We’ve all heard about the conventional time management advice out there. From breaking down your tasks into manageable bits, to creating new habits in 21 days, most of us have, at some point or another, thought about and even implemented ways to be more strategic with our time. Yet, as working women and moms, time management tends to take a life of its own complexity and nature. From attending to caregiving tasks, to last-minute parenting events, not to mention facing social and professional stigma and lack of gender equity, managing one’s time in a career context is a beast of its own. That’s where the IDEAS framework, anchored in the “Pay Yourself First” principle, comes in…
For working women and moms, managing time strategically and efficiently does not stop at allocating tasks to blocks of time, or creating a well-organized schedule and calendar. Time does not exactly flow on a continuum when one carries the mental load of managing a household, nurturing relationships, parenting or caregiving. Instead, time tends to be a fluid construct integrating the need for flexibility, adaptability and replenishment while allowing for self-compassion and grace, all the while getting things done as efficiently as possible. Talk about a conundrum….
After decades of applying traditional principles of time management, what I, and other women I’ve talked to have found, is that strategic time management for working women and moms is all but traditional or conventional for that matter. What it is, is an ever-changing, fluid construct that can adapt to each working woman and mom’s situation, context and environment. To help in the building of this construct, I’ve outlined what I call the IDEAS framework for strategic time management for working women and moms. This framework is based on the principle of “paying yourself first”, or investing in our most important, career and life-defining long-term goals first and foremost. For example, if your long-term, most important goals include writing a book, paying yourself first would mean investing your time strategically and consistently towards achieving this goal.
The IDEAS framework is as follows:
- Identify your most important professional goals:
What are your most important, lifelong professional goals and aspirations? These may even be dreams you’ve had since you were a child, like starting your own business, ascending to the top of the corporate ladder, or research an important cause or topic to you?
- Define the tasks to reach these goals
What tasks are needed to reach your goals. In order to write a book for instance, you may have to begin with defining a specific idea, mapping the content of the book, vetting your ideas with trusted advisors or friends.
- Establish a time map of your process
Once you delineate the various tasks involved in accomplishing each goal, estimate how long each task is going to require. As a general rule of thumb, double up or multiply your time estimate by 2.5 to get as close as possible to the actual time it will take you, especially as a busy working woman and/or mom. Place these time estimates on your calendar to visualize how and where these would fit along with your everyday other tasks.
- Act on it!
Placing your tasks on your calendar in the allotted time slots you’ve defined in the prior step will also allow you to treat these as full-blown appointments with yourself. Treat each task as an appointment for which you have to show up on time, and deliver the expected results. For instance, if you’ve allotted yourself one hour each day to write, make sure to actually show up and execute on a daily basis!
- Support yourself and be accountable!
One thing that is often overlooked as related to strategic time management is the amount of support and accountability required. This is especially relevant for working women and moms who have a lot on their plates day in and day out. Finding like-minded women and moms on the same or a similar path can help provide the support needed, and keep you honest throughout this process, as you can also do for others as well!
Would you be interested in applying the IDEAS framework of strategic time management as a working woman and mom? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com for more information.
The Corporate Sister.
