Professional Working Women's Most Quietly Brilliant Time Management Strategies

These Instagram comments were too good to let die an Instagram death.

A quick note

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Okay, on to the fun stuff!

In response to a post on Instagram, women shared their “borderline genius, possibly a little weird” tips that help their lives feel the way they want them to feel. They were amazing, so I compiled them into this article so they live on past Instagram’s 24-hour cycle.

Normally, I’d house this article on my blog along with the other crowdsourced articles. I’m sharing this one here because it feels related to the tips people share in the How I Structure My Day series – and I figured you might like hearing them, too.(Plus, in an easier-to-read format!)

If you end up loving this article, I share more crowdsourced articles at the end of it.

Okay, I’ll start with my “quietly brilliant time management” tips… and then prepare to get blown away by theirs!

Here are mine:

• After a client suggested it, I use Apple Watch timers during meetings to pace myself – e.g., 20 min left, 5 min left. This helps me relax into a meeting without worrying about running over – plus, they’re just vibrations on my watch, so they don’t interrupt others.⁠

• I calendar time to figure out what needs to be delegated, to check in on it, and to review the returned work product. Delegation doesn’t just happen, and it takes time. If I don’t do this, I end up thinking about it too late and having to do it myself. ⁠

• I calendar all driving time for anything – driving to/from a kid birthday party, meeting, doctors’ appointment, haircut, etc. Those drives take time (and sometimes, a lot of it), and I need to understand the real impact of something on my day so I can plan the rest realistically – and without the rush. ⁠

• I calendar my showers, my meals, and my dog walks. ⁠I’m flexible and move them around all the time, but I need to see – and remind Future Me – when I need to shower based on events the next day / that day, that I need to walk Olive earlier in the day bc of that call right before kid pickup, that I need to eat lunch at 10am today because of that 11am-1pm meeting and the dire need to avoid hanger. ⁠If you’re not calendaring these things, you’re still doing all of those calculations – just weighing your brain down with them (or you’re scrambling). ⁠

• I use Opal (thank you, Bailey of @busymomfindstime for the rec!) to kick me out of IG, FB, and all internet browsers from 4:15-5:30pm each day (to spend time with my kids) and 8pm-5am (to protect my sleep). These things are designed to be addictive, and using a tool to help me avoid the addiction doesn’t make me weak – it makes me smart.⁠

Other women’s responses:

I’ve added a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ to the comments that got the most reaction on Instagram in case you’re skimming, but candidly, they’re all awesome.

Travel-related

• ⭐️⭐️⭐️ We do split vacations. For example - I go somewhere two days before my husband, he meets me there and we spend 2-3 days together, and then he spends two days by himself after I leave. We each get to do the things we enjoy that the other doesn’t care about during our solo time, we get great connection time, and we have a lower barrier for babysitter time asked!

  • Another woman: Like this idea! My husband and I each take one weekend away to rest, relax, and recharge while the other stays home with the kids.

• Packing Lists

  • I have different packing lists (beach vacation, family Christmas, etc) saved in my Google Keep, and make a copy of whichever one I’m using for an upcoming trip. Then in the weeks leading up to it, at the top, I’ll add random items to it as I remember them. For example, I wanted to bring a birthday gift for a friend on one trip, or my tennis racket, and didn’t want to forget.

  • We have a dedicated travel toys/coloring bag we can throw in and many of our standing travel items (sound machine, bed rail, etc) already set aside and grouped together to easily throw in

  • I have a spreadsheet for packing lists. Each tab is a different kind of trip like "Wedding weekend" or "casual weekend" or "beach trip". One tab per kind of trip for my stuff and one for kids. If we're on a trip and forget something, I add it to the spreadsheet so we don't forget the next time. Saves me from forgetting my razor every damn time. I get anxious before travel and this lets my mind calm down knowing it's all in the spreadsheet.

  • I created a GPT for creating packing lists like this for my kids! I just enter in the destination, type of trip (eg skiing) and the dates and it works like a charm. Took a bit to figure out the parameters bc packing is more complicated than I realized but it was fun to create and now I use it anytime the kids are coming on a trip!

• Travel duplicates:

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I invested money to buy ALL of my hair, beauty and make up products for travel. I set reminders on my phone if anything needs replaced when I get home. I literally just pack clothes. There is no misc to put on my list. This investment has changed my life 😂😂. I have zero anxiety when it comes to packing and my brain is so much more relaxed

  • I do this, and I keep two gym outfits and extra lifting gloves in my suitcase too (also a travel yoga mat, though that gets removed for any trip longer than four nights).

