How I *Try* And Keep On Top Of Things & Manage My Time

I like the quote, "The bad news is that time flies, but the good news is that you're the pilot."

Time is something that seems to be, at this stage of my life, always on my mind. Life feels like it sped up after I became a Mum and then again when I became a Mum of two. It also feels faster I think because I work for myself at home, plus I'm pretty sure that having instant access to the Internet wherever I am in the world means that I feel like it's easier to lose time browsing, especially over on social media (an inevitable trap really considering a lot of what I do with my blog and my YouTube channel is also social media based). 

I've found that juggling things as a Mum is not only physically tough and also emotionally sometimes too (Hello Mum guilt!), but it can be so hard to manage time also. I know that I've spent a good chunk of time, feeling like there really isn't enough time in the day, or wishing that I could somehow stay up and awake at night just so that I could get everything I need to do done ready for a fresh start the next day.

And whilst staying awake all night and all day isn't really possible and whilst no day is ever the same and some days I feel like it's all going a bit wrong and I've been ridiculously unproductive, I am finding that some little changes are starting to help me manage my time better and help me *try* to keep on top of things. And so I thought I would share some of the changes that I've made which have been helping.. 

1. Write lists! 

My good friend and fellow family/lifestyle blogger Hayley, as well as my Husband, had been telling me to do this for so long and would I listen? Nope! I was one of those people who believe that they can manage lists and things they need to do all in their heads. But really, I was just overcrowding my mind for absolutely no reason at all! 

So now, whilst I'm not an expert planner or super organised (that's the end goal), I do write things down. I make lists of blog posts I want to write, videos I want to film, branded work I have to do, things we need on our shopping, new items we need for the boys or for the house and anything else like that. My husband and I share a reminders list on our phones for anything that we need for the weekly shop and when we realise something is empty or needs replacing then we quickly add it to the list so that when I go to order the shop I know exactly what to get. And for my work, I use a good old fashion pen and notebook that I keep at my desk. But I also jot down any notes or reminders on my phone if things come to my head whilst I am out and about. 

2. Never go up and down the stairs empty handed. 

My boys are forever leaving toys in different rooms and Adam and I are always leaving mugs and glasses about. I've learnt to never go and up down the stairs without something in my hand now that my youngest can manage the stairs without me needing to carry him. I also keep another (nicer looking) basket on my stairs that I use to take things up and then I fill it with things that need to come down for when I come back down the stairs. 

3. Make the beds daily

Oh keeping on top of the housework with young children can be fun, can't it?! ;) Ethan, my eldest, who's 4, likes to get the entire contents of his room out daily and then other times we are just so busy that doing a tidy of the rooms and the house is not really possible. So to make the house seem a little bit less messy, I will try and at least throw the bed covers over and make the bed look made. 

4. Schedule! 

If you are on social media a lot like me, I find that scheduling posts can really help. I don't do this as much as I should, purely because I'm so not Mrs. Super-organised, but using things like Social Oomph and Grum or an app called Later for Instagram can be amazing in terms of saving some time. There's also Facebook's own scheduler too! 

5. Do one thing you have been meaning to do daily

As an example of this, I had been meaning to clear out our shoe rack in our wardrobe, because 1. there were some shoes in there we hadn't worn for years and 2. it was an absolute mess! But though it only took about 10 minutes to do, I kept finding I didn't have the time to do it as it wasn't a priority. But recently I've started to make an effort to do one thing that I have been meaning to do daily just like this and I've found it so useful for at least making me feel like I'm finally getting somewhere and achieving. Next up is sorting out my sock drawer - which is currently so full that I can barely open it!! 

6. Add things to your phone calendar! 

I would forget so many things that I have on certain days if I didn't do this, especially as I'm taking into account four different peoples appointments and things they're doing throughout the year. I love the calendar app on my iPhone as I always set it to send me a reminder for things I need to do that day.. today it was to write this post! 

7. Don't forget about yourself

I know this is all about getting things done and ticking off lists, but I've found that I mostly feel in control of my time, when I make a bit of time for myself too. If I get to have some time in the day when I am doing something for me then I feel more refreshed and more like I've juggled everything and not left myself out. When I find that when I'm neglecting myself and just purely juggling everything else around me, I end up feeling a bit all work and no play and that actually makes me feel a lot less motivated and so I always try and factor in a little bit of me-time to my days. 

8. Have times in the day for certain things and also have set days in the week to do things

If you're struggling to keep on top of the laundry, set a day of the week to try and tackle it or a time in the day or both. And do the the same with everything else. Personally I find that if I give things times and days and break it down I find that it all feels a lot less overwhelming (and also the Mum-guilt feels quit a bit less!). 

I hope this post was somewhat helpful, I know how hard it can feel to try to juggle everything and try to keep on top of everything, but I really believe in making small changes to help change the big picture.

I'd like to say a big thank you to Daniel Wellington who kindly sent me the watch that I am wearing in this post (it's their Classic Petite watch and I have it in Sterling but it also comes in an equally beautiful rose-gold colour called Melrose). They've also kindly offered to give my blog readers 15% off using the code GLADWIN15 for a limited amount of time only. Daniel Wellington offer free shipping, as well as free returns and they also have a special offer on at the moment over on their website where they are offering a free strap danielwellington.com/uk/

Thank you for reading. 

Do you have any tips for helping to keep on top of things and manage time better?

Alex xo