Another thing that could be eating up your time is your inability to say no, and we all have these issues sometimes. Whether you’ve been asked to babysit for somebody else, or you’ve said that you’ll go and help out somewhere, don’t be afraid to claim some of your free time back. You don’t always have to do these things, and if you’re too worried about hurting people’s feelings, you’ll never be able to take some time to yourself. If you’re not really sure how to go about this, just designate some nights to ‘me time,’ for relaxing and doing what you’re passionate about, and don’t commit to anything else on these days. You’ll be glad that you were firm about what you want in the long-run.

If you want to free up some of your time to do something that you’ve always really wanted to do, why not begin a project? Whether you’ve always wanted to knit a scarf, or you’ve always wanted to start up your own business selling your arts and crafts, actually taking the plunge and starting your own project could help you to make the time that you need. You may be having issues with finding time for yourself because you have no reason to, so you just think, ‘well, I may as well clean the house instead.’ Instead of doing this, decide what you want to do, and take the first step towards making it a reality. You have to do it at some point, so why not now?

Sometimes, the reason that you have no time is because you’re not organizing your plans for the future, and everything seems a bit up in the air. If you always have thoughts racing around your head (‘did I do everything that I was supposed to do?’) and you can never sit down knowing that everything is done and finished, you’re never going to be able to relax. Getting a calendar - and actually using it to write down your day-to-day tasks - could really help you to manage your time more efficiently, and it will also help those thoughts to stop circulating in your head so that you can really enjoy your evening. You don’t have to write things down excessively, but it’s a good idea to know the score.

If you’re always running around after everybody else, and you’re trying to balance a lot of things (which especially applies if you’re a single Mom) you may never be able to find time for yourself, no matter how much you plan. Whether you speak to your family members about this or your friends (or you just employ a babysitter) there is nothing wrong with reaching out, and asking for some help from others. If your friends have kids, it’s unlikely that they will mind babysitting your children for the night, especially if they know that you will return the favor. Either way, you never know until you ask, so find out whether people are willing to give you a hand, so that you can have some time to yourself.

OK, stay with us on this one. Perhaps, you’ve been going to something like a book club for a few years, and it has become a part of your weekly life, and an avenue by which you can escape and take some time to yourself. A year ago, you probably really enjoyed it, but have you asked yourself recently, ‘do I still like this?’ Sometimes, it’s good to just take a step back, and examine everything that you’re doing. If something isn’t really bringing you happiness anymore, and you’re not sure that you want to do it, then just cut it out. You haven’t got time to waste on things that aren’t really bringing you joy, especially if you’re a busy Mom, so ensure that you don’t waste a single second of your free time on things that you don’t like.

Most of us are guilty of this, and we spend way too much time browsing social media, texting, or just looking at stuff (that is pretty irrelevant anyway) on our phones. On most phones now you can see how much screen time you’ve had each day, and the results really could shock you. Instead of waking up in the morning and scrolling through social media, wake up and go for a walk, or just spend some time listening to a podcast or the radio. Many of us are wasting a lot of time by using technology when we don’t really need to, so say goodbye to Facebook, and hello to spending more time on you. Life is better when you’re not living it according to the expectations of others, too!

If you want to free up some time as a busy Mom, why not try out some of these simple tips? From working at home to cutting out some of the time that you spend online, there are plenty of ways to reclaim some of the hours in your day, without compromising on the love and care that you give to your kids. Sometimes, all you really need is a bit of organization, so that you know when to switch off, and take some time that is just for you. We get it, parenting is one of those things that takes over your life, and there isn’t much you can do about this. However, you can still have a life, and you deserve one, too. After all, you’re working hard to give your kids all that you can!

Good luck freeing up some time for yourself, and feeling happier and healthier as a result. And however you do this, always remember that you totally deserve it, so don’t feel guilty!