  • I bought travel versions of EVERYTHING. I got a large set of matching refillable bottles so I don’t have to buy new mini versions all the time, I can just refill with what I have at home. Not just shampoo and conditioner, but a travel phone charger, travel slippers, a travel razor (not the cheap disposable ones I would always use, a copy of the great one I have in my home shower,) and deodorant (so I don't need to wait until the morning of a trip to pack it. I even got a travel steamer so I don't have to rely on whatever is at the hotel. And I put all my stuff I bring on every trip in one bin in the bathroom so I know if something is still in that bin when I pack, it means I forgot something. This has made packing SO much easier and less stressful.

Meal-Related

• ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have a list of 31 meals everyone enjoys (or at least will tolerate), and in busier weeks when decision-making capacity is limited, I just look at the date and use the corresponding meal from the list. 24th July - Meal 24 - butter chicken.

  • Her response to another woman: depends on my mood. I go through phases of being organised and might use this to plan for an upcoming big week with work etc. to avoid thinking. I have an instant pot too… so the butter chicken for example - I can literally throw the pantry staples /spices in and then throw in the chicken breast frozen if I’ve been crap at forward planning and defrosting … so it becomes shredded chicken, butter chicken.

  • Her response to another woman: wouldn’t need to use 31 different ones if you don’t want to / can mate - could absolutely just rotate through your list of known. There are some months I never look at the list. I started doing it when my husband was in active cancer treatment, but the kids still needed to be fed and there was family coming from interstate, etc. My kiddos could nominate a few of their favourites, I could intentionally include a few meals that used pantry and freezer stash staple ingredients and went from there. I haven’t got my diary with me as I am away from work, but happy to post a pic in a few days. Was quite easy to throw together a list … you could even start this list by having a blank list that you add which meals are a hit and start there

• ChatGPT-related

  • I used chatGPT to create an 8-week meal plan/rotation and use it weekly to plan out each weeks’ meals and groceries. Has cut my meal planning time by like 75%. I’m currently building out a google sheet recipe book that I can use with Chat to further improve my grocery list results and reduce more time planning.

  • I have a list of 15 min meals that I had ChatGPT compile like mezze platters, fish tacos with frozen fish, caprese salad, etc. Now meals are always quick, easy, and healthyish, so no takeout!

• I purchase individual meal prepped meals for my workday lunches from a local company. They are healthy, meet my nutritional needs, and take 60 seconds to heat up. I spend 0 seconds thinking about what I should/want to eat during the workday. I buy in bulk and freeze the next week’s meal to make them affordable.

• We prep the meat for weeknight meals on Sunday and then dinner is ready so fast usually 15 minutes. We have a theme for each night (eg texmex tuesdays etc) but the meal can change (tacos, quesadilla, burrito bowls etc). Takes a lot of decisions off the table during a hectic time post work and daycare.

• Our Alexas are synced with our shared AnyLists so we can ask her to add things to the grocery list or the to do list out loud right then when we notice we need something or need to do something and hands free without stopping what we are doing, and we don’t have to remember to add it to the list later. I thought my husband was being extra when he set it all up, but then we had a child LOL and I am SO thankful to not have to carry any of that info in my brain for any length of time!

Calendar / Time Management

• ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I brain dump my day into ChatGPT using the transcribing feature after daycare drop off. I dump every single errand, to do, work task, pick up, etc in. I ask chat to time block my day + batch like tasks, minimize my drive time (we live rurally so combining errands with a coffee shop work session works well), and to help me organize my overall day. I talk to it to like I would a personal assistant and am very detailed. It's so helpful!

  • Kelly’s response: do you find it to be good with estimating how long things take? I’ve found it to be a little optimistic on how long something takes (it is human after all! Ha) - but that was when I tried it for a similar function months ago, and it may have improved by now

  • Her response: yes and no! Two things I do to help: 1) I give feedback about the schedule and go back and forth a few times before I really love it 2) I give feedback as my day goes. How long things took, etc. The more feedback you give it, the more it learns and the better the outputs are!

  • Her response to another question: I give it the times that I am available to work that day, like I'll be at work at x time and need to leave by x. I list off any meetings or I screenshot my calendar and then upload it as a photo.

