4 Easy Hacks to Get More Work Done as a Stay-at-Home Mom
It’s amazing how a lot of people do not realize that being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) is a full-time job. It seems like you clock in but never out, especially when you have multiple kids of different age groups to care for.
Do you start each new day with a burst of enthusiasm to get much done only to wonder where the day went? It’s easy to find oneself drowning under a pile of dirty laundry, unwashed dishes, scattered toys, and whatnot with practically little to no personal time.
The Century Foundation shares that an increased number of stay-at-home parents are experiencing stress and burnout. Childcare challenges are impacting mental health like never before. Now, the truth is productivity, even as a SAHM, is no one-time trick.
In other words, you need to take a largely trial-and-error approach to see what works best for you. Though there may be unique variations based on individual household needs, some general principles may apply. In this article, we will discuss four of them to get more out of your day.
Organize Your Day
You cannot get through all the tasks listed on your to-do list until you also plan how to go about each. Many SAHMs take the spontaneous approach where they take up tasks based on what they feel like doing in the moment.
Sometimes, the chosen task at hand would be one that required immediate attention. This works but only partially and not always. What’s lacking is the structure needed to complete a set of tasks daily out of habit.
That sort of discipline is only forged through good routines. Certain tasks need to be done at the same time every day, whereas others may be more of a bi-weekly or weekly thing. Essentially, we understand that all your days cannot look the same.
This is precisely why it helps to organize each day with the help of a daily planner. Some mothers also use a weekly or monthly planner. However, Plum Paper states that a daily hour-by-hour planner is best for a busy and fast-paced schedule.
Even such an organization may seem overwhelming at first, but once you learn how to use a daily planner, the process gets easier with time. It will give you an overview of daily tasks to help you stay focused. Ideally, you should include strategic downtime as well to avoid feeling overstimulated and burnt out.
Gradually, some of the recurring tasks will become natural to perform due to muscle memory. You can even create specific routines for certain days, like a Sunday deep-cleaning routine or a workout routine twice or thrice a week.
Make Sleep a Priority
Productivity is about ticking off tasks from your to-do list for the day. It is also about getting the required hours of sleep each night. If you’ve ever tried to burn the midnight oil, you know how futile it can be, at least after a few days in a row.
The human body has its limitations, and when pushed beyond them, fails to function optimally. As per the Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation makes it challenging to stay energized, creative, or focus on important projects.
You may find yourself getting overwhelmed at the simplest of tasks. On the contrary, sound sleep for at least seven to nine hours each night provides the energy needed to accomplish even difficult and time-consuming tasks. Given how much SAHMs need to work in a day, they must have a bedtime routine.
This is a highly personalized thing and may require some figuring out on your part. However, you can keep some general principles in mind, including –
- Having some quiet time after putting the kids to bed
- Spending time with your spouse at the end of each day to strengthen your bond
- Getting the house tidy each day so you wake up to an organized space
- Avoiding any type of emails, phone calls, or screen time after a certain time unless very urgent
- Getting at least seven hours of sleep, preferably at the same time window
- Waking up early to have extra time on your hands for any additional tasks
Set Strict Boundaries for Yourself
Humans are designed to thrive on healthy boundaries, be it relationships or schedules. Meticulous planning and organization only work when you resolve to stick with the plan.
In other words, try to stick with your daily planner as closely as possible. Until something is an emergency, do not get swayed to another task. Suppose you have devoted a certain block of time to cleaning.
The simplest, yet sometimes the hardest, thing to do is to stick with the cleaning for that period. You may face many distractions and tempting alternatives like checking your phone, playing with kids or working on other things. Resist such temptations and keep to the cleaning!
Boundaries are most important for screen time, be it your phone or the television. Make sufficient room for that too, like you can watch TV while having lunch. Even additional room can be made in the evening (provided you’re free that day).
Besides the said hours, do not yield to doom scrolling or TV-watching no matter how enticing they seem. There’s a delicate line between rest and idleness, and our devices are the quickest way to blur it. Time blocking your day into manageable chunks and maintaining boundaries is crucial to productivity.
Use the Pomodoro Technique
There are plenty of methods available to help manage time efficiently. The Pomodoro Technique is one such time management method that includes a five-step process.
Through this process, you can plan your tasks using a timer at specific intervals. It’s usually effective because the Pomodoro helps you use procrastination to your advantage.
Now, let’s look at the five steps that make up the Pomodoro Technique. They include –
- Identifying the tasks that you need to complete
- Setting a timer of 25 minutes for each task
- Working on a particular task diligently without any distractions
- Taking a five-minute break in between each task
- Repeating this three times
- Taking a longer thirty-minute break after the fourth task, and starting all over again
For the stay-at-home setup itself, this is vastly different from what it used to be a few decades ago. A 2023 study found that one in five stay-at-home parents is a father.
As for stay-at-home mothers, the numbers have only slightly declined. Those who stay home full-time know well the struggles that come with it. However, productivity is a choice and a culmination of hundreds of seemingly small but important decisions.
