Me First

Book description

Recover 30+ hours per month with this working mum’s time management handbook

You are a clever, savvy, successful woman. You are also a working mum. Which means you have it all! Right? Wrong. Managing the juggle presents an ongoing and unique challenge for working mums, and it’s time to take control of your time. Written with humour and honesty, Me First offers personal insights, practical exercises, and time-management solutions for crazy busy, stressed out and guilt-ridden working mums.

Me First teaches you how to take control of your time once and for all:

• Liberate yourself from imposter syndrome, mother’s guilt and the other time-wasting mistakes we make
• Start prioritising yourself
• Cost out exactly what your poor time habits are costing you
• Learn simple, smart and sustainable solutions to find 30+ lost hours a month
• Set and smash audacious goals for how to best use your newfound time
• Gain insights from successful women from around the world who know exactly how you feel.

Me First is for every time-poor working mum who has had enough of the juggle. It’s time to start putting yourself first. It’s time to be a little less self-less.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Why it’s time for Me First
  3. Part I The mistakes we make — what could get in the way?
    1. Our afflictions Where we waste our time
    2. Mistake #1 Imposter syndrome
      1. Solution
    3. Mistake #2 Busy lifestyle syndrome
      1. Solution
    4. Mistake #3 Superwoman syndrome
      1. Solution
    5. Mistake #4 Yes syndrome
      1. Solution
      2. The do’s
      3. The don’ts
    6. Mistake #5 Judgement
      1. Solution — judgement
      2. Solution — feedback
    7. Mistake #6 Guilt
      1. Solution
    8. Mistake #7 It’s easier if I just do it myself
      1. Solution
    9. Mistake #8 My kids aren’t going to make this easy
      1. Solution
    10. Mistake #9 My partner is the problem!
      1. Solution
    11. Mistake #10 I was told I could have it all. What happened?
      1. Solution
    12. Mistake #11 I don’t need help
      1. Solution
    13. Mistake #12 I just don’t know where to start
      1. Solution
    14. Mistake #13 I don’t have time for me
      1. Solution
  4. Part II The 5 SMART Steps
    1. All about Alice
    2. The 5 SMART Steps: an overview
      1. Step 1: Self-aware
      2. Step 2: Map
      3. Step 3: Analyse
      4. Step 4: Reframe
      5. Step 5: Take Control
      6. The secret 6th step: the power of collaboration
    3. Step 1 Self-aware
      1. Exercise 1: my key time challenges
      2. Exercise 2: how do I feel right now?
      3. Exercise 3: what one thing would I change?
      4. Well, now you know
      5. What I really, really want
      6. Exercise 4: what will I do with 30 extra hours a month?
      7. What floats your boat?
      8. Defining your values
      9. Exercise 1: what’s most important to me?
      10. Exercise 2: my top values
      11. Exercise 3: how do I prioritise my values?
      12. Reflection
    4. Step 2 Map
      1. Hello? Hello? Where did you go … ?
      2. Reflection
    5. Step 3 Analyse
      1. Break it down, Baby
      2. Exercise 1: Must, Want, Delegate or Reject?
      3. Exercise 2: How much time I can potentially reclaim
      4. The four cost lenses
      5. Exercise 3: What are my costs?
      6. Exercise 4: Stress test my task categories
      7. Exercise 5: How do I feel?
      8. Exercise 6: My total savings
      9. Reflection
    6. Step 4 Reframe
      1. Musts
      2. Delegating
      3. Outsourcing
      4. Exercise 1: It’s time to outsource
      5. Insourcing
      6. Exercise 2: It’s time to insource — let’s get manipulative
      7. A final word on delegating: do it the SMART way
      8. Rejecting
      9. Exercise 1: It’s time to reject the total rejects
      10. Exercise 2: It’s time to reject the partial rejects
      11. Wants
      12. Exercise 1: Wants — I want it, I want it, I want it!
      13. Reflection
    7. Step 5 Take control
      1. Maintaining momentum
  5. Part III How about a little bonus?
    1. How to set and smash audacious goals
      1. Goal setting with The 5 SMART Steps
      2. Exercise 1: Self-aware
      3. Exercise 2: Map
      4. Exercise 3: Analyse
      5. Exercise 4: Reframe
      6. Exercise 5: Take control
    2. Where to now?
  6. About Kate
  7. Work with Kate
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. Index
  10. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Me First
  • Author(s): Kate Christie
  • Release date: March 2020
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780730384007