Working moms have it rough. We have to be everything for our families, everything at our jobs, take care of ourselves, balance our individual passions and still be great women.

With all of this juggling, finding time to devote to yourself or your side-hustle can be almost impossible. Almost — because I have found three hacks for freeing up time on your weekends and being more productive than you already are.

Do the thing you procrastinate on or push to the back burner first thing in the morning.

I love to work out and stay fit. However, my workout is usually the first thing to go when I know I have a busy day ahead. By switching my workout times to the morning, I’m able to get it out of the way. By completing this task first thing, I can be energized throughout the day and know that when I go home, I can go do whatever I need and want to do because my workout is already done. If there is something that you hate to do, procrastinate on or push back, do it early and get it over with. The boost of accomplishment that you will feel is unmatched by any coffee you drink; the coffee only helps make it taste good.

  • Use your lunch break to actually take lunch or run errands.

If you are lucky enough to have a long lunch break, try to run a couple of errands. If I can cross off two to three things during the week that would normally be done on the weekends, then my Saturday is that much freer. I can beat lines at the post office, grab an ingredient I forgot and get a quick lunch, or get something my son needs for school on my lunch break.

On the flip side, if you find yourself constantly stressed, overwhelmed or tired, actually use your lunch break for a true break in the day. Instead of talking with coworkers or working through lunch, take a real 30 minutes away and eat your lunch, take a nap in your car or meditate. You might not get this quiet time when you get home and your children have their nighttime routine, so accept this break as the time you deserve and really treat it as such.

  • Use your commute to be inspired.

I am obsessed with podcasts and constantly listening to them on my 45-minute drive to and from work. A commute is a perfect time to listen to a favorite podcast because it’s uninterrupted time you have to just listen. There is literally a podcast on everything – find what you enjoy and you could be encouraged, inspired and taught in time that you weren’t going to use productively.

Try one or all three of these a few times a week and see how your evenings and weekends are more enjoyable when you use pockets of time wisely. Then, you can get to the family fun with your new found time.

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