Okay, let's run through a typical daily routine... the alarm shrills with a deafening sound at the crack of dawn, you bolt upright and then snuggle back down striving for an extra two to three minutes sleep because you think it will make all of the difference. However, time is of the essence so you reluctantly flick back the duvet and pray that the shower will make you feel half human. Then, it's time to get dressed for the office as you rush down into the kitchen to prepare the children's breakfast.

The clock seems to tick faster than usual as you rush the kids out of the door and into the school gates and finally head off to work. After a full day of stresses and toil, it's straight back to the school gates to pick up your brood, prepare the evening meal and probably take one of the kids to football practise. It's nearing eight in the evening as you run the vacuum around and flick a duster through the house. Exhausted and beat, you head up to bed where you sleep like a log until that dreaded shrill which always scares you out of dreamland and into the cold, hectic world of reality.

If this sounds pretty much like a day in your life, read on. The days of the 'stay at home mums' are on the decline and more and more mothers are returning to work. A working mother will never have enough hours in the day to complete the mountain of tasks that are constantly ahead of her. Often, she carries around a lot of guilt as she sacrifices the school sports day to complete a much needed project at the office. Other times, she juggles both and attends little Jenny's piano solo but stays late at the office to catch up.

A working mum fights a losing battle and finds it difficult to ever be completely fulfilled as she never has enough time for herself That book, gym or evening out with the girls becomes so pushed into the future that it never happens...but does life really have to be that way?

A working mother would love to be able to have her cake and eat it, but she would be hard pressed to find the time to bake the blessed thing, let alone sit down for a full five minutes and enjoy it! Time management is a lifesaving tool that will give her the time to attend her son's school play and keep the boss happy at the same time.

By altering the way that she views time, she will learn how to manage herself so as she can stay ahead or on track. She has to decide which aspects of her life are the most important. For some women, it could be having plenty of time for the children, for others it could be maintaining a great relationship with her partner, some women are career minded and are seeking that much sought after promotion. For you, it could be a combination of all of three. Whatever your goals, you need to know how to manage your day effectively so as you can reach them with little effort on your part.

A great way to start is by integrating the letter D into your Day. This can be done in four ways.

1. Delay a task
2. Do it
3. Deal it out
4. Dispose of it

Delay a task: This simply means that the task is unimportant and will not affect anyone or anything if it is delayed until tomorrow or next week. Things such as mowing the lawn or clearing out that cluttered drawer.

Do it: This is a vital task and has to remain priority for the day. This goes above and beyond anything else. An example could be a conference at work or business meeting.

Deal it out: If taking the kids to school really does eat into your schedule, try looking for a childminder or ask around to see if one of the parents will allow your children to walk to/from school with them.

Dispose of it: If you are the type of person who can invent things to do but do not really have an explanation as to why they need to be done, dispose of the idea. This could be anything from washing out the wheelie bin to rearranging the clothes in your wardrobe.

Plan as you mean to go on - if you make appointments, keep them. Whether it is a school meeting, a trip to the park or the dentist. Mark all of your appointments in bold, red ink on a calendar in your kitchen or somewhere where you will constantly see them. This also stops you from over stretching yourself and you can plan your days accordingly.

Some peace and quiet - a working mum really does have to give six of one and half a dozen of the other. So, if you agree to go to the cinema with your daughter, you should ask her to keep her music down in the evening or put on her headphones whilst you catch up on some work assignments which need to be completed for the next day.

Although, it may seem quicker to do everything yourself, you can't. Many hands make light work so ask your partner to take the kids to their after school activities or ask your son to water the plants and feed the dog. In fact, give your children a list of light duties that they can complete per day.

Try implementing some D's into your Day - this way you will be on the road to achieving fulfilment in every area of your life.