Transcript
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Hey, my name is Teresa Hildebrand and this is Organized Chaos.
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We take a deep dive into living with intentionality, focusing on what's important in our lives so we can truly feel our best.
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It may feel chaotic at times, but with a little organization, the right mindset and a ton of self-love, we can still thrive.
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Join me as we talk to other busy moms and experts who will share tips and strategies to help you reach your goals.
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Hope you enjoy this episode of Organized Chaos.
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Now on to the show.
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Okay, friends, welcome to this episode of Organized Chaos and if you're new here, welcome.
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Thank you so much for joining me.
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So today we're going to be talking about time management hacks, specifically five-minute fixes.
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And this is for any of you overwhelmed moms out there, which I know that there's a lot of us and there's not enough time in the day to get everything that we want done.
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So my philosophy is always that we do not have to do it all and we can actually really find the most important things to get done and be as efficient as possible with those specific things.
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And when we talk about time management, we're thinking about how we're trying to cram a lot of different things into a short period of time.
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We have so much to do with, so little time to do it.
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But I want to kind of give you a mindset shift a little bit and just give you some of my tips where you can make some tweaks in your day that don't take up a lot of time but that can make a huge difference.
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So this is for any moms who are feeling overwhelmed and short on time, specifically for busy moms, and I want to give you some really practical and quick hacks.
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So really, it's not about doing more in the time that you have.
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It's really about learning small habits that create big changes in managing the time that you have.
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So you don't need hours to make a change, it just takes a few minutes.
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That can really be a game changer.
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So, number one, I want to talk about the power of small wins.
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So, when it comes to this, this is about really the tiny habits can have such a huge cumulative effect over time.
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So, basically, those those incremental changes that you make can add up to these big things, rather than feeling like you have to have one huge you know breakthrough.
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It's really about focusing on progress rather than being perfect, especially for us moms that are juggling so many different roles.
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We can't be perfect for one that doesn't exist, but we also can't be great at a bunch of different things.
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So just think about all the different roles that you have.
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We can't be great at everything.
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We can be great at one thing, but that one thing can actually have a ripple effect in the other areas.
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So I want to kind of help you shift your mindset from feeling you know that you have to do it all and just feeling productive in some of those smaller areas, which is going to boost your confidence and reduce overwhelm.
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So for me, time management was always an issue and I thought I just needed to have some revolutionary thing to happen so that I can really make strides and really make progress in my life.
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But what ended up happening was I was feeling discouraged because nothing was really going as planned.
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I was expecting these huge changes to happen and it just wasn't happening.
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So what I realized was that I can expecting like these, you know huge changes to happen, and it just wasn't happening.
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So what I realized was that I can make just these small tweaks in my day and that started to make a really big difference over time.
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So this was really about me learning a new way of thinking about not just my day, but the way that I was planning my day, the way that I was focusing on certain things and how I was making really small changes.
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So that's one thing that I want to share with you today is some of these small little mini hacks that I learned over a long period of time.
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So, you know, this took me a long time to figure out, and I want to give you what I learned so that you don't have to take so long to figure this out yourself.
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So I want to start off with these tips.
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So number one is to create a to-do list.
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Now, you know, you've heard this all before right, it's creating a daily to-do list.
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Now, this can, or it has, gotten a bad rap, because what we do is we create this pretty much endless to-do list, and what we create is a more overwhelmed for ourselves.
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And what I want to emphasize is that I create a to-do list so that I know what to focus on.
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I really set my intentions on certain things, and all of these hacks that I'm going to give you take like five minutes, and I don't want to create a long to-do list because, first off, it's going to mess with my mind.
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But second, I can't do that.
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Why am I basically setting myself up for failure?
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So my to-do list consists of three to five tasks.
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Most of the time it's three tasks.
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I use, like my, you know, top three method, so what you know, three tasks will actually move the needle most today.
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So I keep that in mind every single day because I know that three is a pretty manageable number.
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But it's also a way for me to laser focus on kind of like the top priorities, because I'd rather kind of like the top priorities, because I'd rather get the thing that is going to basically make everything else like kind of like a domino effect, rather than trying to do 10 different things that are like minor, that aren't going to move the needle forward, that are just going to keep me quote unquote busy.
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So I want to encourage you all to create a very, very short daily to-do list and that'll only take you five minutes Actually, it should take you less than five minutes, but I want to encourage you to be able to cross off those tasks so that you can feel accomplished and avoid overloading yourself with a lot of different things.
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Okay, number two is to set a timer for focus sessions.
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Now, there's many different ways to do this.
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One of them is called the Pomodoro technique, which is that you set a five-minute timer to work on small, manageable tasks.
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Now there's also longer periods of time that you can set it, so like if you want focus work where it's 25 minutes and then after 25 minutes you take a five to 10 minute break and then you come back.
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It really all depends on what you're doing and what your session is, but I think five minutes can be a short period of time but also a long period of time, depending on what you're doing.
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But if you I don't know for example, have ADHD or you just get bored really easily or get distracted, this technique can really help you because you can focus for five minutes and then just walk away from that and go get a bathroom break or a water break or do something else, and then come back, walk away from that and go get a bathroom break or a water break or do something else and then come back.
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Because when we go long periods of time with trying to really focus especially if we're in front of a computer and we have all these tabs open, and then we start thinking about oh, did I remember to do this?
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Or wait, I have to go to the store today because we're out of milk and it allows your mind to just wander off.
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But if you're really set to doing one specific task for a period of time, that will help you focus a little bit better and, you know, it'll also kind of keep you moving, because we tend to maybe sit down for long periods of time and that also affects our health.
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So you're kind of doing something specific, but then you're also it's also benefit benefiting another area of your life, like your health.
