10 Great Habits of Productive Stay at Home Moms
10 Habits of Productive Stay at Home Moms
Stay at Home Moms do it all. They cook, clean, raise babies, manage household expenses, keep schedules, plan birthdays, manage doctor appointments, and so much more!! So how exactly do they do it all? By maintaining positive habits. Today I’m going to talk to you about the habits of productive SAHM’s and how you can be the most productive mom you can be! So lets get started…
They get Quality Sleep
We all know how easy it is to stay up late just to get some time to yourself, but it’s to your detriment. By forfeiting sleep, you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to crankiness, shortsightedness, and easy frustration when you need to be your best self for your sweet babies. Treat yourself well and try to get at least 8 hours of shut eye each night. Productive moms know the value of a good night’s sleep.
They Drink Their Water
Before being pregnant, I rarely ever got enough water each day. But that all changed when my son was on the way. I realized I needed to treat my body well to give him his best chance. I now routinely drink close to sixty ounces each day, and can definitely feel the difference if I’m not drinking enough. Since drinking more water, I have less brain fog and feel better all around. Added bonus: my skin looks so much better than it used to!
They Eat Healthy
Speaking of treating your body well…this one should be a no brainer. Take in a wide variety of fruits, veggies, and healthy protein, and avoid the junk. Don’t stress too much about eating right all the time, but focus more on setting a good example for your kid. When you eat a healthy variety of foods, you gives your brain the fuel it needs to be productive. Check out my post about cheap and easy toddler snacks for some inspiration.
They Exercise Regularly
I promise, this is the last habit relating to health! Moving your body at least a little each day sets a healthy example for your child and it’s a great stress reliever for mom. When your stress is lowered, you are better able to problem solve.
Don’t think you have to be in the gym four hours each day to exercise. The habits of productive moms don’t just appear over night, they work at them until they become routine. Start small with daily walks, yoga or meditation. I love this yoga mat for my morning stretches!
They Put Routines In Place
If you wake up every morning with no plan, the day can quickly turn into chaos. Before establishing daily and weekly routines, I would end the day realizing I hardly accomplished anything and my to-do list had grown longer! I now live by my routines and they make the day go SO much more smoothly. Productive moms figure out a schedule that works for their family and they stick to it.
You can check out my weekly cleaning schedule for some inspiration.
They Keep Those Routines Simple
Overcomplicating your routines makes your days more hectic and believe it or not, you get less stuff done. By simplifying, you can check things off your list with ease. Let’s try an example: you’ve probably heard that taking care of your skin is important, but if you switch from splashing water on your face at night to a seventeen step skincare routine overnight, the reality is you’re not very likely to stick to it. By easing into it, say washing your face and applying a moisturizer, you’re more likely to stick with it. You can add more things down the line when you’ve established a small routine.
Psstttt….check out my SAHM morning routine for more tips.
They Know When to Quit
These same rules apply for cleaning and organizing your house. If you try to organize every bedroom in one day, you’re going to burn out and give up. Take bite-sized tasks and knock them out of the park. Instead of trying to organize your entire bedroom closet during nap time, work on decluttering clothes you no longer use one day, and storing away out-of-season clothes the next. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed and you will still feel like you’re accomplishing something.
When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed with the amount of tasks on your plate, take a step back and reassess. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your house will not fall apart if you take time to accomplish your tasks without burning out. If you do not schedule down time, your body will do it for you. Don’t let it get to that point before you take a break.
They Block Their Time
Instead of trying to simultaneously wash dishes, make dinner, entertain their kids, and plan a dinner party, productive moms know they can accomplish more by doing one thing at a time. If you need to get dinner on the stove, that means the kids are doing an independent activity, not something that requires mom’s immediate supervision. Likewise, if you’re cleaning bathrooms, don’t try to make a grocery list or respond to emails during that time.
By focusing on the singular task at hand, you’ll accomplish that task faster and be a more productive mom. Think about the habits of productive moms that you know: are they all over the map or do they seem to have a a focused energy about them? I’m willing to be its the latter.
They Prioritize
Some tasks are simply just more important than others. If your baby is going through a growth spurt and really needs your affection one day, then maybe that’s not the day you decide to replant the bushes in your front yard.
If you know you have family coming to stay, readying your guest room is more important than organizing under the kitchen sink. Make sure that you are prioritizing what needs to get done and not spending all of your time doing busy work.
They Make Time for Themselves
This is one of my favorite habits of productive moms. Productive moms know their worth. They also know that they’re not going to be any help to their families if they’re burnt out, angry, tired, or overwhelmed. Taking time for yourself is important, just because you are a human being. I’d even argue that it is doubly so because you’re taking care of your family. You have the most important job in the world (raising future generations) so treat yourself like it!!
If you never have time to yourself to recharge, take a break, or simply do something you love (that isn’t taking care of someone else), you’ll grow resentful. Of your husband, of your friends, even of your children. I don’t want that for you, and you shouldn’t either. Make a habit of carving out time for yourself. Even if that means getting up a little earlier or asking your husband to take over dinner prep one night each week.
You can check out my favorite self care ideas for SAHMs here.
Want bite-sized tips for stay at home moms? Head on over to Instagram for more!
Do you consider yourself a productive mom? What habit would you consider the most crucial for you? Let me know in the comments below!