• Apple Watch Reminders/Timers

  • I use my Apple Watch to hold me accountable to RELAXING. If I have half an hour to sit and read or go for a walk, I turn my timer on so that I can truly commit to the time and not think about what time it is. The best!❤️

  • I use my Apple Watch timer to remind me to log into important meetings or leave for an appt. I get so heads down and lose track of time. The extra reminder saves me so much

  • I set phone timers for EVERYTHING. When to leave for school pick up. I set a weekly alarm to remind me to dress kiddo in the camp shirt on trip days. Being able to name alarms whatever you want is so useful!

• Scheduling low mental load tasks while I’m waiting for kid activities - send that thank you note, fill out that school paperwork etc. Kid activity parking lot = home admin time.

• Tell Siri to add stuff to my to do list while driving so I don’t forget. Calendar “send reminder for xyz” when it pops into my head.

• At the end of the workday, I go back and make my calendar match what I really did. This is twofold: 1. I bill hourly so it forces me to keep a record (I have an actual time entry block on Mondays where I go back and fill in my actual timekeeping software) and 2) forces me to see how long things really take.

  • Another woman: I write down any tasks that was not in my agenda and still did coz I had to... this way I can still see how plenty of stuff I did throughout the week 🙌

• ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Whiteboard in the shower! Been using it for 10 years. I brain dump everything in my head. Then transfer it to my calendar and sleep like a rock.

• I switched to day shift! My heart will always be with night shift but with balancing school, health, all the things I had to. It was a pay cut but I did it around the time of our annual increase so it didn’t hurt as bad.

• Probably blindingly obvious to all, but I have some saved email templates in my Outlook signatures for repeat tasks (such as conflicts searches, matter opening - I am a Corporate Insurance lawyer - work allocations, staffing etc). I just fill out the specific details each time. It saves me a huge amount of time and is very satisfying.

• Any 2-minute task comes in my mind, I just do it right away.

• Apple reminders! To help with mental load sharing house chores my husband and I have daily, weekly, monthly, etc reminders that pop up when they’re “due”. Feed dogs pops up at 8am and 5pm daily. No double meals by accident 🤣 We include trash, dishes, washing linens, towels, etc. so we share the load and know we didn’t forget something. Whoever is free marks the reminder as “done” but some are assigned. It’s really helped us stop arguing about chores, be ready for visitors, keep the dogs in a routine (and at a healthy weight), etc.

• ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I started setting aside 1 hour on Fridays on my calendar to do anything personal admin related. I just add to the block all week and then power through the to do list (mobile deposit checks, refill prescriptions, schedule appointments, etc)

  • Response to another woman: good question! Most of the appointments I do are online bookings (an intentional choice!). I do almost all my beauty/self care stuff through Vagaro, doc appts I can book online, etc!

  • Another woman: I do the same thing! I call it my personal power hour 🤓

• Skylight calendar has saved me from drowning in the mental load!

• Whenever I run out of something while cooking, I ask Alexa to put it on my grocery list. Then I get all things delivered via walmart. And if I need to remember something I email myself with a delayed send to remind me when needed.

• I add everything I need to do as a task on my Google calendar for a specific date. No more forgetting things, it's all in one place and if I don't get around to it, it gets compounded in the todo and there's nothing I need to do but mark it complete when I do it. I spend so much time in my Google calendar for work and personal life and having everything in one place reduces the mental load of having multiple apps. The only thing that would make this better would be shared tasks, so either my husband or I could check them off at any time

• My timeblocks are 3 hr morning and night for kids/self/home care (6-9 morning and night) and 12 hr in between of completely improvisational juggle act of work, sahm-ing, meals/snacks/hydration/rest, play, exercise, activities, socializing, and life admin. I’ve tried all the planning methods but TBH I am most overall productive and pragmatic when flying by the seat of my pants (aka, grounded and present to what Has To Be Done)

• I joined Book of the Month! I love reading but was spending so much time deciding what’s next to read, saving a list, waiting for a book in the library etc. Now on the 1st I look at an already curated small list, pick my favorites and done. I always have something new and excited to read and it helps use the small windows of time I have to actually relax! @bookofthemonth

Home Organization

• We have a set reminder for red bin and both bins for garbage days. Then a reminder at 5pm day before but now they come super early we have a morning one if we miss the arvo one, usually at sons for family dinner night

• Okay can’t believe I’m admitting this on a public platform… but here we go! We are lucky to have a fenced-in yard with two dogs and a grass cutter that comes weekly on Tuesdays. I have a reminder to scoop up the poop Monday nights 🫣

• For places we visit often for errands (eg. Costco or Lowe’s or Target) we have a shared shopping list for each in Apple Reminders. One of the reminders/tasks on the list says “Check COSTCO list” and we have it pop up when our location is near our Costco. Allows us to add reminders continuously and to be prompted to check the list when one or both of us is physically there!

