• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Jeddah Mom

Confident Parenting | Deliberate Motherhood | Kids Activities

  • START HERE
  • Motherhood
    • WAHMs Life
    • Hobbies
  • Parenting
    • Muslim Kids
      • Hajj Activities
      • Ramadan Activities
    • Kids Education
      • Books
      • Sensory Play
      • Kids Crafts
  • Home Life
    • Schedule and Routines
  • Jeddah Life
  • Search
  • START HERE
  • Motherhood
    • WAHMs Life
    • Hobbies
  • Parenting
    • Muslim Kids
      • Hajj Activities
      • Ramadan Activities
    • Kids Education
      • Books
      • Sensory Play
      • Kids Crafts
  • Home Life
    • Schedule and Routines
  • Jeddah Life
  • Search

How to Find Time to do Everything in Your Life

December 31, 2018 By //  by Aysh Siddiqua 9 Comments

Share with a friend!

77shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Hey, Welcome! Want to know the three steps to creating harmony in a home with kids? Make sure to grab our Free Starter Guide after you're done reading this post!

If you wonder how to find time to do everything in your life then you need to master these two things. Let me show you how.

How to have time for everything in your life

The one question that people ask when they meet me is : How do you find time to do everything – kids, blogs, home, crafts? How do you make time for hobbies? What is your secret?!

There is no secret at all. There are two things I have mastered. You can do it too:

  1. Prioritizing – Learning to say NO. ( aka the Art of Walking Away)
  2. Time Blocking –  aka knowing What to do when

Before you roll your eyes at me, WAIT! Let me explain.

Related reading: You can see my 2hrs a Day Work at Home Mom schedule here. My children have a School time routine Chart that they follow daily.


Prioritizing things in life – How to find the courage to say ‘No’

There are so many things that are thrown at us through the day that aren’t all that important. We women (and many men) have the weakness that we say yes to everything. Once we understand what our priorities are, we automatically learn to say No to the least important things in our life.

We are talking about how to decide what to focus on.

I will explain how to know your priorities below… but it is much more than that.

The real truth we need to understand is that there is only so much that we can do in a day. When you stop saying YES to everything, the overwhelm slowly melts away and we find that we have more time to do the things we truly love to do.

Prioritising is not just to say No to the least important things in life, it is also the ability to stop doing what you are and move on to the next task.

Checklists and priorities to complete what to do when JeddahMom
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

It’s about knowing when to stop…

If something remains in complete in spite of the fact that you had allotted it more time, you should know when it is enough. If you found an awesome crochet pattern but you have already been crocheting for 30 minutes and it is time for you to cook lunch, Stop. Put it away till tomorrow. Tomorrow be sure to come back and pick it up.

If you have allotted 20 minutes to declutter every day. Stop doing it at 15 minutes. Take the 5 minutes to move your clutter out of the way. Then be sure to come back the next day to clean again.

The way to prioritize what is important is knowing when to stop doing and what to do next. You stop because you know it is time to say No More of this. You move on to the next job because you know what your priority is.

I want you to think a bit about this.

Isn’t this saying ‘No’ to yourself and then doing what you have to do, all about being a grown up?

I have to cook breakfast for my family, so I can’t sleep in.

I have to work on my website, so I can’t crochet.

I have to pick my kids from school, so I better get going.

Only we adults behave that way. A child or a young irresponsible person will not/ can not remember that… right?

This is how I remember to walk away: I am an adult.

I have responsibilities. I will not waste time. The Art of Walking Away and saying No is to remember your responsibilities.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”I am an adult. I have responsibilities. I will not waste time. The Art of Walking Away and saying No is to remember your responsibilities. @AyshSiddiqua #timemanagementskills” quote=”I am an adult. I have responsibilities. I will not waste time. The Art of Walking Away and saying No is to remember your responsibilities. “]

How to find time to do everything in your life and more…

Once you have mastered the Art of Walking Away it is time to learn the next most important thing:

What To Do When

You know what your priorities are but you have the problem of ‘When to make time’. When should you do all the things you have to do?

There are three types of work in everybody’s life:

  • Things we must do
  • Things that we can do.
  • Things that we want to do

I'd love to help you be the Deliberate, Intentional, Confident Mom that you always wanted to be. Download this FREE printable and get started!


Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. Don't forget to 'whitelist' my email by dragging to the 'Primary' or main folder in your inbox. Talk soon, Aysh

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

By signing up for this newsletter you are giving us permission to email you with updates about new blog posts, printables, courses, and other resources. We promise never to spam you. Powered by ConvertKit

Things We Must Do

The Must Do things are the most important things in our life.

They are responsibility. For example, get food on the table, laundry, send kids to school, bathe the child, spend some time playing or talking to our children, eat food ourselves, have a nap – these are things that are essential to the well being of not just others but also ourselves.

Things that we can do.

The things we Can Do are those that are important but can wait for a later time too.

