Busy Single Moms? Get Your Time Back With These Smart Hacks

And , as a side note , I do have that on a mug that you can get . You'll find that in the podcast description notes . So let's do a reality check . Every mom gets 24 hours right .

So how do some manage to work , raise kids , stay sane and even squeeze in a moment for themselves , while others feel like they're constantly drowning , one flush away from going down the toilet bowl ? Here's the spoiler alert it's not about doing more sisters , it's about doing what matters in less time .

So in this episode , ladies , we are going to get busy busting the biggest myth , and that myth is being busy equals being productive . Today , we are reclaiming our time with smart , sassy and some sanity-saving hacks . Welcome to another episode of it's a Single Mom Thing , the Too Busy Trap . Where Is your Time Really Going ? All right , mamas ?

So it's time for a little wake up call . If I asked you right now where your time goes each day , could you tell me , like , actually tell me , or would you just say I don't know , it just disappears . Well , here's a newsflash Time doesn't vanish into thin air . It gets spent like a hundred dollar bill .

The real question is are you the one spending it or is it being stolen from you ? Ah , so here's where a little reality check might come in . Every single mom gets 24 hours right . The mom who's balancing work , kids and personal growth Same 24 hours . A single mom who somehow manages to finish school , start a business or carve out some self-care Same 24 hours .

So what's the difference ? It's not time , ladies , it's choices . So let's get real and reflective for a moment . Hope you got your Thriving 25 journal handy , or a little scrap of paper , whatever works for you . I just want you to take two minutes and write this down .

Number one three things you do daily that are absolutely necessary , for example , getting the kids to school , working , cooking dinner , homework . Two then , I want you to write three things that steal your time without giving much back , for example , mindless scrolling , saying yes to things you don't want to do , running around without a plan .

And then , finally three . One thing you wish you had time for but never do . Could it be like reading a book , exercising , having a moment of peace , sitting outside , soaking up some sunshine and silence ? Say that really fast and then pause , look at your list and what do you notice ? Here's the reality time taker , check .

If you have time to scroll , you have time to take a breath . If you have time to binge watch , you have time to plan your day . If you have time to say yes to what drains you , you have time to say yes to what fuels you . It's not about doing more . It's about doing what matters more .

Now let's do a quick , powerful test to see where your time is leaking For the next 24 hours . I want you to track every single thing you do . Now , be reasonable here . We don't have to be ridiculous . It doesn't have to include potty breaks and all of that , but you know what I'm putting down .

Then I want you to write that down in your journal or use your phone's notes app and be brutally honest with yourself . So how much time are you spending on , say , social media ? How often are you running , say , last minute errands ? How many times are you redoing things because you didn't plan ahead ?

Or how many times are you pouring into people who don't pour into you ? These are time takers and time wasters . Mamas , you see the things and people that keep you stuck , stretched thin and one meltdown away from losing it over missing a sippy cup . Time takers and time wasters .

So time saver , truth bomb here you don't have to keep over pouring into empty cups when your own is running dry . Ooh that was good . If you wouldn't let someone drain your bank account , why would you let them drain your energy and your time too ? You see , at the end of the day , I want you to highlight the things that actually moved your life forward .

Be prepared now , mama . This might be a wake up call for you , but here's the good news If you can see where your time is going , then you can get it back .

So , now that we've put some time thieves on blast , let's get into the hacks that will help you reclaim your time , reduce the chaos and finally feel in control of your day the smart hacks to get your time back . The smart hacks to get your time back .

All right , mamas , now that we've put time thieves on blast and called out those sneaky time wasters , it's time to flip your script , because here's the thing you don't need more time . You need to manage the time you already have . And let me tell you , it starts with being intentional .

Now , intentional meaning making choices on purpose , kind of like how your kid intentionally ignores you when you say it's bedtime , but miraculously hears you whisper ice cream from three rooms away .

Or being intentional is like grocery shopping with the list first going in just for some milk and coming out with $100 worth of snacks , candles and a plant you didn't need . So now that we're clear , we can move on to some hack helpers . Hack number one the top three rule , because not everything is urgent .

Listen , your to-do list , like mine , might look like Santa's naughty or nice list , but not everything is urgent and not everything deserves your energy . Before your feet hit the floor in the morning , I want you to ask yourself what are the three most important things I need to do today . Not 20 , not 10 , three .

