You Deserve to Own Your Time: A Modern Mom’s Guide to Doing Less & Being More
As a mom, you trade time constantly - for money, meal prep, playdates, meetings, group texts, and school projects. The list is endless.
But what happens when your time is always about others? When the pieces you give away leave you depleted, scattered, or disconnected from yourself?
Motherhood doesn’t mean giving all of yourself away. It means being present, yes — but also being whole. And that wholeness starts with your time, intentional time that fuels you.
To care for your well-being, it’s necessary to protect your time like the precious resource it is. Say yes with intention. Say no without guilt. In doing so, you reclaim yourself and your joy. Because time isn’t just money. How you spend your time is how you care for yourself and, ultimately, how you lead your life.
Here’s to Doing Less to Be More
According to Oliver Burkeman, you only get about 4,000 weeks in a lifetime. Let yours be filled with being, not just doing.
What can you do less of to make space to be more? Being present. Being creative. Being joyful. Being you.
That might sound radical in a world that praises multitasking moms and glorifies busy-ness. But it’s not radical — it’s essential.
Let’s shift from constant productivity to conscious presence.
Take a moment to reflect on how you are spending your time. What are you lightly saying “yes” to when you really mean “no”? Who are you giving your time to, even when it costs your peace?
We all say yes sometimes to keep the peace, to be liked, to be “good.” But when those yeses start to feel heavy, when resentment creeps in, it's a sign. A sign to set boundaries and to reclaim your space.
Who deserves your time is a tough but powerful question to ask yourself as a mother. Not everyone is entitled to your time, your energy, or your attention — even if they expect it.
You can't create more hours in a day. But you can choose how (and with whom) you spend them.
Here’s a simple tool to help you reclaim and protect your time.
Your Reclaim Tool: KEEP - CUT - SHARE
Gain clarity on how you spend your time and create more space for being:
Step 1: Take Inventory
Write down everything on your plate this week — from meetings to laundry to your child’s science project to helping your friend move.
Step 2: Keep - Cut - Share
Label each task:
KEEP – It brings you joy, aligns with your values, or is necessary (like bedtime snuggles or a doctor’s appointment).
CUT – It drains your energy or feels like a "should" rather than a want.
SHARE – It needs to be done, but someone else could fully take it on — your partner, a babysitter, a friend, or a service.
Step 3: One Bold Action
What’s one thing you could shift this week — just one — to create more space for your being? Maybe it’s saying no to a volunteer role or asking your partner to handle dinner.
You Deserve to Own Your Time
You don’t owe your time to everyone. You owe it to yourself first. To be present not just for your children, but for your own life.
You deserve to rest. To play. To dream. To simply be. And live a life that includes you at the center.
Because time is not just money. It’s your life. And you deserve to own it and spend it as you like.
With love,
Isabel
PS: If you’d love to reclaim your time and get back into the driver’s seat of your life, I’d love to support you on this powerful journey! Take the first step and book a virtual coffee with me to discuss how we can work together.