  • Response: you can make this even fancier using the automations app! It will bring up the note when you arrive at the store.

  • Shared grocery list app and lists with husband so we both jot down things we need. Whoever goes to the store has the list ready in real time at their fingertips

• I have a recurring shipment from Amazon Pantry of items we use consistently (everything from toilet paper and detergent to drinks and snacks). We always have them and I don't have to think about it, it just shows up!

  • Response: And we’ve added our big kids to the account so they can add things like their deodorant, shampoo etc.

• I tossed about 70% of what we own.

  • Response to another woman: I think it took a few years so be patient with yourself. You really have to change your habits to make it stick so just stick with it. Also tricks like not bringing in mail, cutting shopping, can really help.

• I only wash laundry on the weekend and never fold it. On Mondays, I have a lady come fold it, and then everyone puts away their own laundry.

• I also have a holiday spreadsheet where I list each holiday, what I need to make, links to the recipes, who came (and what their allergies/preferences are) and if we liked it. Copy and paste from the year before to update for this year.

• I keep a note in my phone with the Christmas/valentines/bday/teacher appreciation gifts I give. Then reuse the same ideas. No more scrambling at the last minute. Also, when Target does their 10% off gift cards promotions, I buy the max and save for teacher gifts. With 3 kids, this has saved so much sanity!

  • I listed out all the people too - e.g., “H - two teachers ($X each), G - two teachers and head of school ($X each), bus driver ($X), mail carrier” - that helped me a ton bc I was always reinventing the wheel. Repeats annual and - done! Love the target % off gift cards tip. I always miss it and need to calendar when to look it up!

  • Another woman: beginning of december! We give garden center gift cards every may - shop local AND "thanks for helping me grow"

  • Another woman: I keep a google sheet for Christmas gifts and budget. I have a new tab for each year. It’s so helpful to know what I’ve already given someone… bought.. wrapped. Where i hid it!

  • Another woman: I have a google doc w all of the gifts I give each holiday so I don’t repeat (for family) and do repeat (for teacher gifts, mail carrier, etc)

  • I use an app called Gift List where I track any gift ideas I have (for myself, my spouse, my kids, extended family) and anything I've already bought to give as gifts in the future. You can add how much the item cost, a link to the item, a picture of the item, and a note. I use the note feature to write where it's hidden. I don't lose any gifts or forget any good ideas, both of which I used to do all the time. And the app automatically rolls over year to year, so I can see what I gave my niece for her birthday in 2021 and any idea I don't use automatically populates in the next year's folder after January 1.

Clothing & Beauty

• Finally embraced my wavy/curly hair. No more hours spent blow drying or money on blowouts. Researched a bit on how to style it wet and got a cut that enhances the waves instead of fighting them. Now my hair looks like a stylish and I’ve reclaimed hours of time!

• Cut my hair short to allow for quicker showers. Set dining table with breakfast utensils, fill water bottles and put in fridge. Calendar reminders for everything. A standardized grocery list that I adjust weekly. A standardized packing list that I tweak for family vacations.

  • Another woman: Similar to another commenter, I cut my hair shorter to cut down on washing and styling time. And I’ve also decided that for most occasions, I’ll wear my hair in a slicked back bun/pony. I’m always late getting ready and finagling a curling iron never works out for me in a rush.

• Weekly blowouts! I get a blowout every Monday morning after drop off, bring my work computer, and knock out a bunch of email while getting my hair done. During the week, I sleep in the overnight blowout rods (velvet) and use dry shampoo. This makes it so I can have great, blown out hair for the work week, and is honestly such a confidence booster! The rods help me to have very little, if any, touchup. I shower every day with a shower cap. And after exercise, I use a blow dryer as cold as I can to dry the sweat and go back in with the dry shampoo if I need to.

