“Am I doing a good job?”
Many stay at home moms simply don’t feel like they always have it together. It’s difficult to feel productive and organized when you’re juggling so many things at once. Not only do these amazing women manage their own lives but they also manage the lives of the mini humans that call them “mom”.
Moms everywhere, especially moms who stay at home, are consumed with all the challenges that come with the territory. Motherhood is a busy, challenging, constant, and sleepless job that is equal parts rewarding and frustrating. There’s always something or someone that needs your attention, signaling you until evening. The next day, it starts all over again.
For moms, who choose to stay at home, life can be lonely, financially stressful, and downright difficult when it comes to finding balance. To the point that they may even question their decisions. Click To TweetLearning how to be a momager is the key to surviving the craziness. This skill will help you find calm within the chaos and order within the disorganization. Being able to create time for yourself while caring for others is essential. This post will help you feel more organized and give credence to your decision, among a group of super clever moms who stay at home.
Spoil yourself or the special mothers in your life this Mother’s Day by entering the giveaway I’ll be announcing on my Instagram account today. You can win a range of household products that will help you get more organized.
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links. Keep in mind that I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you when you click on my links and make a purchase. However, this does not impact my opinion in any way. I only promote brands I believe in and products that I use and love myself. I try my best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
Managing Motherhood by Being Prepared
Despite (never mind the) opinions to the contrary, moms who stay at home also have a full-time job that doesn’t always get the respect it deserves. Managing a household and multiple lives requires expert organizational skills, the ability to keep track of multiple schedules, constant to-dos and a stupendous sense of humor
Being organized means being prepared. It’s managing the resources you have in life to the best of your ability.
But just how do you go from overwhelmed to organized?
You plan the best you can and then take it one day at a time and one step at a time – just like motherhood.
Using Technology to be More Organized
Modern moms know how important it is to use all the tools they have available to them to stay organized and be productive. By embracing technology and all that it offers, moms who stay at home can better handle all the demands that come with running a household.
There are plenty of apps and digital products that can help you be more productive and even ensure that your kids stay organized too. Use programs such as Google Calendar or other planning apps such as Asana, ClickUp,Trello and Toggl to organize family responsibilities and tasks. Then make sure this calendar is synced to the devices of each family member. This way, everyone knows what’s happening when and what everyone else is doing at any given time.
Set reminders for yourself on your phone for scheduled tasks and responsibilities to make it easier to remember what to do. This is particularly useful on those days when everything seems to go wrong.
Regardless of which technology or tech hacks you use, it will help you stay organized, feel more prepared and get more done.
10 Top Tips for Moms Who Stay at Home
- To begin, use your diary or a planner to make a schedule according to your responsibilities, then block out the time required each day to focus on those tasks.
- Routines work. They keep you on auto pilot in the direction of “GO.” Create a routine for yourself and routines for your family (such as who does what and when in the morning) using a family planner and then make sure that you stick to it.
- Get up earlier than the kids to give yourself some “free” time to start your day right (with a cup of coffee, some yoga or meditation) so that you feel more prepared to handle inevitable unexpected situations that pop up once the kids are up and going.
- Prepare everything for the next day the night before, once the kids have gone to bed, so that the mornings run smoother. A sure kick in the pants to pandemonium.
- How to get it done? Create smart time blocks by doing 5 minute tasks right then and there such as putting away packages, filing paper, reading emails and sending a quick reply, when you can, (set aside time later for emails that require more attention) instead of allowing quick tasks to piggyback on more to-dos.
- When you have 10 minutes, go through your medicine cabinet, fridge or pantry and toss anything that’s expired.
- When you have 15 minutes, clear surface clutter, clean out a junk drawer or teach your little ones a new skill, like yoga, and you’ve then found a way to have fun while stretching!
- Learn how to manage your time by saying “no” to unfair requests of your time.
- Make sure you have a place for everything and that everything is in its place to avoid the stress and time lost from accidentally misplacing everyday items.
- Team work, works.Tag team with dad and build a support network. Ask for help when you need it from friends, family or outside sources. Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks. Your husband is your help mate and perfectly capable of getting things done. Perhaps not your way but good enough.
Summary
Being a stay at home mom is not an easy job. It requires constant effort and the ability to remain cool under pressure.
Moms who stay at home deal with many challenges on a daily basis and still manage to make every family member feel cared for and special. These incredible women deserve to be honored.
What’s your top tip for being productive as a stay at home mom?
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Comments 22
You have a wealth of fabulous tips in this post, Ronni. Moms are often under-appreciated and those who make the decision to stay at home with their children are sometimes accused of not working. We KNOW that’s not at all true. My favorite tips in your top 10 are to get up earlier than your children (I did this and loved the quiet time in the early morning) and prepare for the next day the night before (I still do this and find it always starts my day out on the right foot). Moms everywhere need to read this post!
Diane,
Thank you for all your support! I agree, I think moms are not appreciated for all they do. Yet, I can’t think of a more important job.