For example: cut up groceries for menu planning, go shopping to avail the awesome sale that is going on, mop the floors, clean the oven inside out, etc

Things that we want to do

The things we Want to Do are generally hobbies. I want to write, craft, crochet, create, make cookies. I classify all hobbies as Want to do.

Hug your kids to make their immune system stronger JeddahMom

But when to do it all..?

Once you understand what group your work falls in, you can assign time for it.

Must Do must always be gotten out of the way first. Can do is second priority. Want to do is your me time. It can wait but you should have regular me-time to be happy.

I have three batches of times in a day.

  • Three times a day I do my Must Do list. Generally this is chores and kitchen work. For example, from 5am to 7.30am, I am making breakfast and school lunches and sending family to school or office. From 11am to 1pm, I get time to make lunch and do dishes. Again from 6-9pm I will be in the kitchen doing dinner, feeding and clean up. The rest of the time I leave the kitchen alone. I will not clean the house either.
  • I have my Can do stuff scheduled for later during the days of the week. For example, cleaning oven on Friday 10am after breakfast while I do the dishes. Vacuuming on Tuesday at 3pm. Laundry every alternate day at 7.30am before I start working in my office.
  • Once a day for 3-4 hrs on a stretch I do my Want to Do list. For example: In the morning between 7.30 am when my kids and hubby go to school, till I enter kitchen at 11am, I am doing my writing and blogging. I will not do house chores at that time.

If I have slept in the morning some day, I will not work on my blog at all because technically, I have missed my train! I missed the opportunity to have some undistracted time for myself. Is it right that I take away my children’s time with me for my mistake? 

Sample Menu Plan and Chores Chart JeddahMom
Get my Menu Plan and Chores Chart here.

Because I have this emotional attachment to my goal, I try extra hard to sleep early at night so I can work when my kids are not home. Previously when my babies were small, I used to work when they napped.

Read the routine that I followed when I was a Work At Home Mom with Babies here.

This way, I have lots of time for my family. Everyday my afternoons from 1pm to 5pm are free for my kids. We have lunch together, we craft, read and play together. I always tuck my kids in bed so they are happy to have that essential quality time too.

Related: Get my children daily schedule here. To manage my toddlers, I use this routine.

Finding time to do everything takes a little planning. I know you can do it too.

Understand your priorities and take the decision to be intentional and deliberate. Do you know how to be an Intentional Mom? Read this post. 

HOw to time to do everything in your life JeddahMom

Share with a friend!

77shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: Blog, Motherhood, WAHMs Life Tagged With: Goals Setting for Moms, Life as a Mom, Life Skills, Mom Hacks

Disclaimer: JeddahMom and its content are for informational purposes only and should never be used as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.
Disclosure: Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs, or otherwise.

Amazon Associate

Jeddah Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. Please see Privacy Policy and full disclosure here.

Previous Post: «How to stiffen lace doily with starch How to Stiffen Lace with Starch
Next Post: Binaye Blocks: Quran Based STEM Toy Review Quran Based STEM Toy Review»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Multicultural Motherhood

    December 31, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    This article came at a great time for me. Just before each new school term, I sit down and work out my schedule and this will help me a lot! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Aysh Siddiqua

      December 31, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      New sessions are so chaotic for me too. Best of luck planning! ❤️

      Reply
  2. Tamanna

    January 1, 2019 at 6:00 am

    Everything was so spot on. Thank you for sharing Ayesha!

    Reply
    • Aysh Siddiqua

      January 1, 2019 at 12:30 pm

      You’re welcome Tamanna! ?

      Reply
  3. Tamanna

    January 1, 2019 at 6:02 am

    Everything was so spot on! Thank you for sharing Ayesha!

    Reply
  4. Gilian

    January 2, 2019 at 3:12 am

    Great tips! I’ve learned to also say NO to some things so I can do the more important ones or just the things I really want to do sometimes. =) Once you get used to it, it becomes easier to say NO to other things. haha

    Reply
    • Aysh Siddiqua

      January 2, 2019 at 2:14 pm

      Yes! Once you get used to it it becomes easier! ❤️ Sometimes I feel that’s the definition of ‘hustle’ ?

      Reply
  5. Aleeza Shoaib

    January 2, 2019 at 8:55 am

    Noting down your tips for super productuve days inshaAllah. Thank you for such amazing content always. I love your blog!

    Reply
    • Aysh Siddiqua

      January 2, 2019 at 2:12 pm

      Thank you Aleeza! Wishing you the best year yet! ❤️

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Confident Deliberate Motherhood!

Do you want to create a loving, happy, organized home environment where everyone (including the mom!) can thrive?

Here on Jeddah Mom, we Play, Pray and Parent with passion!

Come on and join us.

Read more about Jeddah Mom here.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Trending Now

10 Ways to Get Your Crochet To Hold Shape
Daily Routine for 3 Year Old Toddler
How to teach children the Holy Quran with Love
Q is for Quran-  Rules for Reading and handling the Holy Quran
Manners in Islam: Teaching Children about Islamic Manners  and Morals
DIY Orange peel powder face mask and scrub

Looking For Something?

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved | Jeddah Mom | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy