A lot of mums get put off when they hear about time management – there is a misconception that it means that everything in your household will become regimented and will be based purely on routines with no room for flexibility and fun.

That couldn’t be further from the truth – you can still be free spirited and impulsive; as much as you want to be, but with time management, you still have some sort of structure to your daily life, so that you can plan the things that must get done, so you can enjoy you life.

Time management can be a big issue for mothers that have many things going on in their lives. But if you want to make the most of the 168 hours there are in a week, then you need to plan what you do with your time, so that everyone’s happy.

If you always feel rushed and just can’t seem to get anything finished during the day – and this happens every day, or every week, of every month (…do you get the picture?) then something’s just not right.

If you struggle to focus on any one thing at any given time and get distracted easily, then you should take a step away from what you are doing and take some steps to change things in your life.

Time management is a simple concept: plan and organise your schedule to make your time as clear and productive as possible.

If you are finding that you are pressed for free time or that you just feel too busy chasing your kids around, here are some tips to make your time more productive and find some time for yourself:

Wake up a little earlier and take control of your day

Remember you have control as to when you wake up – just because the rest of the family wakes up at 7am does not mean that’s when you also have to wake up.

Consider waking up a little earlier. I find that taking the first 30-60 minutes of the day while everyone else in the house is fast asleep really helps me relax more in the mornings, and think about what I want and need to achieve for the day.

Take a few minutes to have a cup of coffee or tea and write down what you need to do for the day or maybe do absolutely nothing. If you want, write down any tasks you promised your family or yourself to do and prioritise them.

If you really want to do something great take on exercising: wake up an hour before your family and work out. Movement is a great way to start the day and it clears your mind. There is so much to be said for exercising and living a healthy life style. The point is that you want to give yourself a head start.

Again: you can control when you wake up.

Learn how to manage demands of your time

Children can be a very powerful distraction that can easily take your focus away. I have two young children and it seems that they have a request every 30 seconds.

However, you must embrace the fact that your family comes first.

The best thing to do here is to try your best to teach your children to ask for things one at a time and also (if age permits) show them how to do things on their own.

If you are doing something very important and it’s not a life and death request from your child, try to defer it until you finish what you are doing. Your time can be well spent by teaching your children to take care of a few things themselves when they ask for something.

Keep a notebook and pen handy

Try to keep a notebook with your at all times so you can write down your random thoughts or use the notes function on your mobile phone. If your phone doesn’t have one, then the chances are it’s not a smartphone. If your finances will allow, make sure the next purchase you make is to replace your phone with a smartphone – it will help you become more productive, and will aid your time management planning.

Writing down your ideas and forgotten tasks in a notebook can be a powerful tool in dealing with distractions. If you’re like me (with a mind going a mile a minute and juggling more things at any given time than should be legal), a notebook and pen is essential to time management.

Time management is necessary for almost anyone and is even more important for mothers because we are responsible for keeping our families together. Our days are filled with running around for our children, working on multiple projects at the same time plus some of us try to juggle all of that with working. So time management skills are definitely needed and can really help.