Modern motherhood is a whirlwind, isn’t it? Do you feel like you need a way to supercharge your productivity? Between wrangling kids, tackling household chores, chasing personal dreams, and maybe even running a home business, it’s like a non-stop circus sometimes, right? And let’s be real, finding ways to stay on top of it all can feel like a never-ending battle. The challenge can often seem unyielding. For those of us deeply entrenched in this season of life, the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling empowered often hinges on effective and practical productivity strategies.
But here’s the problem: the most common productivity tips out there just don’t work for us. They’re more relevant to office life, not the multifacets of mom life. As mothers, we require a distinct approach—one that acknowledges and accommodates the daily whirlwind while carving out space for personal fulfillment and growth beyond being “mom.”
I’d like to share six unconventional productivity tips that are specifically helpful for women in the trenches of all the mom things.
1. Free Yourself from Perfectionism
Perfectionism is holding you back. Because let’s be real, as moms, we feel that pressure to be perfect in every little thing we do. Trust me, I get it—it’s a constant struggle for me too. But here’s the thing: trying to be flawless in every aspect of life is just not sustainable. And it will send you to burnout in no time. Here are just a few idea on how to let go of perfectionism starting today.
How to let go of perfectionism
- Let go of the pressure to be the perfect mom: Fully embrace the fact that it’s okay to make mistakes and that imperfections are part of life. Shift your thinking to the idea that being a good mom doesn’t mean being perfect, but rather being present, loving, and supportive.
- Be flexible with daily routines: Instead of rigidly sticking to a strict schedule, allow room for spontaneity and unexpected changes. Recognize that some days will not go as planned, and that’s okay. Adaptability is key to navigating the unpredictability of family life.
- Accept help from others: It’s okay to ask for and accept help from friends, family, or hired professionals. Whether it’s delegating tasks, accepting offers for assistance, or seeking support when needed, recognizing that you don’t have to do it all alone can alleviate stress and lighten the load.
- Focus on progress, not perfection: Shift your mindset from striving for perfection to celebrating progress and small victories. Recognize and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small, and be gentle with yourself when things don’t go as planned.
- Remember, done is better than perfect. Don’t let fear of imperfection prevent you from moving forward. Just get it done…you can always improve later, if needed.
Moving beyond perfectionism
Instead of chasing perfection, focus on what really matters. Prioritize tasks based on their importance and impact rather than what you feel like you should do. That simple shift could be a huge game-changer in your life and a profound way to supercharge your productivity. And of course, life with kids is unpredictable, right? Allowing room for unexpected interruptions or changes in plans can be a total sanity saver. Give yourself a gift, mama. Give yourself permission to let go of perfection, prioritize what truly matters, and roll with the punches. And remember, done is better than perfect.
2. Grab on to the Power of Delegating and Outsourcing
Speaking of letting go of perfectionism, here is something that could seriously change the game for us busy moms—delegating tasks. I know it’s not always easy to let go of control, especially for those of us who want things done a certain way, but trust me, it’s so worth it. Here are some ideas for delegating and outsourcing that have worked amazingly well for me.
Some ways I delegate
- Let your kids do their own laundry. Seriously, they can do it starting as young as age 8 with just a little teaching and oversight. Check out this post for some great ideas on how to teach them.
- Create household “jobs” and allow each person pick a job and take full responsiblity for it, meaning they do it without reminders or nagging.
- Examples: Trash person, Floor cleaner, Duster, Kitchen helper, etc.
- If you have an older teen driver, consider employing them as a dedicated driver for younger siblings activities. (Scheduled and paid and treated like a “real job”)
- If all your kids are younger and need constant supervision, consider swapping babysitting with another mom. Trade hours so that each of you gets a chunk of kid-free time.
- If you have a home business, give yourself the gift of an assistant to handle all the biz tasks that suck the life out of you. I hate admin stuff, so as soon as my biz could afford it I hired an assistant to take care of all that stuff so I could stay in the zone of what I love. Best decision ever!
