{image: vintage apple print by joystclaire}

What does that mean for all you creative mompreneurs out there? Time to get busy, that’s what!

I’ve been thinking about this post for a while, wondering what I could contribute that would be beneficial, encouraging, & above all, helpful! I have two toddlers that are with me full time & another little one due in December. I homeschool my kiddos & I’m trying to run a coaching biz & an Etsy shop, so staying on top of things is a big deal around my house.

As fall approaches, the lazy days of summer pass, the holidays are coming quick, & we tend to get this boost of energy & motivation to get it together & kick our businesses into high gear.

Whether you work a job outside of the home while your kids go to school & you run a creative business on the side, or you are a stay-at-home-mom trying to run your business full-time & keep up with your family – time management, organization, & productivity are your 3 keys to success!

So let’s take a look at each of these & I’ll show you how I use them to help me in my life & business.

First we’ll look at the definitions of time management, organization, & productivity so we’re clear on what each word means.

• Time Management – the analysis of how working hours are spent & the prioritization of tasks in order to maximize personal efficiency in the workplace.
• Organization – to systematize {to arrange in or according to a system}.
• Productivity – the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods &/or services.

So, our goal is to be organized in order to manage our time wisely so we can be productive. Sound like a plan?

Where to begin? Let’s start with organization.

You first need to know what must get done during each day apart from your business. For me, that includes preparing meals, cleaning, & homeschooling. These are basic things that I need to stay on top of every day in order for my life to run smoothly. We have to eat, I can’t live in a pig-pen, & my kid needs to learn something!

In order for me to get these things done I have to be organized in each area.

• I plan my meals for the week the day before I go to the grocery store & yes, that goes into my planner as one of my to-dos for that day. When it’s time to make dinner, I know exactly what to make because it’s written down on the fridge & I have all the ingredients on hand.
• I use a cleaning schedule that I downloaded off the internet to help me keep up with daily cleaning. Cleaning time is also written down in my planner every day.
• I’m organized when it comes to the kids school work. All of their work is in one area & we do “school” at the same time each day so it’s easy to remember.

I know exactly what I’m supposed to do each day so I’m not overwhelmed or stressed because I’m running behind or haven’t gotten these things done. I’ve scheduled those “to-dos” into my planner & it’s now a part of my day. I’m organized & ready to start marking tasks off as I complete them which makes me feel like I’ve accomplished a lot in itself!

Next let’s talk about being productive with our businesses.

Remember the definition of productivity? In order to be productive we have to accomplish our goals. In order to accomplish goals we need to have them. Here’s what I do.

I set down at the end of each month with my planner & I make a list of things I need/want to accomplish during the coming month. I get specific too. Sometimes I have 10-15 goals for each month. Some simple & some not so simple.

Next I make a list of steps I need to take in order to accomplish each goal. Now I have a lot of little bit-sized to-dos that I can plug into the coming weeks. I start with the first week of the month & I write down 4-5 of my bit-sized to-dos each day of the week. By the end of the week I may have already accomplished 3 of my monthly goals or I may have only scratched the surface of 6 of them. Either way, I know I’m well on my way to getting everything done that I needed too for that month.

Wanna see an example of what I’m talking about? Read my post “How To Accomplish Your Monthly Goals Easily” on my blog MeaganVisser.com.