What Slows Us Down – Part 1: Time Poverty Is Real

|Gill Townsend
Messy kitchen table with toys, coffee cup, and a tired mum smiling over breakfast — visual for “What Slows Us Down – Part 1: Time Poverty Is Real.”

About This Series

We’re all trying to do it all, build careers, raise kids, stay healthy, stay sane. But somewhere between the school emails and the never-ending to-do lists, most of us are running on caffeine and chaos.

This four-part series looks at what’s really slowing us down, from time poverty and broken systems to the pressure to “do it all”, and how we can start building a better way forward.

It’s not about perfection or productivity hacks. It’s about naming what’s heavy, laughing at the madness, and finding our way back to what truly matters.

Time Poverty Is Real

You’ve probably heard of financial poverty, but what about time poverty?

For many women, especially mums, time feels like the most precious resource slipping through our fingers faster than our coffee goes cold. Between work deadlines, school notes, and the never-ending “Mum, can you just…” moments, every hour is claimed before we’ve even had a chance to breathe.

We tell ourselves we’ll find time for the things that matter - a walk, a coffee with a friend, a shower longer than 45 seconds - but somehow, they keep falling off the list.

We’re not bad at time management. We’re just living in a world that demands too much of it.

When Every Minute Belongs to Someone Else

Time poverty isn’t just about being busy. It’s about feeling like everyone else owns a piece of your day.

Work wants your focus. Kids want snacks (always). Schools want costumes by tomorrow. And the dog? He wants to eat the costume.

Even when we’re sitting still, our minds are sprinting. There’s always something to remember, reply to, or restock. The “quiet moments” are usually just us running through mental checklists while pretending to relax.

And while money can be earned or saved, time can only be spent. Once it’s gone, that’s it. No refunds, no extensions, no rain checks.

The Hidden Cost of “Doing It All”

There’s an invisible tax on women’s time that no one talks about - the mental load (read my mini series on that, start here.

💡 Read the full Mental Load Series:

 

Even when we look calm, our brains are juggling dinner plans, dental appointments, birthday gifts, and the fact that we’ve run out of toilet paper again.

We multitask like champions, but let’s be honest, we’re often one Wi-Fi dropout away from tears. And yet, when we feel behind, we blame ourselves. We tell ourselves to “get more organised” when what we actually need is more breathing room.

What’s Stealing Our Time (and Energy)

Spoiler: it’s not Netflix.

It’s expectation.

The expectation that we’ll work like we don’t have kids, parent like we don’t have jobs, and somehow find time to bake organic muffins for the school fundraiser.

We’re expected to be productive, present, patient, and photogenic, all before lunchtime. No wonder time feels scarce. And when we finally stop, we feel guilty for not doing more. (I see you scrolling emails at 10pm whispering “just one more thing.”)

Time poverty isn’t solved by a new planner or waking up at 5am. It’s solved by giving ourselves permission to slow down, to say no, and to stop equating busy with worthy.

Choosing What Really Matters

What if we stopped measuring our days by how much we got done, and started measuring them by how we felt doing it?

What if a “good day” wasn’t about ticking everything off the list, but about laughing with our kids, enjoying our coffee hot, or just not snapping at anyone before 9am?

Reclaiming time isn’t about doing less, it’s about doing what matters. It’s choosing joy over chaos, connection over perfection, and presence over pressure.

Because at the end of the day, time isn’t something to manage. It’s something to live in. And it’s high time we made more space for that.

✨ Mini Challenge: The Time Audit (Mama Edition)

For the next three days, notice where your time actually goes.

Not where you think it goes... where it really disappears.

👉 Write down or voice note every hour for one day.
👉 Highlight what truly mattered and what drained you.
👉 Pick one small thing to drop, delegate, or delay this week.

It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less of what doesn’t matter.

Then come back and tell me, what did you not do this week that made you feel lighter?

❓What’s one thing you wish you had more time for?

 

💡 Read the full What Slows Us Down Series:

 

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