Weekly Planner for Moms

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As your CCM (Chief Creative Mom), my goal is equipping, energizing and empowering moms to give the best of themselves to the ones they love.

I wrote this article for moms who want more time for the important things in their life and to stop the time-wasters.

When a woman becomes a mom the stakes of responsibility get very high. You become the caretaker of a littler person who depends on you for everything. Yet, who knew having a child would create such chaos and offset a once organized life. Why? Children are little people who create their own schedule, agenda, and method of doing things. These precious little beings come into the world without a schedule. It’s our first wake up call that life is not as it was. Along with attempting to create a routine where everyone is singing off the same song sheet, you have a little one changing things at every turn.

So how can a mom manage it all?

Before becoming a mom, I was a schedule freak. Everyday at home and at work, I had a daily checklist that I followed intently. When my first son was born, my to-do list became just getting through the day learning to breastfeed, heal from delivering an 11-pound baby, and navigating his sleep schedule. I really never knew what 3 a.m. looked like until I was pacing and rocking Nicholas, hoping he would fall asleep. As a new mom, I had to re-teach myself how to use time wisely. Moms are pulled in so many directions with the number one focus being with and caring for their children. Whether infants to teenagers, your mind and heart are always about your kids.

One question I get a lot from other moms is,

“How do you get so much done in a day?”

It is true – I do get a lot done in a day. This is why I finally decided to map out what I do, as it might help those who are interested. As a mom, owner of two businesses, blogger, YouTuber and involved in community programs, my life is full. In striving to create a managed life, it was never to impress anyone; it was to spend more time with my children. Each stage of a child’s life is something epic, so I didn’t want to miss a moment because I was unorganized, overstressed, and too busy. Through trial and error I did find a way to manage life that is productive and allows time with the ones I love.

We all want a clean house, bills paid, meals prepared, shopping done, homework complete, career success, self-care, and quality time with our children and spouse. It seems impossible, but it’s not. I am here to show you that having a time-managed life is not only possible, but also not as hard as you think. It just takes a little planning and then to start. I have 15 tips that have made my life and other mom’s lives well-oiled machines. The benefit of implementing these ideas is to have more time being with your family and friends and doing what you love. Now, my life doesn’t always manage perfectly and I still have days where I get to bed and say, “I accomplished nothing!”, “Where did the time go”, “What a waste of a day”. Those are the days my mom management system are out-of-service and I went off schedule. And yes, these are a waste of a day, unless you planned it to be (which are productive days of rest, relaxation and fun). But, these off days are rare. It’s like being on a diet and you end up eating a half-gallon of ice cream (I use this example as I have done this). So, you have one non-diet day, you just get back on your plan and off you go. I believe in progress, not perfection.

These 15 tips are not “have-to’s”. I am someone who absorbs lots of information and then takes what I need or believe is helpful. I have read many time-management articles and the one thing I dislike is the, “Get up an extra hour earlier”, “You have to exercise”, “You need to buy this $59 planner”, and “hire a housekeeper.” Well, these don’t work for me. So, take what you need from my tips and implement them to be a more productive mom! A Side-Note: I am grateful that my time-management skills were in place when I learned that my marriage of sixteen years was over. It was a devastating and emotional time. Having my life already on a schedule served me well during these challenging days as I lived on autopilot just getting through the day. Not only was I going through the turmoil of betrayal but also facing a new reality of raising my boys on my own. Having a system in place allowed me to focus on others areas of my life that needed attention.