• My time-saving blowout hack doesn’t require a stylist. It used to take me 40-45 min to do my hair but now with a 1) microfiber hair wrap on for 5 min immediately after I shower, plus 2) the Dyson air wrap, I can get a close-to-stylist quality blowout in 10-12 min. And it lasts for a few days with dry shampoo. The race to see if I can do it in 10 min also takes a task I used to hate surprisingly fun!

• ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I made a list of what kinds of clothes I need based on my lifestyle (ie how many times a month do I wear office clothes, pajamas, ‘unpolished casual’ etc) and used a spreadsheet/pivot table to identify what clothes I actually need and need to replace. I update every 6 months or so and pull from that closet inventory when I need a packing list. I use chatGPT to help with that. This has cut down my daily decision fatigue and for the first time I have a wardrobe I actually like and wear regularly.

  • Response to another woman: I can’t take full credit, my system is based off this incredibly insightful video. This video made the concept click for me in a new way and then I ran with it!

  • idk how to share a screenshot in a reply but I’m happy to share! It’s basically two columns for Summer, two for Winter. I have a section for Summer Business Casual (16x/month), Summer Polished Casual (10x/month), and Summer Unpolished Casual (28x/month). From that I figured out I need X tops and X bottoms per section and filled in a description in on cell and where I got that item of clothing or if I need to purchase a specific item in the adjoining cell. Same for Winter. Some clothes fit both seasons, but that made sense to me to differentiate long sleeves vs short sleeves. I took it to a pretty nerdy level with a summer rotation and pivot table system haha but I love it and it has truly made such a difference for me!

• I only keep clothes out that I wear. Seasonal stuff and occasional things like a dress for black tie events are stored in an unused closet in the basement. I also plan out and actually put together my outfits on Sunday. This is especially helpful when I’m in trial. And my court wardrobe is a very limited palate do everything goes together. I love clothes so my closet isn’t minimal but I don’t waste time finding things and I don’t stress out about decision making in the morning.

• I plan out my outfits on weekends. It’s been game changing.

Kid-Related

• I have two kids with soccer practice three nights a week - We bought extra stuff so we have enough for each practice then on Sunday nights they build their “kits” for each practice using packing cubes. We find all the stuff once and they’re set for the week. Ideally they pack their bags the night before so it’s just grab and go.

  • Another woman: I do this with swim team - I have a pouch that contains goggles and swim caps and just grab the pouch. No more hunting frantically for all the little pieces!

  • Another woman: ooh, my swim hack is that the suits never leave the laundry room. Wet suits go bag > washer > dryer > bag!

• Pull weeds whenever my kids want to play outside. Weighted vest while walking the dog.

• Kids make 3 lunches on Sunday (for M,T,W) and 2 more Wednesday evening (for Th, F). They also make their lunches themselves. 6&7.

  • Another woman: teaching our kids how to be self sufficient in the kitchen was so painfully time consuming when they are little but paying off tremendously with big kids. Everyone packs their own lunches. And My two teenagers can typically get dinner started for us (or make the whole thing) when needed.

• I used ChatGPT to turn the matrix of practice times and locations provided by the school into a calendar link and loaded into my calendar and the teenager's calendar too.

  • Same woman: Waze is linked to my calendar so I can easily pull up directions when I get in the car, which is another big time saver for me

That’s it for this one!

Share more tips in the comments!

Love crowdsourced articles like I do?

I’ve put together crowdsourced articles like this for a variety of topics. Here are some others:

• Ways to use Outlook Rules and/or Gmail Filters to Process Email More Efficiently

• Career or Kids: When to stay, leave, or scale down your career for kids – at least for now

• A Step-By-Step System for Checking Out of Work to Take a Vacation

• 13 Strategies to Plan for Maternity Leave

• What Do Working Moms Do in the Summer – 12 Practical Strategies

New here? Welcome!

I’m Kelly Nolan, an attorney-turned-time management strategist and mom of two. I teach the Bright Method, a realistic time management system designed for professional working women.

After experiencing overwhelm as a young patent litigator in Boston, I figured out a time management system to help me show up in the ways that I wanted to at work and at home – without requiring my brain to somehow magically remember it all. I now teach other professional working women how to manage their personal, family, and career roles with less stress and more calm clarity using realistic time management strategies. My system, the Bright Method, has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, and my work has been published in Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and more. Learn more on my website, listen to the Bright Method podcast, come learn bite-sized strategies with me on Instagram, or jump into my free 5-day program.

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