Ever feel like you’re juggling a million things at once — school pick-ups, deadlines, laundry, and that dream side business you’re desperate to start?

Think of your time like a jar. If you fill it with sand first (all the small, unimportant tasks), there’s no room for the big rocks — the things that really matter. To turn your business dreams into reality, you need to learn how to put the big rocks in first.

In this blog post, I’m going to show you practical time management strategies like time-blocking and setting boundaries, so you can reclaim your day, focus on what matters, and make real progress in your business while balancing life’s demands.

1. Time-Blocking: The Ultimate Hack for Getting More Done in Less Time

Do you ever wonder where your day goes? Time-blocking can help you find those hours lost to scrolling Instagram for “inspiration”, or making endless snacks (and dirty dishes) for the kids.

Simply put, time-blocking is a way to assign specific chunks of time to focused activities. Remember when you were in high school? You had a set amount of periods in a school day, with each period being its own class; English, Science, Math, etc. When you were in English, you were studying iambic pentameter and reading Romeo and Juliet. When the bell rang, you shut your books and moved on to Science class & the Period Table of Elements. That was time-blocking, and it was really effective -- you were able to manage multiple classes, sports teams, theatre groups, etc, all within the same day.

And it’s the hack you need to bring back if you want to work on your business consistently, whether you’re a mompreneur working during naptime or a busy 9-5er using their 5-9 to make some moves. 

Time-blocking helps ensure that even with a packed schedule, you make consistent progress. By dedicating just 1-2 hours per day to your business (before the kids wake up, during nap time, or after work), you can move the needle without feeling overwhelmed.

Practical tip: Break your day into blocks — start simple: one for family, one for work, one for business. Treat each block like a meeting, where you focus on one task only.

Supporting Fact: Research shows that multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%. Time-blocking helps eliminate distractions and keeps you on track.

Quote: “The key is not spending time, but investing it.” — Stephen R. Covey.

2. Setting Boundaries: Protect Your Time to Protect Your Sanity

If you’re always saying yes to everything, your dreams can start to feel like an afterthought.

Oof. Did that hit a little too close to home? If you’re a recovering people-pleaser like me, setting boundaries can sometimes make your skin crawl. Even more so if you’re the default parent at home. You are everything to everyone: parent, chef, Uber driver, housekeeper, bookkeeper, referee, tutor, counsellor... and don’t forget spouse, and all the hats you wear trying to keep your business going. If you’re approaching every problem through the lens of all those points of view, no wonder you’re having a hard time focusing on finding the right solution. By setting some clear boundaries, even by just dedicating a couple of hours, you can shake off all the other responsibilities and be completely present to the task at hand. That might look like: 15 minute speed clean, a load of laundry in the wash, and groceries delivered. Then, shoot some B-Roll for content for 20 minutes, catch up on emails for half an hour, and get to speed on the latest industry news. Finally, you turn off your phone (like--- turn it off 😲), order in pizza and watch a movie with the kids, fully-present and distraction-free. 

Saying no to unnecessary commitments isn’t selfish; it’s essential for success. Whether that means letting your family know you’re unavailable for an hour while working on your business, declining the extra tasks offered at work, or even saying no to social invitations that clash with your dedicated business time, boundaries create the space for growth. Use that Do Not Disturb feature on your phone (or even Airplane Mode) and get to work!

Practical Tip: Create “office hours” for your side business, even if it’s just a couple hours a day that during this time, you’re off-limits unless it’s urgent. (Plus showing your kids what it takes to really run a business and be an entrepreneur is awesome, in my opinion.) You can even put this time on a family calendar that everyone can see so they can better support you.

Supporting Fact: A study published by the Journal of Applied Psychology found that setting boundaries increases focus and reduces stress, leading to greater productivity.

Quote: “You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce.” — Tony Gaskins

3. The Power of a Morning Routine: Own Your Day Before It Owns You

What if just 30 minutes each morning could set you up for a productive, stress-free day?

Now, I’m not a perfect person and this is still a huge area of... personal development for me, shall we say. But I can say that the days where I do get up with my first alarm (instead of hitting snooze three or five times), my day tends to go so much more smoothly. 

Establishing a morning routine gives you time to set intentions, prioritize your tasks, and even get some work done before the day gets chaotic. For you mompreneurs, this could be waking up before the kids to plan, meditate, or knock out a business task. For my 9-5ers, it could be working on moving the needle forward on that side-hustle before heading into the office. 

But more than that, simply starting your day with a clear mind and plan can make a huge difference in productivity, regardless of what’s on your To-Do for the day. If you haven’t already, I really encourage you to make time for yourself before the noise of daily life sets in.

Practical Tip: Set a simple, achievable morning routine: 10 minutes of planning/journaling, 10 minutes of focused business work, and 10 minutes of mindfulness or gentle stretching. Habit trackers or tools like The Five-Minute Journal or Headspace app can be great places to start.

Supporting Fact: Research shows that people with structured morning routines are 20% more productive throughout the day.

