From Chaos to Peace

Life can be tough as a mom, even more so when you are a working mom. Balancing all the things you have to do can be overwhelming.

When I first opened my business and started working full time, I made a big mistake by trying to do it all. The things I did as a stay at home mom were still on my to do list and I added to my list all the things that I had to do as a new business owner. I learned very quickly that something had to change.

In the beginning stages when I started working, I would test out ideas I had to create a life I wanted to live with my kids and do the work I love. There were a few key things that really stuck with me over the last seven years and have worked for me. They helped stay humble and stay focused. Try them for yourself.

Here are my 3 tips to Simplify Life as a Working Mom

#1 Set Goals

Early in my journey as a working mom, I started to set goals with my kids and in my business. My kids were elementary age at that time and I homeschooled all 5 of them. I created a school schedule for the year and then broke it down to one month at a time. This kept me accountable to get our schoolwork done even on the go.

In business, I wanted to achieve certain things in a particular time frame. I would set a date by when I wanted to accomplish and work toward it. Did I always hit that goal? No. I learned to keep my goals realistic and flexible because I was a mom.  This has been a very helpful way for me to accomplish goals with my kids and in my career.

Set goals you can work toward in your personal life and in your work life. Make them work for you and be as realistic as possible. This will take some practice, trial and error and it will be a learning curve. So be patient with yourself.

If you need to write them out to see them in front of you, here are some worksheets you can print and use as a guide

#2 Ask for Help

You can not do this alone and don’t even think this is a job you need to do by yourself. At a very young age, your kids can start helping around the house. Invest time into teaching your kids certain duties that they can do to be helpful. At every age, a child can do something to help.

When my kids turned four years old, I taught them to fold their own clothes. It was not close to being perfect or even folded. But this was extremely helpful for me not to spend several hours a week on folding laundry. (I have five kids, so this was a game changer).

What can your kids do to help you around the house? Here is a chores chart guide for different ages. You know your kids best, so choose what they can help you with.

Can you ask for outside help? Yes! If it’s in the budget to get a babysitter, by all means, do so! There is no shame in surrounding your kids with people who can pour into them the values and duties the same way you would. We can not do it all and teach our kids everything. It’s very important our kids have good adults in their life who can mentor and coach them along the way.

Don’t do it alone mama!

#3 Lower Your Expectations

This is what I struggled with for many years. I thought I had to be a super hero for everyone. I wanted to be a good homeschool teacher, run a full time successful business and be the household executive that did it all. When I failed to accomplish one thing well, I would stay up late to make sure and get that very thing done, because I had a standard to keep up with and I needed to do that. But did I really? Having 3 homemade meals every day was not possible and I needed to accept that. It was ok to have bagels for breakfast or frozen waffles.

Taking a day off because your were not feeling well? Yes!

Sending kids back to school because you know it’s time and your schedule does not allow you to do that anymore? Do what is best for your family.

I had to lower my expectations and standards. In my situations, I had to send my kids back to school because I couldn’t give my kids what they needed to make them successful academically.  As my mornings got busier with work, my kids had to make their own breakfast and guess what? They were excited! They got to pour their own milk into a bowl with an overflowing amount of cereal. It was a blast for them and less stress for me.

Lower your expectations and you will feel a sense of relief from holding yourself to a certain standard that wasn’t even realistic in your life.

Simplify Your Life

Tackle this working mom your way. Don’t compare your life to the mom next door. She does what works for her and you do what works for you.

(read my blog on comparing here)