Productivity Tools for Moms

Having the right productivity tools in your toolbox will help you gain momentum in crushing your goals. Here are my favorite productivity tools for moms to help you gain some quick wins.

Bullet Journals

After spending almost my entire life using paper planners that just didn’t work for my planning style and wide range of eclectic responsibilities, I finally landed on the bullet journal. Moms (and especially homeschool moms) will find that the bullet journal mimics life – flexible, DIY, customizable and unique.

Bullet journals are a combination of calendars, brainstorming lists, important information, mind maps, habit trackers, and whatever else you need it to be. You can see some examples of my bullet journal and how it the pages are organized. Learning to use one bullet journal instead of multiple planners, to-do lists and calendars will up your productivity as a mom.

Trello

I know that not everyone loves to be a paper planner. That’s where Trello really shines – especially when you’re managing multiple kids in your homeschool. Trello also works well if you’re managing a team of employees or volunteers. 

Trello is a free online list and task tracker that allows you to keep checklists, assign deadlines, and keep all of your data (including graphics or files) all in one place for each job.

We use it to manage our homeschool schedules and my kids love it. It takes less than one hour to plan for our entire homeschool year with Trello and less than 5 minutes every Friday afternoon to reset it for the coming week. 

Time Blocking (or Batching)

If you’re not scheduling out your time in blocks, then my guess is you are responding to what’s urgent on any given day rather than moving toward your goals. I think we all have a tendency to do the urgent but not important tasks – especially when we’re the moms, the problem-solvers, and the household managers.

But don’t do it! Don’t get to the end of your day and wonder where it went. 

Start becoming a time blocking expert. My favorite book on this topic that will reshape your mindset is 168 Hours (see recommendation below) and once you learn how to block your time, you’ll never look back. Even homeschool moms have time to spend on hobbies, work, volunteering, and more if they become time blocking ninjas. You can too!

Podcasts

While you’re doing mindless tasks like folding laundry or making dinner, listen to podcasts that will give you more strategies for productivity.

Here are my current two favorites in the organization and productivity niche:

Organize 365 with Lisa Woodruff – Lisa Woodruff is a home organization expert,productivity specialist, and author of The Mindset of Organization, Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. Lisa believes organization is a skill that is developed over time and changes with each season of life.

Before Breakfast with Laura Vanderkam – Start your morning with productivity advice that will take your day from great to awesome. In each bite-sized, daily episode of Before Breakfast, Laura will share a time management strategy or an answer to a listener’s schedule question. The mission is to give listeners practical tools to feel less busy and get more done.

Books

Most of our productivity problems come from having the wrong mindset about time. We complain (myself included!) that if there were just more hours in a day, we’d be able to get it all done.

It’s just not true. If you’re ready for a total mindset makeover when it comes to your time and productivity, then you should get your hands on these two books: 

1)168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think

2)Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

In 168 Hours, Laura Vanderkam shows that we all have more time than we think and also teaches practical steps for analyzing your current time allotment and then making strategic changes going forward.

In Deep Work, Cal Newport shows us the myth of multitasking and makes a case for getting into a concentrated mental flow to get your best work done and work toward your goals.

Half of the battle is shifting your mindset, the other half is putting it into practice.