Working Mom's Guide to Pursuing Your Own Education [Part 2]

So in our first post dedicated to pursuing your own education we talked about using the pomodoro method to help you get focused and take care of some big tasks. Today I want to talk about my favorite strategy for working on an assignment.

Being a working mom and going to school is tough. I often work on my assignments after 8:30PM or before 7AM. It's not easy to be gung ho about getting work done around those times. So when I have an assignment yo complete, I find that my best tactic is to start by laying out all the headings/sections I have to write or questions I need to answer. Then I go to whichever section I want and start writing/brainstorming/jotting down key phrases or concepts I want to include. This works for me because it's essentially creating an outline but without doing so in a totally separate document. One I run out of information, I simply pick a new section. This process continues with me jumping back and forth filling in information as it hits me. 

Once I get to a stopping point, then I go back and start editing or focusing on completing one section. Again, sometimes this is entirely out of order (but I find it tough to write an introduction till I've fully developed and explored some ideas). 

Because I'm getting my masters in educational technology and totally online, most of my professors have us use Google Docs and Drive. If you haven't checked these out yet you are missing one of the greatest free tools the Internet (Google) has to offer. Not only do Google docs save automatically, they offer super-simple share features, a research tool that can help you create your reference list, and it can be accessed from any computer as long as there's Internet. Talk about a winning combination.

So that's this week's trick for working on and completing an assignment for your education while juggling the duties of work and the duties and joys of motherhood.

What are your best tricks? How do you get work done? Are you a coffee shop worker or do you need a quiet secluded place to work?

Thursday Truth.

Last night my husband and I had a 'come to Jesus' about our finances and how to cut costs.  It seemed like the easiest way was to get rid of our cleaning lady (insert tears here...).  I know I know, having this little service is a luxury, but I sure did love to come home every other Tuesday to a clean house.  What we weren't loving, though, was the $75 cost that came with each cleaning.  So today I've been searching for a cleaning schedule in my free time.  Nothing seems great...yet...which is why we'll probably make our own schedule (because I know if this thing doesn't exist, the house will not be clean).  

But, the one common trend I found out there was that many people try to start a load of laundry every day and then finish it up that night.  Maybe this isn't as mind-boggling to you as it is to me.  We used to do laundry on Thursday nights and through the weekend.  Then, during the week we wouldn't have to worry about it - it was done.  Now that we have another little one in the mix (who is a champ at blowing out diapers), I've come to find that laundry is NEVER done.  So, rather than stress about it or get a little irritated that I left the kitchen dishtowels downstairs or the occasional 'potty accident' bag from daycare, I figure there'll always be a load the next day.  

So, starting today (if I have a full load of laundry - because we don't like to waste) I'm going to try tossing it in in the morning.  We'll see how it goes...and if clothes actually get folded...and then put away.  Don't even get me started on ironing.

What are your best laundry secrets?  Do you wash baby clothes and adult clothes separately? 

Working Mom App of the Month: October

Each month we like to feature an app that's a true 'game-changer' for us as busy, working moms.  

Up this month?  Cozi.

Let me start by saying that this is an app and a website.  So regardless of whether or not your have your phone or a phone that can download this app - this product could be awesome for you!  Using the Cozi app allows you to sync lists on multiple devices as long as they're all signed in to the same account. So, if you're like me you quickly whip up a honey-do list for the hubs so he can see it and all the updates you add to it ;).

In reality though this has been a great app for grocery shopping so either one of us can go to the store and get everything on our list! When we run out of something in the kitchen, I typically just grab my phone and add it into Cozi quickly.  Or, if my husband has a special brew request for the game over the weekend, I know exactly what to snag at the store...or vice versa!

The other thing we love Cozi for in our household is getting projects done.  We built our house and just moved in last November.  While we opted for our contractor to do most of the work for us, we did choose to keep a few things unfinished that we knew we could do ourselves without the added labor cost.  We thought we'd get those projects done lickety-split (insert crazy laugh here).  So while they're not all done yet, we have a list that we update and prioritize regularly to keep the progress moving.

We use the free version of Cozi and have found it to be perfect for our needs, but for a few more features and less ads, you can upgrade to Cozi Gold for just under $30 a year.  Considering it costs less than a new planner and has the great syncing feature it might be worth it.  Here's a list that compares the features between the free version and the Gold version.

Do you use Cozi and love it?  Or do you have another great app we should share?  Submit your app and why you love it to workingmomplaybook[at]gmail.com!

Disclaimer: we weren't paid or perk'd to endorse Cozi.  We just really like how it makes our life easier and the time it saves us!  Oh and that things get checked off on our honey-do list!