- Consider a meal service if meals are a big challenge. Sometime the extra cost is worth the stress relief it brings to you.
- Instacart is heaven sent!! Seriously, you can spend so much less on groceries by not walking through the store. And driving up and letting someone load the bags into my car is just an amazing feeling of relief that I save so much time.
By exploring creative ways to delegate and/or outsource household chores and errands, you supercharge your productivity by freeing up your time, but you’re also opening yourself up to new possibilities.
3. Implement Time Blocking Techniques
If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of time blocking. Time blocking is a powerful productivity hack for mastering busy schedules and maximizing your time and energy. It’s a truly transformative way to supercharge your productivity, trust me. Here’s the scoop: by breaking your day into manageable blocks of time and assigning specific slots for different activities—such as work, family time, household tasks, and self-care—you’re setting a solid foundation for more productive days. Think of it as crafting a structured roadmap for your day and committing to it. And here’s the beauty of it: by concentrating on one task (or batch of similar tasks) at a time, you can optimize your productivity and effectiveness. It’s a shift away from the chaos of multitasking toward a more focused and intentional approach.
If you don’t use time blocking to structure your days yet, please join my Time Block your Way to a Better Day – 30 Day Challenge. This is a step-by-step approach to developing the time blocking strategy into a daily habit. I teach you exactly how to get started and give you the tools and guidance to make it work specifically for your life and your specific family dynamic. Best of all, this is all free! I’d love to help you get started with time blocking so you can calm that daily mom life chaos and see better days ahead. Click here to sign up for the free 30 day challenge.
4. Love it or Lose it Tech Tools
Tech tools can either supercharge your productivity or suck you into a time vacuum and make you lose hours of important time. The key is to decide which tools would be helpful for you and your particular life, learn how to use them quickly and efficently, and being willing to drop it like a hot potato if you realize it is costing you more time than it is saving you. There are some productivity apps and tools are total lifesavers when it comes to streamlining tasks and keeping schedules in check. Think of things like Trello for task management or Google Calendar for organizing your jam-packed days. Next, automating repetitive tasks can be a game-changer in reclaiming precious time. Setting up automated bill payments or using email filters to organize our inbox are just a couple of ways you can free up mental space for more important activities. Here are some of the basic tech tools that I personally use that truly make my life easier.
Tech tools I use daily
- Trello – keeps my projects organized in quick visual way. Also includes a ton of functionality to handle large projects.
- Evernote – basically a super-organized file respository where I keep all my ideas, writing, goals, plans, etc.
- ICal – Super easy way for my family to share our calenders in one place (works for us because we all have Iphones).
- Alexa app – the device sits in the kitchen and anytime someone thinks of a grocery item we need or a menu item they are interest in, they just tell it to the Alexa and I can see it on the app on my phone.
- Google drive – shareable documents that are super useful for homeschool tracking with my kids, among all the other uses.
- Rocketbook – satisfies my love of the feel of writing pen to paper, but also keeps everything organized in evernote with the transcribe function that changes my written text to typed text and saves it in my Evernote account.
- Audible – I love to read, but truly struggle to find the time and attention to sit and read a book. I “read” dozens of books a year by listening on the Audible app during all the drive time I put in transporting kids day in and day out.
Now, when it comes to staying focused, setting boundaries with technology is key. That means turning off notifications during dedicated work hours, or whatever else you need to do to avoid distractions. Tools are exactly that..implements to help us. Tech is a tool that can be super helpful to streamline and increase productivity if we use it well.
5. Practice the No-Guilt “No”
Saying No is hard for a lot of people. Setting boundaries and mastering the power of saying no, without allowing guilt to second-guess yourself, is an essential skill to help avoid burnout. Learning to prioritize your commitments and obligations is so important to cutting down on the chaos of life. When you figure out what truly matters to you and make sure you’re dedicating your time and energy on those areas first, you supercharge your productivity! That’s when you start making huge progress toward feeling less overwhelmed and more like a supermom. By identifying your core values and aligning your actions with them, you can create a sense of purpose that guides you in choosing what you let in and what you let go of.
