You Don't Have To Be Superwoman To Be A Super Mom

Timesaving Tips for Working Mothers

The days when mothers stayed home and took care strictly of household duties are long gone. While being a stay-at-home mother is no picnic, when time must be divided between household and family duties and demands of the workplace, there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to accomplish everything.

One of the most dramatic changes in family life over the past half century in has been the rapid transition to two-income families in the United States. In 1948, only 11 percent of married women with children under the age of 6 worked outside the home. Today, more than 60 percent of married women with young children work outside the home, and 39 percent work in full-time jobs. The 2000 Census also revealed that there are 6.5 million single working mothers in America. These mothers face even greater challenges than do mothers who can rely on a spouse or significant other for help.

How is a mother supposed to do her best to raise her children, keep her relationship with her spouse or significant other strong, while performing at a high level in the workplace? It's isn't easy to successfully juggle all of these competing activities, but many working mothers have found that being able to manage their time effectively goes a long way in making things a lot less stressful.

Just what are some of the best ways to turn the clock into your ally instead of enemy? Here are a few tips from working moms who believe anyone can use even a few of these and realize some serious time-leveraging benefits.

Tip Number One: Set Goals.
A goal can be as small as trying to make your morning routines go smoother, or it could be something as big as getting a new job or striving for a new position with your current employer. No matter how big or small, writing out your goals and your plan on how to get there on paper. That will help you keep your focus. One working mother compared writing out her goals and plans as if it was a confession to herself: "If you confess it, you'll possess it," she said. And it's a creed she lives by every day.

Tip Number Two: Break Goals Into Smaller Tasks.
For example, if one of your goals is to do that load of laundry that's been piling up, you might now see that as a goal that is reached in a single step. If you break it up into several smaller steps, your sense of accomplishment will seem to grow as well. So don't just look at it as "do laundry" as one large step; rather, break it up into several steps: wash laundry; take it out of washer; place it into the dryer; remove from dryer; fold the clothes; place clothes into proper drawers or closest. This way you've completed six steps to reach your goal, instead of a single step for the same goal. Mothers who have tried this testify that it builds a much greater sense of accomplishment than a single step used to in accomplishing the same goal. Crossing off six steps is a much better feeling than crossing off just one!

Tip Number Three: Delegate.
This is a fancy word for sharing responsibility with others. Ask your kids, spouse, or significant others to help around the house. This applies to getting meals ready, doing laundry, cleaning the house, yard work, grocery shopping, and other things that need to be done on a daily basis. Many mothers use a reward system with charts for children to earn points for each chore they complete to reinforce good habits and show how much their help is appreciated.

Tip Number Four: Plan Meals Ahead.
If you shop for food more than three times per week, try to eventually whittle those grocery runs to one per week. This will help you develop better meal plans, and save a lot of time and money in the long run. And do you remember the crock pot that grandma used to prepare so many delicious meals? They are staging a comeback as working mothers in particular realize how valuable they are as time savers. Today's crock-pots come in a range of sizes and can be set to start cooking whenever you decide. Not only can you load them up with healthy ingredients from simple recipes, but you, your children and spouse can return to house that smells as if the chef has been hard at it all day.

Tip Number Five: Live Close To Work.
While this may seem insignificant in the big-picture of job seeking, it can be a key factor in making your life a lot less stressful. It's not unusual for most of us to have a 30-minute drive each way to work. Many have it even worse. Traffic congestion keeps getting worse, and when you have to drop off and pick up a child (or children) at daycare or school activities, and you spend a lot of your waking hours behind the wheel. And it goes without saying doing all these things while trying to get to work on time can put a lot of added stress in your day. If you're feeling too much pressure to get too many things done with too little time, both before and after work, you may want to consider moving closer to your workplace. Not only will you save wear and tear on your vehicle, you'll save wear and tear on yourself!

So there you have it. Five quick tips to help you get more done in less time, and building closer family ties while you do it. That's a plan even Super Woman would admire.