Quote: “Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.” — Richard Whately

4. Prioritization: Not Everything Deserves Your Time

How do you know which tasks are worth your time when everything feels urgent?

One way I’ve learned to prioritize tasks effectively is by using the Eisenhower Matrix. This simple tool helps you divide your tasks into four categories, based on urgency and importance. It’s named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, who famously said, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”

Here’s how it works:

Quadrant 1: Urgent and Important
These are your “do now” tasks — things that need to be done immediately and can’t wait. For a mompreneur, this could be handling a customer emergency, sending a time-sensitive invoice, or dealing with a family crisis. For a 9-5er, this might mean responding to a work crisis before diving into your side hustle. These tasks demand your immediate attention.

Quadrant 2: Important but Not Urgent
This is where the magic happens! These tasks are important for your long-term success, but they don’t require immediate action. Working on your business, planning content, developing sales funnels, and spending quality time with family all fall into this quadrant. This is where you want to spend most of your time, because focusing on these activities helps you achieve your bigger goals — like turning your side hustle into a full-time income.

Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important
These are tasks that feel urgent but don’t really contribute to your long-term goals. This could be answering non-essential emails, dealing with last-minute requests from others, or interruptions that could wait. For busy moms, this might look like a phone call from a friend during your designated work time, or a non-urgent household task. Delegate these tasks if possible, or handle them quickly without letting them derail your focus.

Quadrant 4: Not Urgent and Not Important
These are the ultimate time-wasters — things like endlessly scrolling social media, watching TV, or falling down a YouTube rabbit hole. We’re all guilty of spending too much time in this quadrant, but recognizing it is key. Once you identify these activities, you can minimize or eliminate them and use that time for higher-priority tasks.

How to Use the Eisenhower Matrix: At the start of each week, take a few minutes to list out all the tasks you need to do and sort them into these four categories. Here’s a quick guide to help:

1. Urgent & Important (Do it now): Handle these tasks immediately.

2. Important but Not Urgent (Schedule it): Block off time in your calendar for these. This is where you should spend most of your time.

3. Urgent but Not Important (Delegate it): Find ways to delegate or minimize these tasks.

4. Not Urgent & Not Important (Eliminate it): Limit or eliminate these time-wasters.

Example:
Let’s say you’re working on your side hustle. An urgent email about your day job that needs a response would fall into Quadrant 1 (Urgent & Important). Creating your business website and setting up your email marketing plan is Quadrant 2 (Important but Not Urgent) — so you’ll want to block time for that. Dealing with a friend’s last-minute coffee invitation could fall into Quadrant 3 (Urgent but Not Important) — something you could politely decline. And as much as we love Instagram, scrolling for an hour is solidly Quadrant 4 (Not Urgent & Not Important)!

Practical Tip: At the start of each week, list your top three business priorities and focus your time blocks on Quadrant 2 tasks first. This will help you get ahead, prevent burnout, and ensure that time is spent on activities that really matter.

Supporting Fact: Studies show that only 20% of the tasks we do daily produce 80% of our results (the Pareto Principle). Prioritization helps you focus on that 20%, ensuring you're working on tasks that truly move the needle.

Quote: “You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically—to say no to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger yes burning inside.” — Stephen R. Covey

5. Eliminate Time Wasters: The Hidden Culprits That Steal Your Hours

How many times have you fallen down the social media rabbit hole, only to realize an hour has vanished? (Or let’s be honest... two or three.)

Here are some common time-wasters: social media scrolling, multi-tasking, unnecessary meetings (that could have been emails!!!), household chores, excessive email checking, and busy-work. I will say I am guilty of all those. Instagram Reels and busy-work are my Kryptonite. I try to minimize these as much as possible, so things like app timers and even using AI to do the busy work for me. 

Both busy mompreneurs and side hustlers alike need to protect every minute, so eliminating distractions is key to staying productive and making consistent progress in their businesses.

Practical Tip: Most smart phones have Digital Wellbeing settings that you can use to track your phone usage and other digital habits. From there you can also set limits on time spent on non-business-related activities and go so far as to restrict certain websites or apps you know are a distraction to you (hello Instagram and Candy Crush). 

Supporting Fact: On average, people spend 2 hours and 31 minutes on social media daily. Cutting this in half can add an extra hour to your business-building efforts.

Quote: “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” — Tim Ferriss

Conclusion

Time management isn’t just about squeezing in more tasks  —  it’s about being intentional with the hours you have. By time-blocking, setting boundaries, prioritizing, and eliminating time wasters, you can build a successful side business without feeling overwhelmed.

“Okay, easier said than done, Heida...”

Start small. Picking just one of these strategies to implement this week can lead to noticeable improvement. Once you see how much more you can accomplish, you’ll realize that building a business alongside your busy life is not only possible, but totally achievable. 

Ready to take control of your time and business? Download my FREE time-blocking worksheet to start maximizing your time today and take the first step toward long-term success!