Setting boundaries is crucial in safeguarding your well-being and making the most of your time and energy. And energy is everything! Draw clear lines around your life and decline requests or opportunities that don’t align with your priorities or fit into your life at this time. Establishing boundaries helps you protect your mental and emotional space.
And here’s the thing: saying no isn’t just about turning people down—it’s about taking care of yourself and empowering yourself to live the life you want. By honoring your own needs and boundaries, you cultivate a deeper sense of self-respect and empowerment that impacts every aspect of your life. You have more time for what you want to do because your life isn’t cluttered with things that don’t align with your goals.
6. Prioritize Mindfulness and Self-Care
Mindfulness
There is profound significance of self-care and mindfulness in the way they can supercharge your productivity as a busy supermom. Firstly, integrating mindfulness practices into your daily routine offers a powerful antidote to the stresses and strains of modern life. Embracing mindfulness means weaving moments of present-moment awareness throughout your day, whether it’s through mindful breathing exercises, meditation sessions, or simply pausing to savor the sensations of the here and now. If you can’t get yourself into a mindfulness practice on your own, there are so many tools available to help you. Apps like Calm and Mindspace have so many helpful guided mindfulness sessions and guided meditations. You can also find free mindfulness practices on YouTube. I highly recommend finding one that resonates with you and using it daily. They are especially useful when you cannot stop the mind-chatter.
Self care: what it is and what it is not
On to self-care. Self-care activities are not just a luxury—it is a necessary investment in your overall well-being. Consider it as recharging your batteries; you need to nurture your mind, body, and spirit so that you can show up as your best self in every aspect of your life. Self-care needs to be a priority, not just an afterthought.
For me, much of the”self-care” talk is irritatingly simplified and unhelpful. I’m sorry, but sneaking 15 minutes away to indulge in a soothing bubble bath is just ridiculous. Seriously, bathing is just basic hygeine…it is not self-care. This unhelpful idea of self-care is perpetuated all too much. It happened to me in therapy. This therapist had been amazing for my family during family sessions, but when I saw him for an individual session and described the paralyzing overwhelm I was dealing with he told me I needed to practice self-care. He then proceeded to make a list of things: take a bubble bath, go for a walk with the kids (I was a newly divorced single mom at the time and couldn’t get away alone), journal my thoughts, start a gratitude journal, call a friend, blah, blah, blah… I went away from that session feeling defeated and confused, because that was all stuff I was already doing and none of it was helping my situation.
Real self-care
Now, being on the other side of that difficult time in life, I have a passion for helping women practice real self-care. Now, when I talk and teach about self-care, I am referring to anything that actually soothes your nervous system, re-fuels you, lights you up, and creates renewed energy in your soul. This is different for every single person. What is self-care for me might not be for you and vice versa. So there is no pre-made list of self-care activities to pick from that will help you feel better.
I suggest you sit down and think about what truly calms your inner chaos? What makes you feel like you can breathe better? What makes you feel lighter? Are there things that light you up? Things that energize you at the soul level? What can you do to get yourself into that state?
Figure these things out about yourself, and you’ve got some powerful tools at your disposal. Acknowledging that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, but rather a prerequisite for caring for others, is a powerful realization. By prioritizing your own needs and nourishing your well-being, you’re better equipped to show up fully present and engaged in your life, which can absolutely supercharge your productivity! Remember, self-care isn’t just about pampering yourself—it’s about cultivating a foundation of strength, resilience, and energy for life from which you can better support and uplift those around you.
Where does productivity come in?
In order to be our best and most productive selves at this ultra-busy stage of life, we need to not only focus on conventional productivity strategies, but also this list of 6 unconventional strategies. It truly does take a mindset shift to grab hold of the importance of things like mindfulness and self-care, and letting go of perfectionism into a productivity and time management thought process. I encourage you to take these things into consideration when thinking about how to supercharge your productivity or manage your time and your mom life a little better. After all, the goal is progress, not perfection. Celebrate any progress that decreases chaos and stress and brings more calm into your life.
