12 Practical Ways to be Productive as a Busy Mom
12 Practical Ways to be Productive as a Busy Mom
Moms have a lot to do each day. Besides the whole keeping a tiny human alive thing, they usually need to cook and clean and organize and tidy and be fun and make it to appointments and and and…. It can be totally overwhelming.
It gets even more so when you’re feeling unproductive. I want to get stuff done all the time but if we’re being honest, that motivation ebbs and flows pretty drastically. So when I am feeling less than motivated, but I still have to get my ish together, I try to focus on what I can accomplish, rather than all of the things I can’t. Here are my favorite practical ways to be productive.
What to Do When You’re Feeling Unproductive
Don’t Wait Until You’re Motivated
Motivation comes so rarely. Rather, focus on forming the habits. This will translate into you eventually just doing tasks mindlessly, rather than having to convince yourself to do them.
Schedule Tasks
When are you finally holding a yard sale for the baby stuff your kiddo has outgrown? Pick a date. What day are you finally cleaning out that garage? Block out a date on your calendar.
By giving yourself a date, you can mentally prepare for it, rather than begrudgingly getting to it eventually.
Take it Day by Day
Get done what you can in a day and be proud of what you did accomplish, rather than all of the things you didn’t. At the very least, you keep yourself and your kiddos alive for another day and some days, thats all you can manage. And that is okay.
Remember Your Why
Sometimes, it can be easy to forget why youre doing all of this. When you’re elbow deep in dirty diapers and dirty dishes, it can be difficult to focus on the fact that you get to spend all of this time with your baby.
Continuously remind yourself why you’re doing all of this. Think about the life you want for your family and strive toward it, rather than wading into the murky emotions that can come from being overwhelmed.
Get Outside
Sometimes you just need some fresh air. Move your body and keep your phone in your pocket. Let your mind unravel and wander. Remember what you are thankful for and I bet you’ll find a little motivation in there.
Limit Distractions
Sometimes the lack of motivation can stem from being so caught up in what is going on on social media or the latest celeb gossip. Back away from the internet and focus on your little family.
Declutter
When I am feeling overwhelmed, I like to look around my house. More often than not, the clutter is making my brain itchy. After tidying, it feels like I can take a deep breath and accomplish so much more.
Check out these posts for some help decluttering:
Schedule Self Care
Taking time for yourself can leave you feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle even the most arduous tasks. Check out my 30 day self care challenge for fun ways to gamify your me time.
Take Time Off
I just mentioned self care, but we also need time with our families NOT cleaning or organizing or fretting over our to-do lists.
Get out of the house and go for a walk or play at the park. Check out my post on 50 frugal family activities for ways to have some stress free fun on a budget.
Ways to Be Productive
Use the 5 Minute Rule
If it takes less than 5 minutes to accomplish a task, just go ahead and do it. It will be quick and painless, and you’ll be able to check something off of your list. Loading the dishwasher, taking out the trash, wiping down counters, or picking up clutter in just one room can all be done in less than five minutes and will save your sanity.
Likewise, if you are having trouble focusing on a specific task, set a timer for five minutes and go at it. If, at the end of the five minutes, you want to call it quits, you can do so without guilt. But most likely you’ll be motivated to go ahead and finish whatever the task is.
Gamify Your Tasks
Everything is a little more fun when it is a game, even chores and errands! Make it more fun by creating small challenges for yourself. See if you can get all of the laundry folded before your little terror comes in and messes up all teh freshly folded towels. See how many items you can unload from the dishwasher before you have to drain the noodles on the stove. Bonus points if you can get your kiddo involved as well.
Take Breaks as Needed
I don’t know about you, but if I go, go, go, without a break, I get burnt out and end up completing less of my tasks than if I allow myself a break. After a task or three, give yourself a chance to take a break. If you do a load of laundry and clean the bathrooms, give yourself permission to go play with your kiddo. If you’ve been cooking and tidying all afternoon, allow yourself to sit and read a book for a while.
Go Full Speed for an Hour
Commit to a full sixty minutes of hardcore focus to get something done. It might be cleaning up your flower beds or deep cleaning the kitchen. Whatever it is, give it your full focus for an hour and see how far you can get. Most likely, you’ll be able to get a lot more done than you think.
When I think about ways to be productive, setting aside a full speed hour always tops the list.
Do Your Most Difficult Task First
Cleaning bathrooms with a rambunctious toddler is not for the faint of heart. That is why I do it first thing on my cleaning days. I can get the hard task over and done with, leaving the rest of my day feeling lighter. Check out my weekly cleaning guide here!
Whatever the task is that you are least looking forward to, go ahead and get it done first. It is sure to make the rest of your day feel much easier.
Organize Ahead of Time
Get your to-do list in order the night before, so that you know exactly what to expect the next day. I use a planning app on my phone and it has helped me stay much more organized. You can see what you’ve got going on the next day and you don’t feel blindsided by looming tasks.
Break Down Big Goals
If you wake up and decide to tackle organizing the entire attic that day, you’re probably going to hit road blocks before ultimately not completing your task. Break it down into smaller goals, like dusting and decluttering one day, and then dividing up boxes, and then actually going through them on the third day.
By breaking your monumental tasks down into bite-sized tasks, you are more likely to gain traction on your goals.
Reward Yourself
If there is a task on your to-do list that is giving you trouble, figure out a reward for accomplishing it. This could be as simple as taking a bubble bath when you’re all done, or getting a pedicure.
Whatever the reward, make sure it is appropriately matched to the task. Don’t book a 7 day cruise because you managed to sort through your baby’s outgrown clothes.
Give Yourself Deadlines
I’m an efficiency junkie and This is one of my favorite ways to be productive. Get it done ahead of time!
If you know that you need to get preschool paperwork filled out by the 15th, set a personal deadline to get it done by the 10th. This will keep you organized and feeling like you’ve got a handle on this mom thing.
Block Your Time
Instead of trying to get small tasks done throughout the day, block off your time to get them all done at once. This could be while your toddler is practicing independent play, or first thing in the morning while your husband is hanging out with the little ones.
A dedicated thirty minutes (or whatever you deem enough time) is much more effective and productive than a minute or two here and there.
Make Your Goals Achievable
This is one of the simplest ways to be productive, but it is often overlooked. Don’t task yourself with a mile-long to-do list when you know you’ve only got an hour to get anything done. That is just setting yourself up for failure.
Sure, all of those tasks need to get done, but that doesn’t mean today. Pick a few tasks (I like to group errands) and accomplish those. If you have more time, you can check off something else, but trying to tackle everything is a recipe for disappointment.
Make it More Fun
If you absolutely hate dusting, pair it with some fun music to get you through it. If you loathe going to the DMV (don’t we all!), bring a book you’ve been dying to read.
By pairing an unpleasant task with something you enjoy, it makes it more tolerable. You’re more likely to get it done if you’re motivated to do so. So cue up that podcast you’ve been wanting to listen to and put on the rubber gloves… you’ve got some work to do!
These practical ways to be productive can help you get out of your head and get stuff done, even when previously unmotivated!
I get it, life is hectic as a mom, but making sure you can be the best version of yourself is so important, not only for you, but for your whole family. You got this, mama.
What are some of your favorite ways to be productive? Let me know in the comments below! You can also check out my Instagram page for weekly tips on decluttering, cleaning, and general mom life!
