What doulas will Learn in this blog post:

• Get more done in less time—even with a busy, unpredictable schedule

• Stay focused and finish tasks without burning out

• Use simple strategies like timeboxing and Pomodoro that actually work for doulas

Ever feel like you’re always working on your doula business, but never really finishing anything? 

Whether you’re asking “How do I manage my time as a new doula?” or “Why do simple doula tasks take me forever?”—this guide will help.

You finally have a free afternoon, sit down to create your prenatal resource guide… and three hours later, you’re still fiddling with fonts or rewriting your bio.

That’s not just a time management fail. That’s Parkinson’s Law in action.

“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

If you give a task a whole day, it’ll take a whole day—even if it could’ve been done in 45 minutes.

Why Doulas Are Especially Prone to This

Most doulas aren’t working a neat 9-to-5 schedule. Your time is stretched between on-call work, client needs, family life, and often another job. Add in the pressure to “do everything” for your business—Instagram, onboarding materials, consult follow-ups—and suddenly even the smallest tasks feel enormous.

The result? You either:

• • Put things off because they seem like too much

• • Or let simple tasks balloon into multi-day projects

This creates a cycle where you always feel behind, even if you’re working hard.

What Parkinson’s Law Looks Like in Your Doula Business

Let’s make this real. Here are some classic ways Parkinson’s Law might show up:

• • You give yourself the whole week to write a blog post and barely finish it Sunday night.

• • You block off “a few hours” for admin work and end up scrolling through fonts on Canva for 90 minutes.

• • You spend three days prepping a presentation for a childbirth class that’s only 60 minutes long.

Sound familiar?

How to Outsmart Parkinson’s Law (Even with an Unpredictable Schedule)

You don’t need to hustle harder, you need better containers for your work. And if you’re constantly feeling behind, it might not just be time management; it could be that you’ve taken on more clients than your current season allows. (I’ve got a  guide to figuring out how many doula clients you can realistically support each month.)

Here’s how to make an unpredictable schedule work for you:

1. Plan Your Work with a Realistic Strategy

Don’t just list “work on business.”
Do break it down into bite-size steps, and assign realistic time blocks.

Example:
Instead of “Create client welcome packet,” try:

• • Choose 3 topics to include (15 min)

• • Draft the outline (30 min)

• • Write intro and one section (1 hour)

You’re more likely to start when the task is clear and feels doable.

2. Set Self-Imposed Deadlines

No one’s going to fire you if your website’s not perfect this week but that’s the problem. Without deadlines, things drag on.

Try this:

• • Set a “done by” date for each project

• • Use your calendar to block time like an appointment

• • Tell a friend or doula peer your plan to stay accountable

Example:
“I’m giving myself until Friday to upload that ‘What to Expect’ page even if it’s not perfect.”

3. Use Timeboxing

Timeboxing means you assign a fixed amount of time to a task and stop when it’s over.

This is perfect for doulas juggling unpredictable schedules.

Example:

• • “30 minutes to draft IG captions, then stop.”

• • “One hour to follow up with potential clients, no more.”

This keeps perfectionism and overthinking in check.

4. Try the Pomodoro Technique

This method is great if your brain works better in short, focused bursts.

How it works:

1. 1. Choose a task

1. 1. Set a 25-minute timer

1. 1. Work without interruption

1. 1. Take a 5-minute break

1. 1. Repeat 4x, then take a longer break

Example:
Use this when updating your intake form, batch-writing blog posts, or catching up on charting.

5. Use a Simple Task System

You don’t need a fancy app. You just need a place to:

• • List what needs doing

• • Prioritize the important stuff

• • Track what’s in progress and done

Example:

• • Paper planner or Google Sheets for weekly priorities

• • Trello or Notion to organize ideas like blog topics or handouts

• • Whiteboard or sticky notes for visual tracking (especially if you’re a visual thinker)

The goal is to keep your brain from juggling everything—and make space to actually get things done.

Bottom Line: It’s Not About More Time, It’s About Better Use of Time

You don’t need endless hours to grow your doula business. You need better boundaries around the time you do have.

Parkinson’s Law reminds us that work will expand if we let it. But when you give your tasks a clear focus and a time limit, you get more done and get your life back.

So the next time you’ve got 45 minutes between calls?
Don’t scroll. Timebox.
Don’t aim for perfect. Aim for progress.

You’ve got this.

Need support building these habits?

Inside Doula Office Hours, I help doulas like you cut the noise, get focused, and finally feel like your business fits into your life, not the other way around.