Being a single parent is no joke. In fact, it may be one of the most challenging and difficult jobs around. I know…I’m a single mother to two kids. I have a ten-year old boy and a seven-year old girl. Juggling between work, chores and taking care of your kids takes so much of your time, takes so much of you. But one good thing I’ve learned being a single mom? Multi-tasking. Having to do everything by yourself, you learn how to manage your time between everything you need to do, and even have time for yourself! Yes, through time and proper management, you will realize that being a single parent is not that bad at all, could even be the most fulfilling and rewarding milestone of your life.

Here are some things I’ve learned as a single mom that you other single moms and even non-single parents can learn and apply to yourself in your day-to-day activities.

Stop Being a Control Freak! Even before I became a mom, I’ve always been a control freak, an obsessive-compulsive. I scrutinized every detail and everything had to be in perfect order. I had a system for everything and one little mess or disarranged thing freaked me out. But having kids mellowed me down. a lot. Between taking care of them, chores and work to juggle around, what matters most is everything gets done at the right time, at the right place. Don’t freak out on the tiniest, most minute details anymore.

1 Big Clean, Not Many Small Ones. We know how children are, always leaving a mess everywhere they go and everything they touch. A mother’s instinct would be to clean up after every mess. Result? You don’t get anything done ’cause you spent all of your time cleaning up. I’m guilty of this on all counts. But through time, you’ll learn that it doesn’t have to be spic and span all the time, at least not every second of everyday. Leave all the cleaning when all the more important things are done like work and taking care of the kids, and when the smoke clears as they say, do one big clean up which will save you both time and peace of mind.

Set a Time for Everything. No matter how much work we think we have to do, they always get done at the end of the day. The key is time management. Set a strict (though flexible if need be) schedule for work, cleaning, laundry, grocery, etc. Decide what’s most important, do them first then follow down the list. At the end of the day, you’ll be surprised how much you’ve accomplished in so little time.

Declutter. A cluttered house is a cluttered mind, they say. True. When you see clutter, you can’t seem to concentrate on your work and tendency is you start cleaning instead of working – procrastinating. Clean your clutter. Throw away what you don’t need and label, systemize the things that you do. A clean environment gives you peace of mind, makes you more efficient and even excited with your work.

Aim for Daily Goals. We all have big dreams, long-term goals. But sometimes, focusing on the big picture too much makes us forget the small but equally important things, sometimes not achieving anything at all. Work in terms of daily goals and you’ll be surprised at the sense of accomplishment you will feel at the end of the day. Do the same everyday and before you realize it, you have accomplished more than you thought you could, one step at a time. Or more specifically,one day at a time.

“Conquer the Morning.” This doesn’t mean that you have to wake up at 4 a.m. to start your day. But waking up early gets you a head start, too. But what this means is get all your work done in the morning so that whatever happens at the rest of the day, you have accomplished the most important tasks and everything else is just “extra.”

Time. Try to time yourself on your tasks so you don’t over or underestimate yourself in whatever you do. This will also keep you from doing unnecessary things along the way which will stop your productivity. Timing yourself will keep you on focus and always on the go.

You’re Only Human. In work and everything, always remember that you’re only human. No matter how much we want to do for our kids and for ourselves, we all have limits. We need to stop sometimes and just take a moment to rest, even to just breathe. We all have different work rhythms and patterns. We can’t expect to have the same level of energy today as we did yesterday. Some things may happen along the way that may disrupt our work schedule and we have to consider and be prepared for that. What matter most is that in everything that we do, we try to give it our best. And as a single mother, we have to give ourselves a break sometimes. We deserve it.