If nothing else gets done , but those three things , the day is still a win . Okay , so get that journal back out . Do not put that away . We do have some deep work we are doing today . So in our Thriving 25 journal , I want you to do a little check in here and write down your top three priorities for the day . Now be specific .

Instead of putting at the top get stuff done . I want you to write something like pay the electric bill , meal prep for tomorrow or even call the school about the field trip . Everything else is a bonus . This keeps you focused , less overwhelmed and out of the quote . Unquote . I ran around all day but got nothing done . Trap .

So hack number two time blocking like a boss . Ever feel like you're constantly multitasking but never finishing anything ? That's because multitasking is a scam . Now time blocking ? Well , that is where it is at and that is your new best friend . And here's how that works One , pick a task . Two , set a timer .

And three , do only that task until the timer goes off . And here are some examples of how that looks . Let's say , 30 minutes for housework . When the timer's up , you're done . Or number two how about one hour for work ? That means emails and texts . They can wait .

Or 15 minutes , for I don't know something like you and no , you don't owe anyone an explanation for this one . This even works for pity parties or full-on cry sessions . Block out 30 minutes and then the party is over Time to deflate the balloons and send your guests packing . And here's why it works . Your brain's not a browser with 27 tabs open .

Time blocking forces you to finish things faster instead of jumping around and getting nothing done like a buffering computer . So here's your thriving 25 journal check . I want you to write down three things you need to time block this week . For example , what's one thing you always push off and time block that first . Now hack .

Number three the no you need to say because not everything deserves a yes . Here's a hard truth that's going to be incoming . Every time you say yes to something you don't want to do , you are saying no to something you actually need to , and this includes people . You need to give your permission to say no , granted .

No , you don't have to join every PTA meeting . No , you don't have to be the first to volunteer for every school event . No , you don't have to answer every text immediately Saying no , it's not rude , it's self-respect and it protects your time and your peace .

Our journal prompt I want you to write down one , just one , one thing that you are going to say no to this week , something that drains you , wastes your time or just doesn't fit in this season of your life . Hack number four the set it and forget it system .

Mamas , listen , how many things are you doing over and over again that you could automate , delegate or schedule ahead of time ? Here are a few examples of set it and forget it . Number one grocery pickup or delivery . Stop running to the store five times a week . Two how about auto pay bills ? No more . Oh , shoot , I forgot the fees .

Or three pre-made lunch or snack bins for the kids , so they stop asking you 47 times a day for snacks . You see , here's the raw and real reality check .

If you can automate it , why are you still doing it manually , girl , again , I know we got a lot of journal prompts that we are doing today and we're almost done with those , but these are important and I hope that you find them useful . So , journal prompt write down one thing you can automate , delegate or schedule a week ahead .

So here's my closing thoughts on the help hack section Take control of your time . Here's the deal . You don't need more time . You need to manage the time you do have . Not everything is urgent and prioritize what matters . No , well , it is a full sentence , so you need to use it . And three , if you can't set it and forget it , do it Now .

Take what we just talked about and start making changes today , and you can text me or tag me telling me what hack you're going to try first . So up next , we're going to talk about the me time must have , because you can't pour from an empty cup . All right .

So now that we've talked about taking back your time from wasted tasks and time thieving people , now let's get into the part most single moms skip over . Can you take a guess what that is ? It's you . Here's the hard truth alert . If you don't make time for yourself , burnout will schedule itself for you .

Now I already know what you're thinking mamas , me time Girl , where , between work , kids and life , I barely have time to breathe . So take a deep breath before I hit you with this . Self-care is not selfish , it is survival . So let's look at some hacks to help a sister out . Hack number one the 10-minute rule , because you deserve a timeout too .

Yes , girl , yes Mama , you take timeouts away from your kids when they're losing it , so why don't you take one for yourself before you lose it ? Ever thought about that ? Enter the 10-minute rule , and here's how this goes . Take 10 minutes a day just for you . Yeah you , no chores , no kids and no work . But what can you do in 10 minutes ?

Well , I don't know . Sip your coffee while it's still hot . There's a thought . Sit in your car before going inside , Just breathing . A single mom's version of a spa day . Maybe Read one page of a book , no pressure to finish a whole chapter here , dance it out in your kitchen or do nothing . Yep , I said nothing . 10 minutes a day , ladies .

