feel like you have time as a working mom

As a working mom, you probably know the feeling all too well: there’s never enough time. Whether it’s rushing in the morning to get everyone out the door, responding to work emails on your phone while you wait for the water to boil, or staying up late to finish a project after the kids are asleep—your days are packed to the brim.

But what if I told you that not having enough time isn’t actually the real problem? What if the key to feeling like you have plenty of time has nothing to do with needing more hours in the day and has more to do with how you're planning what you do in your day?

The Myth We Tell Ourselves: There’s Never Enough Time

For years, I believed the same thing: that there just wasn’t enough time. After becoming a mom, this belief only intensified. My to-do list quadrupled with kids and no matter how hard I worked, there was always something (or lots of things) that didn't get done.

Things like working out, spending quality time with my husband, or doing something fun for myself like knitting, reading, or playing music, always seemed to fall by the wayside.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t busy. Quite the opposite—I was constantly moving, constantly in motion. There was always something that needed to be done.

The problem wasn’t that I wasn’t working hard enough. It was that I hadn’t yet learned how to manage my time effectively and make the right choices.

How I Learned to Make Time for What Really Matters

As I became a mom for the second and then third time, I started to wonder if the issue wasn’t a lack of time—but rather how I was using the time I had. I had to confront the truth: I wasn’t making intentional choices. My time wasn’t being spent in alignment with what truly mattered to me.

When I looked at how I was spending my days, it became clear: I was prioritizing things that were urgent, but not necessarily the things I valued most or that were most important. I had to be honest with myself about what I was doing with my time, and whether those decisions were really supporting the life I wanted to create.

For instance, having clean clothes is important to me, but so was taking care of my health and moving my body. So why was laundry consuming my entire weekend and taking a walk not getting any time? Similarly, while I wanted to be a present, engaged mom, I was also allowing work and other commitments to fill up all of my free time, leaving little room for myself or my relationships. I had to reevaluate and reallocate what deserved my time.

Time Isn't the Problem—It's How We Choose to Spend It

Time is a finite resource. Each day has the same 24 hours. But how we choose to fill those hours? That’s where the magic happens.

The key to feeling like you have plenty of time is learning how to make decisions that align with your priorities.

What are the things in your life that matter most? Is it having a peaceful morning routine? Spending quality time with your kids? Taking care of your health? Building your career? Once you know what matters to you, you can start making intentional decisions about how to allocate your time. You'll still need to allocate some time to the things that just have to get done. But learning to allocate a little more to the things that matter most will make such a difference.

Making Decisions, Not Sacrifices

Many working moms feel like they’re sacrificing something all the time. We often hear ourselves say, “I just don’t have enough time for that,” as if the problem lies in the number of hours we have. But the truth is, we’re not actually lacking time—we’re lacking clarity about what we want to prioritize.

You don’t have to give up your career or your personal ambitions in order to feel like you have enough time. Instead, you need to become intentional about what goes into your schedule and what doesn’t. It’s about making conscious decisions about what you want to invest your time in. For example, if you want to prioritize fitness, you might decide to do a short yoga video on the floor while your baby plays next to you. If you want to spend more time with your family, you might decide to decline a meeting that would be better off as an email anyway and get that project done so you don't have to stay late or bring it home.

Creating Space for What Matters

So, how can you create more space in your life without giving up the things that are important to you?

Be Honest About Your Priorities
Take a step back and think about what’s truly important to you. Are you focusing on the things that align with your long-term goals and values, or are you just reacting to what’s urgent in the moment? You might have to make tough decisions, but when you’re clear on your priorities, it becomes easier to say no to things that don’t serve you. And I often find that when you prioritize your priorities, the other things still get done, just in less time.
Simplify Where You Can
Look for areas of your life where you can simplify. Do you need to be running all the errands yourself, or can you use a delivery service for groceries or outsource some household tasks? Maybe you don’t need to go to every social event or commit to every work project. Simplification can give you back precious time.
Set Boundaries
Boundaries are key to managing your time effectively. Setting clear boundaries around work hours, family time, and personal time can help you protect your schedule and keep you focused on what matters most. And when something has to cross those boundaries, make it an intentional choice or exception, instead of the norm.
Get Comfortable with Saying No
Saying no can be hard, especially when you feel like you should be doing everything. But the truth is, saying yes to everything means saying no to the things that matter most. Be honest with yourself about what you can realistically handle and learn to say no to things that don’t align with your priorities.
Delegate When Possible
You don’t have to do everything yourself. Delegate tasks at work, at home, or even with your personal life. Whether it’s asking for help from your partner, hiring someone to take care of a specific task, or teaching the kids to own a new chore at home, delegation is a powerful tool for freeing up your time.

The Truth: Plenty of Time Is Possible for Working Moms

I know that for many of you, hearing about women who seem to have plenty of time can feel a bit out of reach. I get it—sometimes it feels like everyone else is managing to do it all while you’re just trying to keep your head above water. But the reality is, women who feel like they have plenty of time aren’t necessarily doing less. They’ve simply learned how to make conscious decisions about what they spend their time on and how much of it they give to certain things. They put their priorities in first and trust that the rest will fit or that it wasn't meant to.

I’ve worked with working moms who are leading large organizations, managing demanding careers, and raising children—and they still feel like they have enough time. It’s not about magic, and it’s not about having a superhuman ability to do it all. It’s about making the right choices and setting boundaries around what matters most.

So, the next time you catch yourself thinking, “There’s just not enough time,” remember this: it’s not about needing more hours in the day. It’s about deciding what deserves your time. And you don’t need to make drastic changes or hire a personal assistant to make it happen. When you’re clear on what matters, you’ll find that you have plenty of time for it - if you decide.