Quick Tip: Staying Productive as a Mom

Brace yourself. Because this one is a hard take. My biggest tip on staying productive as a Mom:

WAKE UP EARLY

*Cue* inspirational coffee photo. I know many of you didn’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth. Waking up at least an hour before your kids do makes all the difference. Two hours before they wake up and you’re winning the lottery.

During the week, ours kids are usually up around 7:00am to start getting ready for school. I wake up at 5:30am. However, now that Sadie is nine months old and demands a bit more in the mornings (a solids breakfast after nursing), I am slowly finding that I need even more time. So I have slowly been aiming to turn that 5:30 wake up call into a 5:00 wake up call.

And just the handful of times I’ve done it, WOW, is it a game changer. Being able to move about a quiet home, without anyone tugging on my pant leg, calling out for “Mommmmmm,” getting myself showered and ready for the day ALONE, keeps my sanity and productivity levels just right. In those two hours before the kids wake up, I’m able to switch one load of laundry (check out my YouTube video on how I tackle laundry as a family of six!), load the dishwasher, do all the school prep, usually tend to some level of work, and get myself dressed and ready for the day.

It’s so hard to feel productive when I lounge the day away in 2 day old clothes or pajamas. Now don’t get me wrong, I spend PLENTY of my time in such. But the days that I know are busier and need a higher level of productivity, I get myself fully ready head to toe.

After everyone is fed, dressed, and off to school, I am able to get straight into work mode. I don’t need to waste any extra time eating, showering, getting ready, cleaning up the house, etc. It’s all already done. I can focus my mornings and afternoons into tackling my own to-do list. Because let’s face it, once kids are home from school there is barely any room for you to check off your own to-do list! The evenings are filled with getting kids to and from activities, dinner prep, bedtime routines, you name it.

So there ya have it, my biggest tip in staying productive as a Mom! It’s not the most pleasant piece of advice- especially for my night owls. But it has been the one thing that has completely transformed how I am able to get so much done in a day.