Well , that is 70 minutes a week . That's over an hour of you time you wouldn't have otherwise . And don't tell me you can't find 10 minutes . You just found five scrolling social media , mic drop , okay . So hope you got that journal still there and haven't packed it away . I want you to write down one thing you can do for yourself in just 10 minutes today .

Go , you have 10 minutes , Okay . When you're back , come back . We're going to go into hack number two , and that's the power of saying hold on , mama's busy . Let me tell you something wild . You don't have to be available 24-7 . I know this is shocking , right ? It's okay to tell your kids mama's busy .

Not every snack request is urgent , not every email needs an immediate reply and not every call needs to be answered right now . You , mama , are allowed to set boundaries with your time . In fact , you should guard it like Fort Knox . So in your journal you guessed it .

I want you to write down just one area where you need to set a boundary and protect your time . Then come back and we're going on to hack number three , and that's build in a mom recharge moment . You see , you plug in your phone every night so it doesn't die . So why are you running on 1% all the time ?

Find one small daily habit that recharges you , like five minutes of prayer or gratitude , journaling , or how about a walk around the block Listening to a song that makes you feel like a boss , stealing your kids' fruit snacks and pretending you're on vacation . No judgment here , or plugging into a powerful podcast . Did I say thank you for being here ?

You see , recharging doesn't have to be big , it just has to happen . So write down or think about it . If your journal is full , think about one simple way that you can recharge daily . Hack number four treat your time like a budget . You wouldn't let someone drain your bank account , would you ?

So why are you letting everything and everyone drain your energy without limits ? You see your time . Think of it as currency and spend it wisely . If you wouldn't spend your last $20 on something pointless , don't spend your last bit of energy on things that don't matter . Think about things .

One thing that you're going to stop wasting time on this week so you have more time for what actually matters . And here's some closing thoughts that I have on this section . Give yourself permission to take time back , and here's what I want you to walk out with today .

Me time , it's not extra , it's essential , girl , 10 minutes for yourself can change your whole day . Saying mama's busy is a boundary , not an excuse , and recharging it isn't a luxury , it's a necessity . So take one of these hacks and try it today . Don't forget to text me or tag me and hit me up with which one hit home for you today .

So up next , we're going to talk about the time take back challenge , because it's your time , mama . So we've called out the time thieves , set up smart hacks and made space for you in your own schedule .

Now it's time for the final step , or the icing on the cake , and that means actually doing it , because knowing how to take your time back is one thing , and actually doing it , that is another . That's where the miracle happens . So the take back challenge For the next seven days . I challenge you , ladies , to put these time-saving , sanity-saving hacks into action .

Pick one , pick one of the hacks we talked about and commit to it . Not five , not three , just one . And then do it daily . If you can do it once , you can do it again and pay attention to the shift . Once you can do it again and pay attention to the shift .

Notice how you feel when you start taking control of your time instead of letting it take control of you . How do you feel ? You see what happens when you take your time back . Well , you stop running in circles and start actually moving forward . You also stop feeling guilty for saying no and you start feeling powerful for saying yes to what matters .

And you also stop being busy for the sake of being busy and you start being intentional about what actually matters in your life . So here are my final thoughts you deserve your own time . If you take nothing else from this episode , take this . Your time is yours . You don't have to give it away to every person , every task or every demand .

You are worthy of time that serves you , not just everyone else . So go , take it back . One choice , one boundary , one intentional move at a time . Ladies , it's time to take back your time and stop running on empty , because when you manage your minutes wisely , you don't just survive , you thrive .

Isn't that what you've been writing down all morning in your journal with me ? So text me , tag me and tell me which hack you're claiming as yours this week , so we could do this together . And hey , if you need a daily reminder that your time is your dime . Grab that coffee mug and find that in the episode notes .

Until next time , keep rocking that single mom life , but now , with more time for what actually matters , are you looking for a group to call your own ? Join our it's a Single Mom Thing Facebook group , because you don't have to figure this out or go it alone . Never want to miss an episode ? Subscribe to the podcast on Apple , spotify or iHeart Radio .

Need prayer ? Call our 24-hour prayer line at 855-822-PRAYER . Do you know a sister who needs to get her time back ? Tag a single mom who needs these time-saving hacks and want to take a break and give back . Join us at the West Shore Services Florida HVAC Raise and Rally Pickleball Tournament on March 29th . Let's have fun while supporting single moms like you .

More information at shepherdsvillagecom . Forward slash pickleball .

For more information and resources , check out our show notes .