7 Productivity Tips for Moms (w/ FREE DOWNLOAD)
Use these productivity tips for moms to feel accomplished when you go to bed at night, not overwhelmed and dreading your next day. You can increase your productivity tomorrow by just changing a few things, trust me, I have done it!
Being more productive sounds great for all of us busy mommas. We all say we are busy and feel like we are always one step behind or running late to everything, or is that just me?
You sit down to reply to that email and hear a crash in the kitchen. Another mess to clean up.
You skip a shower again because you are needed EVERY single second and never found a good time to escape for a few minutes.
I get it momma! I am right there with you with two littles under the age of 2.
We ask ourselves, HOW AM I EVER GOING TO GET ANYTHING DONE AROUND HERE? Being productive is possible momma, trust me! Use these 7 productivity tips for moms and I promise you will be impressed with how much you can get accomplished!
THE “PERFECT” MOM
We all know that one mom that appears perfect. She homeschools 5 kids, has a part-time job, is a size 2, and is drop dead gorgeous. Her IG posts are covered with her kids (and herself) looking perfect and all put together ALL the time. You can only assume her house is spotless too. How does she get it all done?
Girl, let me stop you right there.
She isn’t perfect, even though it appears like it from the outside. All people are created differently and God has given her some beautiful talents. The Bible tells us that all people are created as IMPERFECT humans. She has her problems too, I promise.
If this is something you struggle with, I read this book, Seeing Green: Don’t Let Envy Color Your Joy, and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!
Anyhow… we are focusing on YOU momma and how YOU can get more done. We are not focusing on getting as much done as “the perfect mom” you are comparing yourself with.
These productivity tips for moms are simple and you can start implementing them today!
1. PRIORITIZE WHAT TRULY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
Increasing productivity doesn’t necessarily mean doing ALL THE THINGS. It means prioritizing the important ones and getting those done first.
Come up with a mission statement and say it every morning. Mine recently has been, “I want my family to feel loved today.” This is a beautiful reminder that my husband and kids are my first priority each day, not laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.
With that being said, we still need to do many chores throughout the day otherwise we would all live in a pig’s pin.
Be intentional with time devoted to cleaning, playing with your kids, and also yourself. Block scheduling has been a life changer for me.
2. BEING MORE PRODUCTIVE = USING TIME WISELY
LIMIT TIME WASTERS-I could talk for hours about this, but we waste SO MUCH time each day. If you are serious about being more productive, you have to limit distractions throughout the day, AKA your phone or social media.
SPEND INTENTIONAL TIME WITH YOUR KIDS– We want our kids to feel special daily, so make sure you give them quality time each day. Set a timer and play with your kids for 30 minutes without doing anything else. No multi-tasking, checking your phone, or listening to a podcast. Just enjoy this phase of life and your time with your kids.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER– One of my favorite productivity tips for moms is you don’t have to do it all. Get your family to help around the house, especially your kids!
Nobody said that you have to do all of the work momma! Your kids can help clean up their toys and even have a daily chore. Have them “help” you with chores around the house.
Just know that it will ALWAYS take longer, but it is time well spent. Give kids each a daily chore or use a chore chart. Kids can start helping as young as 2 years old! Start them young so they will know it is part of their daily routine.
ANALYZE TASKS– We all know that nap time is VERY SPECIAL for mommas. I like to divide tasks between things to do while my kids are awake and some while they are sleeping. My goal is to not spend their whole nap time cleaning because momma needs a break too.
Certain tasks can be started and stopped easily and are great to do while your kids are playing. Find some of these tasks that you can easily do while your kids are preoccupied and playing nicely.
Here is a list of things I like to do while my kids are awake:
- load the dishwasher
- unload the dishwasher
- wash dishes
- put supper in the crockpot
- meal prep
- work out
- fold laundry
- sweep & dust
There are other tasks that are better to do when my kids are napping, or down for the night. Find the things that work for you and your family.
- mopping
- deep cleaning with chemicals
- washing windows
- straightening up around the house
RELATED-Here is my simple cleaning schedule and cleaning checklist that help my house to stay company ready without spending countless hours cleaning.
3. WORK AHEAD WHENEVER POSSIBLE
BE ORGANIZED– Take some time to get organized. When we have time to work on a task, everything should be organized and ready to start ASAP so we don’t waste any time.
