MMD BLOG
CATEGORY:
Modern Mommy Doc
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Modern Mommy Doc
CATEGORY: WORKING MOM HACKS
I could start just about every piece I write in the exact same way and list all the hundreds of things working moms have to do in a day that they aren’t feeling like they have enough time, emotional space, or skill to do. It’s the ever present push and pull between work and home, right? When we feel like we’re killing it at work, we feel like we’re slacking at home. When we feel like we’re Betty Homemaker, we’re sure we’re going to get fired because it doesn’t feel like you’re giving it all at work.
This struggle is so commonplace and bleeds into every area of our lives: our relationships with our spouses, kids, and friends, our emotional well being, our physical health. That’s why I could talk about it all the time and it would never get old. Because it has such far-reaching effects that every single working mom has to deal with it on different levels every day.
In order to successfully and stresslessly manage your home and work life, we have to first take a step back and look at an overview of our life from an aerial perspective. Let’s imagine your vision as a circle and your whole life as a box around that circle. Your centered vision contains all the things that give your life purpose. In the corners of the box are where you put the things that have to happen in your life, but that don’t fit within your specific vision--things like tasks, responsibilities, and obligations.
And that’s where the tension lies. In order to make room for our centered vision, we have to give less physical, emotional, and mental energy to those things that just don’t fit within that circle.
It doesn’t matter if you find them enjoyable or not — the fact is you have to do them, even though they don’t necessarily have a place in your overall vision for your life. We have to get them done, but with as little time or effort as possible.
Create systems and rely on smart organizational tools that make it easier for you to accomplish the tasks. This is all about time blocking, routines, and rhythms. Trello is your new best friend. You’re welcome.
Hand. Them. Off. They can be handed off to your partner, your kids (if they’re old enough), others in your parenting village (friends/family members), professionals, or even technology (e.g., auto bill pay). Grocery pick up is LIFE.
Perform a monthly audit to determine where you feel overwhelmed and stretched too thin. Commit to creating a physical environment and daily schedule that gives you space for reflection, re-evaluation, and mindful presence. Check out the podcast with Allie Casazza for some uber motivation on decluttering.
Designate a time for these tasks that works for you. Instead of cramming them into the nooks and crannies of your schedule when you’re feeling obligated or guilty, mindfully choose times when doing them meets your and your family’s needs.
Every time I go through these categories, I have things that immediately come to mind that I can shift to someone/something else or get rid of entirely. What area do you see yourself struggling with the most? What area are you owning?
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I know first-hand that working mom life is hard, but I also know it doesn’t have to be impossible.
Trust me. The best way to get unstuck isn’t to work harder. It’s to use a framework that gets real results, no matter what area you need to tackle first.