Productive and Happier at Home
My typical weekday morning with 3 kids used to look a lot like this:
Completely frazzled while digging through laundry baskets of clothes to find something to wear.
Dashing around, throwing food together for breakfast and lunches. Frantically trying to find my keys in the bottomless pit I call a purse, and get all the toddlers in the car to get the teenager to school on time.
Before 8 am I am already frustrated, agitated, and grouchy.
I don’t know how your mornings go down, but I’m betting I’m not the only one starting my days in the red. I was fed up with feeling like a grouch all the time, with BEING a grouch all the time!
Some days, it was all I could do not to plant the twins in front of an episode of Sesame Street (cuz those shows are long!) and plop myself back into bed.
Turn Sesame Street off!! There’s a better way!!
Let’s talk about 4 things you can do now to feel productive and happier at home.
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1. Just start
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When we are overwhelmed, it feels easiest to shut down, avoid, and procrastinate. I will put off tasks until they are out of control because; if I can’t do it perfectly (a.k.a. Pinterestly), I won’t do it at all!
But, if we are going to get this madness under control, we have to start somewhere. Tell yourself to spend only 5 minutes going around the house with a trash bag and picking up anything that is trash.
Tell yourself you will vacuum one room, one load of laundry, or set a 5 minute timer to clean something quickly.
More often than not, at the end of 5 minutes, you will keep going since you’re already at it.
Follow this mentality with your overwhelming tasks.
RELATED: 10 REASONS YOUR HOUSE STILL DOESN’T LOOK CLEAN
2. Start with the essentials
We can’t be organizing the junk drawer if there are no clean clothes in the house.
Start with basic needs.
The people in your house must have food, clothing, shelter, transportation.….but guess what?
Our food doesn’t have to be gourmet meals and our house doesn’t have to look like a Pinterest board.
Food
I like to start with figuring out what everybody will eat. We don’t want anyone getting ‘hangry’!
Nothing stresses me more than dinner time nearing and having no clue what to make. Food is especially tricky if your family has food “issues” like mine does, but that just means a meal plan is even more imperative.
Grab a piece of paper and write the days of the week across the top. Now write down what your family will eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. As you are making this plan, you are also making your grocery list.
These super easy, healthy smoothies are one of my favorites for breakfast or snacks.
I make grocery list with “Alexa“, so I simply tell ‘her’ what to put on my list as I go through the plan. If you don’t have Alexa (she’s AWESOME, btw), then have another piece of paper to write your list as you go.
TIP: When you have more time, declutter and organize your kitchen cabinets and you’ll feel incredibly productive when making family meals.
Clothing
After I get meals squared away, I like to show the laundry who’s boss.
If your laundry is way out of control, start with a load of your own clothes (put your own oxygen mask on first, mamas!).
Then read my post ‘One Day to Conquering Laundry’ and you will be a laundry boss too!!
And getting the kids clothes organized will simplify life immensely.
Shelter
Now let’s talk about that shelter we must provide.
Repeat after me….
“It doesn’t have to be perfect” (mine’s nowhere close!)
Until you are out of the weeds, nix any home tasks that aren’t absolutely necessary.
Life will go on even if your baseboards are dirty and there are 8 month old cheerios under your sofa.
But, at my house, toilets need regular cleaning (house full of boys, anyone?)
Click to Read: How to safely clean your house without toxins
Transportation
I seriously feel like an uber driver.
Taking kids to school, tennis, orchestra practice, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, gymnastics, doctor and dental appointments….and when you have a special needs child it increases you taxi-time considerably.
I suggest eliminating anything that isn’t necessary, at least for awhile.
You also want to combine errands with when you are picking up from school or when you finish at an appointment.
Anything to reduce the amount of time in the car.
Click here to read: What moms should keep in the car
3. Plan your Schedule
You will need a calendar. Unless you are already familiar with a digital or app calendar, I suggest using a simple paper calendar for now.
You can download monthly calendars (for free) from the Resource Library.
Start with the current month and next month and write in every appointment, therapy, practice, party, etc.
Be sure to include any school holidays/staff days so you don’t show up with a kid on a day school is closed (yep, mom of the year right here!
You will feel less overwhelmed see at a quick glance what everyone is eating and what is happening that day.
Instant stress reduction!!
I suggest keeping this on the fridge or somewhere you can see it (out of sight, out of mind at my house).
Click to read: How to survive on one income to be a stay at home mom
4. Remember why your life is so hectic
Remember why you have so many meals to make, such a messy house to clean, miles of driving to do, and never-ending piles of laundry.
When I’m feeling discouraged, I take a moment to remember that someone, somewhere is praying for children of their own, for a sweet precious husband, or to have a house they can make into a home.
If you’re still struggling, this article will definitely inspire you to find joy and happiness even on your toughest days.
You follow these steps and I promise you will feel more productive and much happier in your home!
CLICK HERE TO READ:
HOW TO CELEBRATE WITHOUT A PARTY: SPECIAL BIRTHDAY IDEAS FOR KIDS
Once you are feeling more productive, read my post on Creating a Simple Schedule to go more in depth to planning your days.
Happy Home Handling!!
What ways have you found that help you feel more productive and happier? Leave a comment and let me know!
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Great article! These are helpful ideas on how to tackle little task so you can feel productive and slowly be able to move on to bigger ones. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Anna, for reading and for such kind words! You made my day!