Remember, increasing productivity doesn’t mean doing more, just doing it better.
Everything should have a specific place, this will help when it is time to clean up. If you want your husband and kids to help also, it is important they know where items belong.
Meal planning and meal prepping are great ways to save time by being organized in the kitchen.
Having a cleaning schedule or cleaning checklist is also very helpful.
PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE– Whether you are going to work the next morning, grocery shopping, or to church, prep the night before. Get your church bag filled with toys, snacks, and sippy cups. Pick out yours and the kids’ outfits. Pack your lunches for work the night before. Getting out of the house with kids is so hard. Save yourself that last minute stress by working ahead.
BE PREPARED– Keep frequently used items in the car (stocked diaper bag, snacks, extra shoes, jackets, hats, blankets, etc.) Having items ready will save you time and stress!
4. CREATE DAILY ROUTINES TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY
Having routines is essential in increasing productivity. It will allow you to quickly know what to do each day and when without having to waste time planning. It will also help save brain power, as your brain loves routines.
Build a productive morning routine, evening routine, and just a general daily routine so we don’t have to waste brain power to figure out our next step. Trust me, this will be SO helpful!
5. GET CREATIVE WITH WAYS TO MULTITASK
Go on a walk with your friend & catch up.
Spend time at the park and invite a few other moms. Socializing is important for moms too!
Use home workouts and exercise in your living room as your toddler joins in. (I am an online fitness coach and here are the workouts I use faithfully)
Put some music on and have a dance party with your kids. Not only will your kids love this, but it is a great form of exercise!
Use a baby carrier when vacuuming, or doing other tasks around the house.
While your kids are bathing, spend some time cleaning up the bathroom, wiping down sinks, etc.
6. PRODUCTIVITY INCLUDES SELF CARE
Move your body every day. If the weather is nice, get outside and go for a walk or bike ride with your kids. You could get a gym membership. One of my favorites is Beachbody on Demand‘s home workout videos.
Get up before your kids. I know it isn’t easy but you MUST get up before your kids so you can start the day on offense, instead of defense. See my post on a creating a morning routine for more help with this.
Spend time reading God’s word, in prayer, and gratitude. Even if you aren’t a morning person, a little time with God in the morning will help power you through your day. Here is my daily morning prayer for mothers that helps me start my day well.
Put real clothes on & do your hair. It is so easy to stay in sweats all day, do nothing to your hair, and just have a lazy day. If you are looking to feel more productive and BE more productive, dressing for success is crucial.
Eat a healthy breakfast. Start your morning with a balance of protein and carbs. Checkout some of my favorite healthy breakfasts.
Rest for at least 30 minutes everyday. This doesn’t not come naturally for me. It is in my nature to work from the moment I get up to the moment I go to bed, but being busy all of the time is NOT helpful and NOT good for your health. Find some ways where you can unwind, sit, run, take a bath, just sit and do nothing. I found this book, Addicted to Busy, very helpful in my battle against being too busy.
Limit your time on your phone/social media. If you are anything like me, I mostly use my phone for social media and some Pinterest searching. I can waste WAY too much time here. My most productive days are days that I spend very little, like under 30 minutes, on my phone. The average person is on their phone 3 hours a day. Three hours! That is absolutely CRAZY.
7. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET
Being more productive is a great desire, but at the end of the day, it is all about HOW YOU FEEL MOMMA. You want to go to bed feeling peaceful, accomplished, and proud of yourself.
Motherhood is a beautiful gift from God, enjoy your children and this special time with them!
Be thankful, even for the overwhelm stack of laundry that needs folded, the pile of dishes that need washed, or the tenth mess your toddler has made today. BE THANKFUL.
Try to always see the positive, especially in your children. Most of the time they are innocent in their actions and messes they make.
Give yourself grace. This was not an easy task for me, so I created some affirmation cards to help me balance everyday life, unmet expectations, and the stay at home mom life. Check them out here if this sounds like something that could be helpful for you too!
As promised, here is the printable productivity guide. It includes my productivity tips for moms and all of my tips to help you live your best life, by living one good day at a time momma!
OTHER POSTS I THINK YOU WILL ENJOY
- A Daily Prayer for Moms
- Creating a Morning Routine can also increase productivity so you can say goodbye to stress!
- Affirmation Cards for Moms when you feel like you just can’t catch up.
- The workout programs I do to help me stay sane.
