How to Be a Productive Mom

New moms constantly have their hands full – be it rocking their children to sleep, getting rid of the diapers, unloading the laundry or cooking dinner and squeezing in some additional house work on the side. Nobody knows just how much hard work and strain it can be to raise children and not allow your house to fall apart in the process and let’s face it, things aren’t easy.

Being a productive mom requires some organization and clear goal-setting, but more importantly you need patience until you get it right. Sometimes things will get out of control, sometimes you won’t be able to remember when was the last time you had solid 8-hour sleep, but it’s crucial to power through it. Once you’ve proven to yourself that you can tackle any emergency, you will see that being a productive mom is very much possible, as long as you show perseverance and the ability to adapt to new situations quickly. Here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Start Your Day before Everybody Else

Showing attention where attention is due isn’t always easy when you’ve got small children, your partner and yourself to think about, but rising earlier than everybody else in your household gets things on the right track. You actually get some extra time to do something for yourself, even if it’s just unrushed shower that sets mood for success for the whole day. If you get up when your children do, then you’ll have a constant panicky feeling in your gut because you don’t know if you’re going to do everything on time. Having a morning routine helps you to stay grounded for the whole day and think clearly in every moment. You won’t get that kind of clarity scrambling around still half asleep when your children and your partner are already up and ready to rumble. If at all possible, try to have some time with your spouse as well, so that both of your days’ start with love and care for each other.

Make a Schedule and Stick to It

Having small children that are happy and taken care of demands having an on-point schedule that will let yourself and your family know what should be done and when. It’s very important for the little ones to have a specific time when they get up, eat and have naps, because their metabolism and expectations will adjust accordingly. As for you, once you get the hang of making schedules, it will be a great reminder of what needs to be done so your productivity will always be on point. Even if you believe that you can get everything done without scheduling every single activity in the day, in the craze of screaming and attention seeking, you might forget your own name, not to mention what you’re supposed to make for dinner.

Don’t Just Stay Indoors

This is a mistake many new moms make, seeing that there is constantly so much to do around the house. However, you should do your best to get out of the house at least once a day, so that both you and your children can get some fresh air and vent. Take your little ones to the park, arrange play dates with other parents or simply get out and play with your kids in the backyard. It will make the world of difference because you’ll be able to step away from the chores and everything else that needs to be done and gain some fresh perspective. If you have other moms in your neighborhood, connect to them, share experiences and survival tips, you never know what could come in handy.

Limit the Media

The easiest thing to do is sit your child in front of the TV or give them a tablet to play around with while you catch up in your housework. While there is nothing wrong indulging them with this form of entertainment every once and a while, you shouldn’t make this your routine, because it will seriously affect your children’s attention span and the way they see life from early age. Limit their access to media and teach them to explore and play by themselves or in the company of other children. Another useful tip if you’re working from home is to make the best of the time when you’re working and that means no distractions whatsoever. You will be tempted to browse entertainment sites and social media, but don’t fall into the trap. If you need something to limit your access to temptations, there are many helpful apps you can use or you can even download VPN Express in order to keep all your activities on the internet safe. VPN will allow you to restrict your children’s access to sites as well, so you kill two birds with one stone.

Set Goals and Prioritize Them

This should be a golden rule to abide by – set goals for yourself and do your best to achieve them. Please, don’t start with writing down a bunch of things, as it will simply overwhelm you and you will end up doing very little. Write down a few goals that seem attainable and then work your way up. You will feel productive and accomplished every time you check one goal as “done”, which will help you feel better about yourself. One other useful tip is to tackle the most difficult task in the day right in the morning, otherwise it will haunt your through the day and build up over time. Starting your day strong will make it a lot easier to set up the same trend for the rest of it.

Make Time for Yourself and Your Spouse

Nobody can underline just how important this is. While taking care of your little ones will take a lot of your time, you need to take care of yourself and your relationship with your partner. For everything to work, you two need to stand strong side by side, and the only way to do that is to stay committed to each other as well as to the rest of the family. Having date nights and time for you two to unwind is paramount to make it all work, so don’t be afraid to hire a babysitter and head out for the night on the town with your loved one.

Also, it is equally important to have time for yourself and what makes you tick. We don’t just mean having time to get some job-related stuff done, but actually focusing on yourself and what you like, be it your hobby or getting a cup of coffee in peace and chatting with your closest friends. Balance is the key to not just being a productive mom, but also being a happy human being that can raise children the best way possible.

As you can see, getting everything done and being good at it is a constant balancing act, but it can be achieved and with great success. Don’t be afraid to go all in, but don’t lose your head when things get hectic; know when it’s time to push hard and when you should stop and smell the roses. Learn to appreciate and be grateful for every situation no matter how stressful it is and use it as a lesson to fuel yourself and be better the next time around. – By Adam Ferraresi

Though Adam really loves his job of web developer, he’s also quite passionate about his writing, which is always gladly accepted at wefollowtech.com. As every Texan, he loves spending time outside playing sports with his friends. He may have graduated from college a couple of years ago, but he’s already working on his dream job and couldn’t be happier about it, as well as his new life in Dallas.