5 Things That Save Me As a Working Mom
Happy Monday Friends!
As a busy mom who is also a small business owner there are a few things that I do week after week that save me. You know those things that you do that make your life a little easier, those are the things that I am talking about today. Are any of them ground breaking? Probably not. But, they are weekly and daily rhythms that help me keep a little bit of my sanity (especially on those super busy weeks).
As I was working through them today, I wanted to share because I tell you, I would feel like a chicken with my head cut off if I didn’t have these rhythms and resources to help me look like I am keeping it all together.
Digital To Do Lists // I use Airtable which is a project management tool. I use it for my business and for my personal life and it keeps me organized (for free) and I love that I can check things off. I am typically on my computer so I use the desktop version the most but they also have an app that I use too. I have checklists that I use for daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks both at home and at work!
Keep A Calendar // Same concept as above, I need something to see and be able to check off. I use a digital calendar (Google) as my “master” calendar that I use to schedule things in advance, etc. But, I have a paper calendar I use daily and weekly too. On Friday’s I look ahead to the next week, write down appointments and to dos and the act of writing it helps me remember it. Plus, I get an alert on my phone so I can be reminded but using both really helps me process the appointments and information rather than just have them on a calendar and hope that I use it!
Meal Planning & Grocery Delivery // I use the Kroger app on my phone and throughout the week as we run low or out of something I just add it to my cart easily! Every Monday I meal plan for the week based on what we have going on and then order my grocery delivery usually for the next morning before work. You can do as early as 6:00 AM with Kroger making it easy to do before work and not add something else to the busy evenings. Even if I am adding ramen noodles to the meal plan, having an idea of what we are going to eat even if it is simple has helped make our evenings smooth.
Ask for Help & Offer Help // I admit that I am the worst at asking for help but as a working mom I have to. I ask other parents to help carpool (I have a friend who takes the girls to cheer and I bring them home). I ask my husband and kids for help around the house because if not I end up doing it all and getting frustrated. For me, the sweet spot has been to offer help in return like the carpool situation, I could not ever get them to cheer but I can definitely take others home and it helps me feel less guilty asking for help!
Waking Up Early // I am not natutrally an early riser. I enjoy sleeping in. But I also enjoy not rushing out of the house and having quiet time before work. I like to wake up with enough time to have my Bible study time with a hot coffee and then workout before I get ready for work and wake the kids up. It doesn’t always happen because that requires me to get up at 5:00 AM and if I have an event the night before I usually choose sleep but my days 10 times out of 10 are better when I prioritize waking up early.
Like I said, nothing here is ground breaking but I think that is just a reminder that sometimes the best strategies are to just go back to the basics! There is no way that I could track everything I need to for work and at home if I didn’t use these resources and I encourage you to find those that work for you too! And please share below in the comments what you do and use so we can all benefit!
