In this day and age, being a good parent and pursuing a career at the same time is a real challenge, and a lot of people think that it just isn’t possible. It takes a lot of patience and willpower to be good at both of these things, which is why folks are usually pretty intimidated by the idea. However, we firmly believe that with the right advice and know how, you can learn to be a great mom while still keeping up with your daily responsibilities, and even have some free time left over for yourself.
Essentially, it’s all about having the right mindset and a good plan, and knowing how to manage your time. But that’s a very broad way to put it, and that’s no help to someone who needs simple, concrete advice right away, so that’s just what we’re going to give you. In this article we’ll be talking about a few simple ways in which you start to be more productive right this very moment, and still be the great mom that you want to be.
Get Up Before Your Kids
Right off the bat, this is one of the best pieces of advice that we can give you. The time during which you’re awake but your kids aren’t is golden; this is when you can be the most productive, simply because you don’t have to tend to their needs. This time can be used to pack their lunchboxes, make breakfast, get dressed, have a shower, put on your makeup and so on. That way, the moment that your kids are awake, everything is ready and you can eat breakfast in peace and even have a pleasant conversation with your whole family.
On the other hand, if you decide to sleep in for an extra hour and a half, you’ll find that it’s an absolute nightmare trying to get everything ready while your kids are in their morning moods (which means either incredibly grumpy or packed full of energy), or even worse, while trying to get them out of bed at the same time.
Stick to a Schedule
It’s very important to organize your time correctly when two or more kids constantly depend on you. You can’t just make it up as you go anymore because there are a lot more things that you have to do, so make sure to plan out your whole day in advance. You have to know exactly when you’re going to be doing which activity the following day and preferably leave some leverage time in between activities, in case something goes wrong.
It’s easier than you think; just take a piece of paper, write down everything that needs to be done, and plan it out chronologically. Having a plan in front of you at all times minimizes the chances of you forgetting something important, and is guaranteed to save you a fair amount of time in the long run.
Prepare Meals In Advance
Cooking can be a really time-consuming activity, so make sure that you do it when you have some time to spare. A lot of people choose to prepare their meals a day or two in advance, since stopping all of your activities in the middle of the day in order to cook lunch can disrupt your entire schedule. And you really don’t want to feed your children fast food too often, as it can be detrimental to their health.
A good time to cook a meal is right after your children go to bed, or when they’re taking their afternoon nap. Then just let it cool down, put it in the freezer and microwave it the next day. You’ll find that it’s just as fresh as if you ate it right away, and it’ll save you a lot of hassle.
Weekly Groceries
A great way to be more productive and save some time is to be efficient with groceries. As a family of four or more, you probably go through a lot of groceries, and it would be really time consuming to have to go to the store every single time you need something.
Instead, you should think about getting everything you’re going to need for the following week during one big shopping trip. Getting up early on a Saturday or Sunday is generally best, since you don’t have to go to work or drop the kids off at school. Not only will this save you time and energy, but you’ll also potentially save some money, as you can usually utilize some kind of discount or coupon when conducting large purchases.
Leave Time for Yourself
Being a parent doesn’t mean putting your own life aside, it just means that you now have a few more responsibilities than before. And let’s be real, what you’re trying to do is far from easy. Taking care of kids is one of the hardest jobs in the world and no one really prepares you for it, and top it off with trying to keep a job and be successful with your career and it gets even harder.
To avoid a complete nervous breakdown, you really need to find some time for yourself, at least once in a few days. It doesn’t matter if it’s a night out with your friends or just watching a movie with your spouse, just give yourself a chance to unwind every now and then and enjoy life. Because no matter how much you love your kids, they can be a handful, and this is true of any healthy child.
Distract the Kids
If you need to do an important task in the middle of the day and your kids are making it impossible for you to concentrate, you need to find a way to distract them properly until you get the job done. Now, we’re not saying to stick your kid in front of the TV every time you need a time-out, but it’s definitely a technique that you can utilize from time to time. All you have to do is get on Netflix or Hulu (if they’re not geoblocked in your region, that is), play them their favorite show and they’ll most likely sit tight for the next few hours, allowing you to finish up whatever you need.
Adam Ferraresi is a successful web developer from Dallas, Texas and one of the writers of wefollowtech.com. He is 23 years old, and when he isn’t writing, he enjoys listening to music and watching old movies.
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