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So using a timer can prevent um task from really dragging out and it also adds urgency because you're like I only have five minutes to do this, let me get this done.
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And setting a timer will allow you to break away from those mundane tasks that we may be doing.
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Okay, tip number three, or hack number three, is to brain dump to clear your mental clutter.
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So take about five minutes to write out everything that's taking up mental space.
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Sometimes it's really therapeutic to actually even talk to someone.
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So if you want to vent, you can do that too, like a brain dump.
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But if you don't have anybody around, writing it out can help you, because there is such a thing as mental load, especially for moms, and it just clouds our mind and we can't have any clarity and it also weighs us down too.
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So writing things down can really be a quick way to reduce stress and really help you focus on the present.
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I really want to emphasize the importance of this, because whenever we are feeling that mental overwhelm, it can obviously definitely affect other areas of our lives, especially our health and our mental health.
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So doing this can be a really quick and easy way to reduce some of that unhelpful side effects.
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All right, number four is to set daily intentions.
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Now, this is another five minute thing you can do, but really choose a focus or intention for the day.
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So, for example, I will be patient with myself.
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Today I will prioritize family time.
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Today I'm going to make an effort to go on a walk.
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So these are just really statements, but you're writing it down so that it feels like, okay, there is something specific that I want to be intentional with today.
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And starting off your day with like a positive intention can really help guide your decision making and it reduces this feeling of chaos.
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And right here, we're all about reducing chaos, right, all right.
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Number five is to automate or delegate a task.
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So spend five minutes setting up a task for automation or delegating it to someone else.
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So, for example, you can set up automatic bill pay and assign a chore to one of your kids.
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All of these things they may seem like super small, but it can make a huge difference.
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I mean assigning a chore to one of your kids that is appropriate for your child can be huge, because those things add up, all of those little tasks and chores that we do.
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They add up and it can free up valuable time in the long run and also your mental load, all right.
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So now I want to talk about how quick wins can help you stay organized.
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So I want to talk about this concept called micro organizing for hotspots.
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So spending five minutes a day tidying up one hotspot area that causes you stress.
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So, for example, you have a cluttered desk or your kitchen counter is kind of like the collection of everyone's stuff, or maybe it's your car.
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So if you take five minutes to organize that area, that's a little micro organizing but it can make a huge difference.
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It doesn't take up a lot of time but it can free up a lot of mental clutter.
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So these small decluttering sessions can prevent larger messes obviously to build up.
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I know that in our house there's this area where it's like the kitchen peninsula and there's chairs, these kind of like bar stools that are there that have backs, so that's where a lot of the stuff gets collected, like our backpacks, my purse, jackets, the, you know, the dog's leash, I mean all of this stuff gets collected there and every time I walk by it's like this, like you know it.
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Just it just creates like this like weird feeling in our heads of not just like this space is a mess, but it's almost like it creates this feeling of my life is a mess.
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So clearing that out can actually help avoid that.
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All right.
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The next one is to plan your meals for the week.
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Now, this can actually take five minutes.
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I know sometimes it doesn't feel like it does, but just planning it out it doesn't mean you have to cook all of the food for the week.
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There's a service for that if you want to do that.
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But just planning it out and knowing what everybody's going to eat is a huge weight that can be lifted off of your shoulders.
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So take five minutes to think of three or four dinner ideas for the week.
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That way, when the time comes, you're not scrambling to find what to eat or just saying, screw it, let's just go and pick something up.
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If you want to be mindful about what your family's eating, this is a really great way to stay on track.
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Planning these meals can really prevent like those last minute stresses and like grocery store runs as well.
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So doing this and having maybe like some rotating go-to recipes can really save you some time and brain power.
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Okay, number three is to prioritize self-care in five-minute chunks.
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So you know, you can use five-minute breaks to stretch, to breathe, to meditate or to just, you know, sip on some coffee or tea in silence.
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If you schedule these like mini self-care moments into your day, it can help you recharge and it's going to make a huge difference.
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All right, so how do we make the most out of these?
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Like quick fixes.
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So obviously consistency is key.
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How these like five minute habits can make such a huge difference All depends on how regularly you do it.
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So make a commitment to yourself to be consistent with these habits and you don't have to do all of these, you can just pick one, but just being consistent with it.
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And once you master that, then you can move to another one.
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So if you choose one or two, you start off with that and then build onto it, because these small steps are the key to avoiding overwhelm and burnout.
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And you also want to track your wins, so you can use an app to keep track or you can use your journal just to track your progress and really celebrate those small wins each day so you know you're moving in the right direction.
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There are so many benefits to having a system like this, and if you are like at that point where you're like I'm really close to burnout or I just feel super overwhelmed, these five minute quick fixes can be a real game changer.
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All right, so let's recap.
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What did we talk about?
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We talked about these five minute hacks.
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So it's a daily to do list, right, with like your top three things, setting timers for like these little sessions that you have, so that you can, you know, break up that monotony in that specific session, brain dump so you don't have so many things in your brain, set an intention for the day and create automations and delegations.
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So today, I want to encourage you to try at least one of these hacks and keep track of it.
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You don't have to make huge changes in managing your time, but implementing one of these things over time and doing it consistently can make a huge difference in your life.
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And if you have a favorite time management hack, share it with us.
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If you go on Apple, you can actually send a text and just do really quickly send me your best time management hacks, and I'd love to either share those on the podcast or even share them on social media.
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All right, thanks so much for tuning in today.
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Please remember that you cannot get it all done, and it's okay.
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All we can do is our best.
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Stick to your priorities, stick to what's important to you, and I hope you have an amazing day.
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I'll see you next week.