Your two favorite tips are mine as well. I especially found doing as much as I could the tonight before was a game changer. I also reached out for help when I needed it. I was lucky that my husband was so hands-on.
This is amazing! What great tips you are sharing for moms. I found out the hard way that taking care of myself first was the most important thing to be the best for my kids. So, I sent an alarm clock on my phone to remind me to take a shower and get ready at least 1/2 hour before my kids would wake. It really did help.
Sabrina,
I found that getting up before the kids, getting myself ready after some alone time, with a cup of coffee, was a lifesaver. Once they got up it was…anything could happen!
Establishing routines really helped me and I’m sure it helped them too.
With 3, children, including a set of twins it was my fall back.
I remember the years when my girls were little as being very difficult. I had one who didn’t sleep, so doing things “after she went to bed” or “before she woke up” just didn’t work for me. I was chronically exhausted. If I had had more money, I would have hired help, but I didn’t, and I had no family nearby.
As you point out, routines can be lifesavers, and they don’t cost anything. Neither does culling through a cabinet or drawer. Well worth the effort!
My heart goes out to to the Moms who are tired and frustrated. It is just difficult, even when you are doing your best.
Happy Mother’s Day!!
Seana,
I know what you’re saying. Motherhood is such a hard job. It’s exhausting.
I had a very hard time when one of mine was a newborn. She was colicky and cried incessantly for six months and then grew out of it. I felt inadequate because I couldn’t calm her down. If I only knew then what I know now.
Digital reminders save my life every single day. It not only ensures that I stay on top of everything that must happen, but it relieves the stress and pressure of trying to keep it saved in my memory bank.
Melanie,
You definitely need all those digital reminders. Kids today are so active, have busy schedules and everyone in the household can be in several different places at once. I always thought moms need a special navigation system to go from point A to point B.
What’s your favorite system?
I’m so glad you addressed this topic. These days being a stay at home mom gets less and less respect, and that simply is not fair. These ladies are super women who sacrifice a tremendous amount for the good of their little ones. It is not easy, and it often feels thankless and unsupported. You offer some wonderful tips to help moms stay on top of things and feel in control.
Hi Sheri,
I’m hoping that this post hits a nerve with many people. Being a stay at home mom is such a hard job, I can’t think of anything more important.
All the young moms that I have been blessed to know, take motherhood to a new level. I’m always in awe.
This is all such excellent advice, Ronni. The two things that jumped out at me were learning how to say “no,” and using the tag team or team approach. It’s not possible to do everything yourself. Encouraging the kids and partner to be on ” Team Family,” takes some of the pressure off mom. Team thinking also helps build skills that your kids can use in their lives. I have the utmost respect for the job of motherhood. There are so many joys, but there are also many hats to juggle. Sending extra love, calm, and Happy Mother’s Day wishes to all of the amazing moms out there!
Linda,
I’ve always thought teamwork is how a family thrives. It’s putting the heart of thefamily above the needs of each individual. You’re all in it together.
And then there are the individual people,like mom. It can be difficult at first but learning to say no is critical when her time is being sabotaged by others.
Cheers for every dedicated mom!
My big tip is every day: MAKE YOUR BED. There is a great speech on Goalcast by a US Admiral that talks about the value of making your bed every day. The conclusion is if you get nothing else done, you will at least have made your bed. Taking care of the little things helps you take care of the big things. I watch this video when I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. It is very motivational.
Margarita,
I love that speech. I’ve written about it several times on Instagram. I also love what he says about making your bed is the first important task of the day.
Morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. It should be motivating.
My top tip for being a productive stay-at-home mom is one that I used way longer than I thought I’d be able to. Nap time becomes quiet time/reading time as your kids get older. Just because they’re not sleeping during nap time doesn’t mean everyone won’t benefit from a scheduled time to chill out. Absence makes the heart grow fonder 🙂
Lucy,
I love your tip. You taught your children how to settle themselves for an enriched quiet time. The bonus is that they found a love of reading, which lasts a lifetime.
This is stellar time management advice, not only for moms, but for anyone. Over and over in your 10 Top Tips list, I kept nodding vigorously, and especially with #8. People make really unfair assumptions that work-from-home moms (um, that would be ALL moms, whether they’re getting paid or not) have “free” time and can have obligations dropped on them. Setting boundaries and saying “no” without guilt is key.
Julie,
I know this topic resonates with many. Stay at home moms, whether they work or not have plenty of responsibilities. It’s all consuming and they work hard dedicating themselves to their family.
Boundaries are important or it’s easy to lose yourself to others unfair requests.
I was once a stay at home mom and I wish I had this list then. My all time favorite organizing tip for everyone is maintaining schedules. The more you can do automatically without thinking the better.
Jonda,
If you’re referring to routines, I have lived by them. They make my life easier; I don’t have to think about tasks, they just get done.
I’ve always thought of motherhood as the best on the job training.
Trello is a great resource for staying organized! I use it with my coworkers, and I can see how it would help keep a household on track as well.
Katherine,
Thank you for sharing that! It’s always helpful to know what our colleagues are doing.