Remember when you thought being a stay at home mom meant having amazing dinners prepared, a clean house and a killer home workout routine? Psshh me too. In all reality, it is so hard to be a mom AND be get things accomplished. If you are having trouble balancing both, like I did, these tips will teach you how to be a productive stay at home mom who conquers the day and takes care of her kids.
10 Tips for learning how to be a productive stay at home mom
| Get Ready for the Day |
It’s really easy to fall into a rut of wearing pajamas and comfy clothes every day as a stay at home mom. When you don’t feel ready and put together, you won’t feel ready to take on the day. That’s not to say you have to put on you favorite little black dress but pull on your favorite leggings, brush your teeth and do your hair. I know my worst days are days I don’t get dressed or I feel messy.
| Get Up Early |
Get into the habit of getting up an hour or more before your kids. You can accomplish SO much with just an hour of quiet and being by yourself. Once your kids get up, the dynamic and focus of the day changes. Start off on the right foot by getting some things done, having some time for yourself and your day will be so much more productive.
This can be a hard adjustment at first, but you will be so glad when you make the change. Even if getting up early just means you get to take a shower without your child staring at you through the glass, do it. Imagine how an hour of productivity, quiet time, or enjoying your coffee while it’s hot could change your day.
| Routine |
Notice I use the word routine, not schedule. Having a schedule is too strict and rigid when you have kids, and it will cause more harm than good. Switching your weekly grocery run because your kid is having a meltdown is WAY better than sticking to your schedule.
That being said, it will work wonders for you and your kids to have a routine every week for what is going on. It will also ensure you get your weekly tasks accomplished. Start getting yourself and your family into a habit of what each day of the week will generally look like. For example, we grocery shop before nap every Monday. So every Monday, it is natural and routine for me to get our reusable bags ready, Jackson dressed, and our grocery list prepped without even really thinking about it.
As you develop your routine, this free mama planner will help you with creating a general schedule/routine, meal planning, cleaning and more. It will help take some of the unknown and chaos out of the day.
| Meal Prep |
If you are like our family, it sounds great to meal prep for the week but it’s also unrealistic. Instead, have some super easy go-to meals that are on rotation. The easier the meals, the less time you spend buying ingredients and prepping.
I love stuffed cabbage, but I don’t have time to steam the cabbage, make the rice, make the meat, stuff the cabbage, and cook it all in time for dinner. It takes forever! These meals are reserved for the weekend, special occasions or if I have nothing going on that day.
So start researching or thinking of super easy meals that will cut down on your time and heighten productivity elsewhere. Our meals are easy and are usually just a protein and veggie.
| To Do List |
Prioritize your to do list. Chances are, no matter how productive you are, it will be hard to get every single thing done you want during the day. Use your free mama planner to prioritize what you want to get done that day so you know what needs done first and what can wait if you don’t get to it.
| Independent Play |
Learning how to be a productive stay at home mom has a lot to do with multitasking. Teaching your kids to play on their own will go really far in allowing you to get things done while they are awake. In each room, make different stations for toys to play with, a sensory bin, blocks to build, and books to read so your child can go from one activity to the next. This allows baby to move around each room with lots of playing options.
If all else fails, I turn the TV on! No mama guilt here, and you shouldn’t have any either. Sometimes there are things that need done and if that means Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger are on repeat than so be it!
| Nap Time |
Nap time is when you will be the most productive, so don’t waste it! What I mean, is take a long, hard look at what you are doing nap time and whether or not you can do it while your kids are awake.
I used to save my shower for when Jackson napped. It was nice to have the quiet time but then I wasn’t getting anything else done. I put a bunch of toys in the bathroom, played a show on his Kindle and it was great! Some days he ends up in the shower with me, but I get SO much done during his nap now! Anything and everything that can be done while your kids are awake will make nap time that much more productive.
| Don’t Clean Up |
This goes for nap time and all other messy times of the day, which let’s face it: if you have kids is all day. Stop trying to clean up after your kids and trying to have a clean, tidy home. It’s impossible and you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, use that time to be productive.
I used to tidy Jackson’s toys every time he left the room, napped, went to bed, or finished playing with a certain toy. Do you know what happened? I spent all day long cleaning up a mess that was going to be made again in 5 seconds. I started taking deep breaths and recognizing how much more I got done by not cleaning up all the time.
| Self Care |
Take it from someone who has been there, you will run yourself ragged if you don’t take time for yourself. Maintaining a home and raising kids is HARD WORK, and you can’t take care of everything else if you don’t take care of yourself. Mama self care is SO important.
Add it to your routine to do your favorite self care when your kids nap, after bedtime, in the morning or whenever you can find time! I struggled a lot with this for almost the first year of Jackson’s life. I wanted to spend time with my husband when he got home from work, but every once in a while I wanted to do a face mask and take a bubble bath. How can one be a wife, mom, house cleaner, chef and still take time for herself?! You just do it. Everything can wait, and you will be a better you for doing it, which is good for everyone!
| Deep Breaths |
I’m certain that nine times out of ten your do to list can wait. Some days are hard and stressful. Some days your kids will throw tantrums, be sick or your sick (and want to throw tantrums). Learning how to be a productive stay at home mom also means learning and knowing when to take a break or put your to do list on pause.
It can wait until tomorrow while you and your kids catch a break. Being a productive say at home mom doesn’t mean forgetting that you are a mom and that is your job first. Enjoy this time with your little ones and put off that to do list for now. Take a deep breath and give yourself permission to be in the moment and know that you will get that list done tomorrow.
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