Moms naturally want to see more productivity in their lives and don’t we need more productivity tips for busy moms? We pile everything on for a reason, it has to get done! We all have a task list of some sort. The task list can be used for several purposes:
It can be a thing that we spend more time thinking about and procrastinating with or it can be the tool we use to keep ourselves on track. I prefer to keep my lists short but that never happens. I have more lists that I’ve written than lists I’ve actually finished. Inevitably, I put too much on my list and I don’t have enough time to get to everything.
So, I’ve decided to do something a little different. I’m reworking the task list so that I’m accomplishing exactly what I set out to do, improving my productivity and can rejoice when it’s all done instead of worry that I wasn’t able to succeed for the day.
Everyday my list will include the following and are my productivity tips for busy moms
Steal some joy.
Stealing some joy is a way to show gratitude every day. What is something that you are joyful for? How can you be joyful in overwhelming moments? Where can you make space for more joy in your life?
Despite all of the things that come our way as moms, I feel that it is our right to steal some joy every day. The challenges we face, problems with relationships, or struggles we have can easily take our joy and leave us unhappy, depressed, or worn out. Instead, I’m making it a priority to steal some joy and have that spirit despite what’s happening in my life.
For me it is snuggles with my daughter, cracking jokes with my husband, taking a nice hot bath in the morning before work while I drink my morning coffee or listening to one song on repeat for days on end because it always makes me dance. Whenever the opportunity arises for you to be present and steal some joy, I encourage you to do so without shame.
Eat something tasty.
I love snacks. ALL SNACKS. Healthy snacks, not so healthy snacks, those tasty vegan bad snack alternatives. And food. I just love food. All foods, it doesn’t matter. However, this love of food has turned into some stubborn weight gain. So, now I prioritize eating something tasty instead of focusing on diets or counting calories. As moms this can be tough because there seems to be a little hand on our plates at all times.
If all you can do is sneak and eat that bag of chips in the closet (or for me the bathroom) you better do a little happy dance while you’re at it. That way you’ve done two things at once: Stolen some joy and ate something tasty. See! you’re already halfway through your task list for the day and you’re multi-tasking! GO YOU MAMA!
Schedule a nap or take the scheduled nap.
I will speak for myself when I say that I am perpetually exhausted. I’ve been less so since I’ve been taking a nap once a week. That hour or so of rest really helps refresh the mind and body. Sis, it’s tiring out here. That moment when you see your child having a melt-down and your response is ‘oh, you’re fussy because you’re tired’. THAT’S US TOO! We’re cranky because we’re tired. SCHEDULE AND TAKE A NAP!
By scheduling this nap I’m telling myself that it’s important and that I deserve to be on my task list. The beauty of scheduling this is that I don’t have to think about what to do to take care of myself, I don’t have to worry about being interrupted because it’s on the calendar, and I know that once it’s over I can jump back into my work.
Relax.
You may be curious about how I prioritize getting the more responsible things done on my mental task list. That question led to these productivity tips for busy moms and this one is my favorite. The mental task list is that never ending list of things that we know must get done on a regular basis: caring for myself, my child, my spouse and my household. Caring for these things happen in no particular order but doing it all in nonetheless taxing on me mentally. Being able to take the time to relax before or after doing the things that I dislike doing makes them less unlikeable. I start to focus to get a few things off my task list done so I can get to the relaxing time. For example, relaxing looks like scheduling that nap when I know that my husband will be home and can spend some quality time with my daughter while I rest.
I’m able to relax knowing that it’s for my own health and I can be a better wife and mom after I’ve gotten some rest. Quick spurts of work followed by short breaks help me stay motivated throughout the day and is one of the biggest productivity tips for busy moms that I can share.
I hope this will inspire you to re-work your task list. Life isn’t all tasks. Life happens when we slow down, intentionally enjoy our children, families and friends and savoring the tasty things. I hope you are able to relax and laugh more this year.
You deserve it!
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