6 Time Management Books to Encourage Moms to Take On Less—& Enjoy More
Six thoughtful, empowering books show us the way to simpler, more ease-filled days for the whole family.
Source: Karolina Grabowska
Last spring, I was practically applauding myself for maintaining a consistent morning routine—one that found me on my yoga mat well before anyone else awoke for the day. I felt accomplished, organized, and unflappable. The world was my oyster, etc. And then, I said ‘yes’ one too many times in my freelance work life, and I found myself trading my slow mornings for an extra hour hunched over my laptop.
Now, a full season has passed and I have traded those early mornings for one sundry task or another, when really I’d like to spend that time doing just as I please (coffee and Netflix, for example). But like any primary parent, my days are quickly consumed by childcare, household tasks, and endless meal prep. I am busy most of the day, and yet still manage to fall asleep at night feeling as though I’ve been unproductive.
To remedy this, I set out to find books to guide me in organizing my days, tackling time management, and finding my way back to ease and simplicity. Here’s the best of what I found.
6 Time Management Books That Are Perfect for Stay at Home Moms
1. Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Busy Moms, by Kate Northrup
Kate Northrup’s Do Less is a call-to-action for mothers everywhere. Inviting readers to chuck the tired old belief that our busyness is a badge of honor, Northrup posits that there’s plenty of joy, satisfaction, and simplicity to be found in adding fewer items to our to-do lists. Shop it here.
2. Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live), by Eve Rodsky
A New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club Pick, Fair Play shines a light on the mental load mothers often carry—and offers a solution for creating more balance and equity within marriages and partnerships. Perhaps not a time management guide per se, Fair Play instead shows readers how to divvy up family and household tasks, and find more time for what matters to them most. Shop it here.
3. Time Management Mama: Making Use of the Margins to Pursue Your Passions, by Sarah Kornack and Beth Anne Schwamberger
Consider Time Management Mama a necessary departure from typical books on productivity and scheduling. Whereas many time management guides speak to readers whose partners handle the lion’s share of household tasks, Time Management Mama lays out strategies for at-home parents whose schedules often revolve around everybody else. Here, Kornack and Schwamberger coach readers on finding space within family life for pursuing your own passions. Shop it here.
4. Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most, Cassie Holmes, PhD
From UCLA professor and researcher Cassie Holmes, comes an entirely useful and vital approach to time management—one that seeks to align your schedule with the things that fill you up. As the Happiness Lab Podcast’s Laurie Santos wrote, this book is “filled with loads and loads of practical, evidence-based advice for how to live better by investing in what really matters. It's the kind of book that can change your life for the better.” Shop it here.
5. How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing, by KC Davis, LPC
Addressing the overwhelmed among us, How to Keep House While Drowning is a must-read for any at-home parent scrambling to do it all. With this title, Davis has started a gentle revolution, granting readers permission to let go, lower their standards, and simplify their daily lives. With incredible kindness and heart, Davis offers simple strategies and creative shortcuts for ticking to-do’s off your list and finding comfort and calm in your home. Shop it here.
6. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
A New York Times bestseller, Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals guides readers on prioritizing what they find most meaningful in their lives, based on the premise that human beings have an average of 4,000 weeks in their lifetime. “Instead of offering new tips on how to cram more into your day, it questions why we feel the need to,” writes Marianne Powers in The Times (UK). Shop it here.
Read More: How to Make Time for Yourself During a Hectic School Year
