Most working moms do not have a time problem. They have a decision problem.
Not because they are bad at decisions, but because they are making dozens of small ones automatically every day. They schedule the kids’ appointments and order yearbooks and take care of the task themselves because it is faster than explaining it. They agree to things without pausing to ask whether those things actually deserve their time. None of this feels dramatic in the moment, but it quietly fills every available hour.
That is why I use what I call the Value of Time Test for working moms. It is not a mindset or a productivity hack. It is a simple filter that helps you decide what is actually worth your time before your day gets filled for you.
The Value of Time Test for Working Moms
When something comes up, a task, request, errand, obligation, or opportunity, I run it through two simple questions.
First, does this directly improve my health, income, or core relationships? Things like going to the dentist, preparing for a high-value meeting, or having a conversation with a close friend clearly fall into this category.
Second, does this meaningfully reduce future work or stress? Planning the week ahead, automating recurring tasks like bills, or teaching kids how to handle age-appropriate responsibilities may take time upfront, but they save time and energy over and over again.
If the answer is yes to either question, it passes. Not because it is necessarily enjoyable, but because it has real long-term value.
If the answer is no to both, it is a red flag. That does not automatically mean you never do it, but it does mean you should pause instead of defaulting to yes.
Applying the Value of Time Test
Now imagine you have one free hour.
You could spend that hour folding laundry, or you could spend that hour exercising.
Folding laundry might feel productive, but it does not improve your health, does not increase your income, and does not meaningfully reduce future stress because the laundry will be back tomorrow. Exercising, on the other hand, has the potential to improve your physical health, mental clarity, energy, longevity, and even how you show up at work and at home.
Both options take the same amount of time. One has the capacity to significantly improve your life. The other does not.
This is the Value of Time Test in action.
Putting a Concrete Value on Your Time
One reason people struggle with time decisions is that time feels abstract. Money does not. That is why salary can be a useful starting point when valuing your time.
Take a working mom earning $130,000 a year. On a standard 40-hour workweek, that comes out to roughly $62 an hour. Even without getting fancy, that number is helpful because it forces clarity about what an hour is “worth.” This can be especially helpful as you delegate tasks at work. If you would not pay someone $62 to clear out your email inbox, maybe you should not be doing it yourself.
You can also apply the same logic to your tasks at home.
Would you pay someone, say, $25 to take an hour and fold your laundry? When you are just comparing the dollar amount with the task, you may not because you are comparing the dollar amount ($25) with the task (laundry).
But when you compare the task (laundry) with a task you could be doing (exercising) it becomes clear the $25 is worth it. Because it is not just paying for your laundry. The $25 is also paying for you to have the free time to exercise for an hour.
Using Comparison Instead of Guilt
The point of this test is not to make you feel bad about necessary tasks. Life still needs to function. Laundry still gets done. Errands still exist.
The shift is that you stop treating all uses of time as equal.
When you compare two options side by side and ask which one actually improves your health, income, relationships, or future workload, the answer is usually obvious. The problem is not that working moms do not know what matters. The problem is that they rarely pause long enough to compare.
This is especially important because many low-value tasks feel productive in the moment. They keep you busy. They keep things running. But they crowd out the activities that quietly compound over time.
How This Changes Daily Decisions
Once you start using the Value of Time Test, your decisions get cleaner.
You stop asking, “Can I squeeze this in?” and start asking, “Is this worth an hour of my life?”
You become more intentional about which tasks deserve your best energy and which ones simply need to be good enough. You also become more honest about where your time is going and whether it aligns with the life you say you want.
This is not about doing more. It is about doing fewer things that matter more.
If you are wondering how you can start to offboard some of the tasks that do not pass the Value of Time Test, check out the 7-Hour Challenge, where I show how to protect focused time and eliminate low-value tasks.
I also put together a free guide for working moms that walks through top unconventional productivity tips that you can implement right away to make the most of your time.
