Being a stay-at-home mom is not a walk in the park. It can be incredibly chaotic and sometimes, quite overwhelming. It can also be quite hard to get anything done and be productive while also juggling your mommy duties.
While being productive can be a challenge, it helps to stay motivated. When you finally get to be productive and do all the chores you set out to complete for that day, you will become even more motivated to face the next day.
This all sounds great, but how do you become this productive? How do you get things done as a stay at home mom? Well, this article will cover everything you need to know to help you increase your productivity. Here's how to do it:
1. Ask your Partner for Help
Your partner can take some of the load off your back by helping with some of the house chores. Even if you feel like you can handle all the chores without needing any assistance, having your partner handle the basic household stuff will allow you to get more things done around the house.
2. Ask your Kids for Help
If you have older kids, they can also help around the house. This is a tried and tested method that moms have been using to get things done for years. Besides, having the kids involved in the house chores is not only beneficial to you but also to the kids. It will reduce your workload and allow you to focus on other things while also teaching your kids important life skills at the same time.
3. Establish a Sleep Routine for your Kids
Establishing a sleep routine for your kids helps in helping you to know what to expect during the day. Knowing when your children will be taking a nap enables you to effectively plan what you can do when the kids are sleeping. This can help increase your overall productivity in the house. If you have older kids who no longer take naps, you could implement rest time for them. You can do this by setting aside some time each day where your child is required to lay on the bed and engage in a quiet activity such as reading a book. This helps you to create some time for yourself to be productive.
4. Teach your children how to play independently
It is important to teach your kids how to be able to operate with minimal supervision. Your kids learn how to play safely without you having to be around all the time to supervise. This gives you time to get more things done around the house. If the kids are too young to play unattended, you can put them in a playpen with a few toys close to where you will be working. The older siblings can help in keeping the younger kids entertained while you get things done in the house.
5. Limit Your Distractions
You should set limits or completely turn off your distractions. Social Media, Netflix, among other distractions take up a lot of your time. You should completely avoid these distractions until at least five of the things that you had set out to do are complete. Some of these distractions can easily lead you to waste hours of your day without getting anything done in the house.
6. Exercise
As a stay-at-home mom, it is important to engage in physical activity. Exercising in the morning not only helps to keep you in shape but also helps prepare your mind for the tasks that lie ahead. Exercising will enable you to tackle the chores without feeling tired both physically and mentally thus improving your overall productivity at home.
7. Have a Flexible Schedule
It is important to have a schedule for how you plan to spend your day. The schedule, however, should not be too strict. You do not need to have every hour of your day mapped out. You could establish a sleeping and eating schedule for your kids. The schedule should be flexible to accommodate the personal schedules of your children. The schedule should be able to navigate through the hectic mornings, the doctor appointments, soccer games, carpool lines, and bedtimes. You could organize the family routine in writing, whether on a shared calendar on everyone’s smartphones, on an actual calendar, or the fridge so that everyone knows what they are supposed to do and when.
8. Start your Day Early
One of the ways of having a productive day as a stay-at-home mom is by getting up earlier. Getting up early allows you to have some time for yourself. This is the ideal time to relax, take a shower, and prepare yourself for the day’s activities. Waking up before your kids will allow you to operate in a quiet environment. Starting your day in such a relaxed manner will leave you in a much better mood for the rest of the day, thus increasing your overall productivity at home. The house chores will seem much easier when you are in a relaxed mood. It is also important to get enough sleep for you to be productive when you wake up early the next day.
9. Establish a Simple Nighttime Routine
Your nighttime routine needs to be simple. You do not need to overwhelm yourself with a lot of chores before going to sleep. Doing so will result in you going to bed more exhausted than you should be. Having a very busy nighttime routine will subsequently mess up with your morning routine, and may end up leaving you disoriented the next day.
10. Prepare a Budget
Being a stay-at-home mom is not an easy task. In addition to all the other tasks you do, you also need to organize the finances of the home. You could manage the family’s finances in such a way that you can save some money for yourself without leaving you and the kids lacking in anything. There are several money-management tricks that you could use to save money from the family budget. You could then use this money to take the family for vacation or to spoil yourself once in a while.
Final Thoughts
When you are a stay-at-home mom, every day is a workday. This is why it is so important for you to be happy and motivated as you go about your days. It will go a long way in helping boost your productivity and efficiency.
With the tips outlined here, you will be able to take the first step towards taking back control of your days and finally getting things done as a stay at home mom.