Are you a working full-time mom who is overwhelmed?
I have been there. A lot. And will be there in the future. It’s always a bit of a balancing act.
My main problem in life has been that I want to do it ALL. I’m in health care, working full time. I’m also a mom and a wife. Not only this, I manage to Crossfit 4-5 times/week, with a yoga class once a week.
Cooking in-between all this can be challenging, especially when I’m trying to make our food healthy. Don’t forget the time for knitting, watching TV, and just enjoying life. Oh, and then when that wasn’t enough, I decided I needed a side hustle hobby like a blog… It can be hard to balance work and family and leave time for yourself.
And I know I’m not the only mom juggling all the things. I see my friends and coworkers managing it, some of us making it look easier than others.
But, it can be done.
5 Tips to Help the Working Mom Juggle It ALL
1) Plan your week in advance.
Get yourself a planner – I mean a paperbound, old fashioned planner. It helps to see it all written out.
I currently use the Erin Condren planner.
I like the format that has the month, followed by the weeks. I use the monthly page as the master scheduler. Then, on the weekend, I sit down and plug-in those appointments into my weekly part. It mentally prepares me for what’s going on that week and refreshes my memory of what needs to get done.
2) Meal plan.
I can’t stress this one enough.
Dinner is one of the major stressors for me. Eating out every day is not an option, as it’s way too expensive, and also tends to be unhealthy. But you also don’t want to end up feeding your family stale cereal.
Once you get the appointments and to-dos into that planner, start meal planning around them.
Tuesdays are typically Scout night in this house. Those are our busiest nights. That will usually be a crockpot night, where everyone can feed themselves at the needed times.
Related Post: How to Make Meal Planning Quick and Easy
3) Multi-task – Focus on time management.
Combine activities.
I don’t mean multi-task until your mind explodes. That can work against you. But simply, combine the things you can. Think outside the box.
I keep my WordPress app on my phone, so I can start drafts of blog posts in waiting rooms, during my lunch, or in the pick-up line. I also carry an on the go knitting project with me that is small enough to stick in my purse – usually a sock project. I have also incorporated our family game night and dinner — sometimes we eat while we play!
4) Build a tribe.
I live three hours away from my parents and my husband’s parents have passed away. I have no grandparents to help juggle my child!! What I do have is a group of several friends and a sister-in-law who help me with emergency pickups.
There’s truth to it takes a village!!
Also, the key to having this village is not to be afraid to ask for help. There is nothing wrong with saying you need a hand!
5) Cut yourself some slack.
I’m serious about this one. Quit the negative talk. Forgive yourself. Give yourself a break.
If you just can’t get dinner on the table, and you have to order a pizza – so be it.
Do what you have to do to get through. We all have our days where nothing turns out as planned.
Or maybe you forgot to do something? Do it asap, and forgive yourself. We are way too hard on ourselves, and sometimes have our expectations way too high.
Are you juggling it all? What do you do to make it all work? Do you have any tips on making life a little easier? What do you do to battle working mom exhaustion?
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