A half a century ago, being a stay-at-home mom was pretty much the norm. Who else would care for the kids while your husband was at work bringing home the bacon? We’ve thankfully come a long way since the days when our grandmothers were young moms and currently live in a world where about two-thirds of moms with children under 18 work full-time, per the U.S. Census Bureau. 

This has given rise to the definition of what it means to be a working mom. However, it begs the question: Aren’t we all working moms? Even if we don’t have a fancy office to commute to, or a boss to report to, isn’t what we do every day—i.e. being a mom—still considered work? Ask any mom and she’ll likely give you a resounding “yes.” Motherhood is joyful in all the ways, but one of the best words to describe it is “work.” 

You may remember that survey from a year ago sponsored by Welch’s that reported that mothers work an average of 14-hour days, which translates to 98-hour work weeks. So, yeah, whether you have a job outside (or inside) the home in addition to your job of being a mother, you’re most certainly considered a working mom, and this means you should be getting the respect and the resources you need to be happy, healthy and (hello) sane! 

Sociologist Caitlyn Collins, author of Making Motherhood Work, said it best when she wrote, “The United States is an outlier among Western industrialized countries for its lack of support for working mothers.” We are under supported and over-utilized, which makes for the perfect recipe for burnout. 

Managing our personal and professional lives among ensuring that our household runs smoothly may never be something that any of us get downpat—but maybe that’s the way it’s meant to be. Maybe motherhood is meant to be a bit messy as opposed to crisp and clean, because isn’t that life at the end of the day anyways? As Dr. Whitney shares in her new book, The Working Mom Blueprint, “You can’t do everything if you want to do anything well.” 

Do less so you can accomplish more

Sounds a bit contradictory, right? Well, that’s kind of the goal. In her book, Dr. Whitney urges families to opt for simpler ways of living—a “less-is-more-mentality” that allows us to focus more on what really matters, instead of wasting energy on finding space to store the extra junk lying around. Hey, if you have less lying around to begin with, there’s far less to have to declutter!

Here are some of her declutter and “get things done” tips:

#1) Use mini whiteboards to visually map out your week.

This tip not only helps you, but it also helps your kids and your spouse better understand what to expect for the week ahead. Pick up some 6” x 9” whiteboards that are labeled with each day of the week. Under each corresponding day, jot down every special event, lesson, meetings, etc. 

#2) Work on simplifying your own calendar.

As a working mom, your goal is to get everything done. But let’s be real here. Consider the areas of your calendar that you can cut—that Zoom meeting that’s just for fun but also during the exact time period where you could cross three things off your to-do list, or that across-town dance class your child’s signed up for when there’s a perfectly suitable option closer by (that’ll score you 25 whole extra minutes to do something else—or nothing at all). 

#3) Meal prep for the week.

Pick a day of the week—i.e. Sunday—and head to your grocery store (or, better yet, order online). Try to plan out what your family will eat for the week so that you can get ahead of things and buy everything you’ll need. You can even go as far as having a meal planner outline that you keep on your fridge with a detachable shopping list to keep track of it all. 

What are some ways you make your life as a working mom more streamlined?

Written by Jenn Sinrich

Jenn Sinrich is a freelance editor, writer and content strategist located in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her BA in journalism from Northeastern University and has a decade worth of experience working for a myriad of female-focused publications including SELF, Parents, Women's Health, BRIDES, Martha Stewart Weddings and more. When she's not putting pen to paper (or, really, fingers to keyboard), she's enjoying the most precious moments in life with her husband and daughter.