As a mom sometimes we can feel as if our day is never ending and we aren’t productive throughout the day. We often feel like we have to do a million things in just 24 hours. We start our week off thinking of everything we need to get done by the end of the week. Can’t that be overwhelming? Often, a plan is put into place at the beginning of the week. But how often can this fall apart once something is thrown at us unexpectedly?

Extending the hours of the day would be great, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, we cannot do that so I guess the year 2024 we will try our best to become more productive. This will make life much easier.

As a single mom of two teen girls, I totally understand. Working full time, after-school activities, church activities, and running my business can be a bit much. When my kids were younger, I worked a job the hours of 7 am-3 pm. I felt these were great hours for smaller kids. As they became older, I started working the hours of 8 am-5 pm which caused a big shift in our afternoon routine. Who would have thought just a few hours would do such, but it did. During this time, I learned how to juggle it all while maintaining my household.

4 Tips to Become a More Productive Mom

1. Start using a planner

There are so many different types of planners. My favorite type of planner includes not only a large monthly calendar but also pages with daily planners and weekly planners. Amazon, Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. all carry these types of planners in which I like to call “standard planners.” Daily planners are helpful for the days I have multiple things to accomplish in a certain order. Yes, sometimes I like to complete tasks in a certain order such as running errands. Not only are these types of calendars helpful but there are also work planners, financial planners, fitness planners, and much more options. You can have a planner for every aspect of your life if you like.

If a daily planner is something you feel will be beneficial for you, check out my printable daily planner in my Etsy Shop here.

2. Stick to your routine

If you have smaller kids, it’s always great to have a routine. If you have kids that are teens, it’s still great to have a routine. Being on a set routine will eliminate your kids from playing the “I didn’t know” game when it comes to daily tasks. Kids will know exactly what to expect from the time they wake up until bedtime. Of course, as kids get older, routines change. For example, you may push back bedtime, or you may now have sports, dance, gymnastics, etc. that you must squeeze into your afternoons. That’s ok! Sometimes your routine may not have a time frame. This happens especially when your kids are older and getting home late from games. A routine for teens can simply be the routine of arriving home, taking a shower, eating dinner, finishing homework, and then bedtime.

3. Just Say NOOOOOO!

Repeat after me….. “NO!” Doesn’t that feel great? Many moms lack the ability to say no. To be more productive, you need to eliminate some unnecessary task others are giving you. Yes, it’s okay to help others but make sure you’re not always putting your task on the back burner to satisfy others. Hmmm let’s think. You’ve had a long week of mom’ing and someone ask you to bring them lunch when they’re totally capable of getting their own lunch. Just say NO! Taking on too much can hinder you from being productive with your very own tasks that need to be completed.

4. Set Small Goals

Setting small goals can refer to daily, monthly, or yearly. We are trying to become more productive in the year 2024, right? A daily goal can be as such, “I will get all laundry completed today.” Whew, that’s a big goal for myself because laundry is never my favorite. When you set goals, you feel productive and accomplished, which is what we are aiming for. Setting a small goal of getting dinner completed by 6:00 pm can make a world of a difference, especially if you normally don’t finish dinner until 7:00 pm. Now that’s an entire hour you’ve managed to give yourself back to relax.

The end goal is to end our day knowing we were much more productive than the day before. Here’s to a year of productivity!