With Mother’s Day just a week away, we are gearing up to celebrate mom for who she is and everything that she does for us. As moms we wear many hats. In addition to the day to day responsibilities and raising our future kings and queens; we add so much more to the list. Not only are we moms, we’re wives, sisters, friends, business owners, content creators, ministry leaders, homeschool teachers, etc. etc. etc. With all of the many hats we wear, sometimes it can get overwhelming and tough to balance everything. I sometimes get asked a lot how do you balance everything that I’m doing? Truth is, I don’t. There’s always going to be something unbalanced. On the seesaw of life one side will always be somewhat higher, while the other lower. It’s rare that the weight falls balanced in the middle. The key is prioritizing and constantly maneuvering to keep that see saw moving. I’m no expert, but here are a few tips to creating balance as a busy mom.
Outsource:
Sometimes as moms because we are so resourceful, we don’t want to ask for help. We are used to being superwoman and saving the day. Don’t forget, “outsource is a resource“. Asking for help doesn’t make you any less of a mom, wife or woman. I’ve hired a cleaning company to clean my home once a month, and working on increasing it to twice/month. And let me tell you, it’s been a dream come true. I can’t stress how important the act of outsourcing is to do! Some other things to outsource include;
Dinner, laundry, personal training, dog grooming, babysitting, grocery shopping, interior decorating, shipping, recycling, personal shopping (shameless plug), dry cleaning, birthday parties; Tutoring, automate bill payments; the list goes on and on. There’s literally someone to hire for any task you have.
Try Fiverr for a personal assistant, Hello Fresh for dinner prep,most gyms have personal training options, Nordstrom has Trunk Club which offers personal styling, or try out my services for all your style needs.
The main idea is to free up some of your time and elevate the stress of feeling like you have to do everything yourself. Times have changed where we have so much more on our plates than before. It’s ok to NOT BE SUPERWOMAN everyday. Hire the help.
Pre-Plan
Planning really does go a long way these days. The more you plan out ahead of time, the better you can prioritize efficiently. Plan out everything you have to do from day to day chores, to projects at work. This can usually take some time, but it will make your flow be that much smoother. Lots of times we are stressed and anxious because we leave things to the last minute, causing us to run out of time and money.
This is a personal preference on how far in advance you want to plan things out. I choose monthly. Now mind you, I am the most structured unstructured person I know. But somehow, I have been coming up with some great systems that have been working.
For chores, I ordered this chore chart from Amazon and it has worked wonders. The kids love the color coordination. It also makes it easy for them to check on their tasks because it’s in a place they will visit multiple times per day! I also created a template on Canva to plan out what needs to be done daily, weekly and monthly. See both below.
I also plan out my meals for the week so I know what I’m cooking on specific days according to my schedule for the week. It also helps not to overspend or waste food and money by purchasing too much at the grocery store. Cooking in advance always helps with meal prep. I’m still working on planning my day to day tasks because I’m such a work based on my mood for the day kind of gal, but you get the drift. What ways do you pre plan things?
Read more about balancing in this blog post ; The Balancing Act: 6 Ways to Help Juggle life Easier
Me Day:
I recently watched a movie with my kids called “Yes Day” where, everything the kids wanted, the parents had to say yes to. Well I’ve created my own version of a yes day called ‘Me day”. You guessed it, I told my kids everything is about me. Lol. Now this is not as literally but you get the drift. It just frees up a day where you can be selfish and think of your needs first. As moms, lots of time we think of ourselves last. We are always serving and tending to everyone else. In order to create balance, you must be whole. This includes both physically and mentally.
You can not pour from an empty vessel, so take time to fill yourself up. This can be done in many ways. Try a spa day at home, book a hotel room, spend time with God, arrange for a kid free weekend, talk to your psychiatrist/therapist, etc. Whatever it is that you do, just make sure it is pouring something vital back into you. When you are not carrying around those extra stressors, it allows you to think more clearly and be more balanced.
Disconnect/Say No:
The phrase “Just say no” has never been more relevant. Part of being balanced is realizing you can’t make everyone happy and be everywhere at once. And yes this does include your children. I work overnight on Saturdays and realize that I am usually a bit out of commission on Sundays because I need to sleep. However, this doesn’t stop my five year old from wanting to go to the park, Chuck e Cheese and and other energy exerting place she can imagine. SometimeS I have to say no, which really means not never, just not today. Lots of times our kids will understand because they want us to be engaged and present in whatever the activity is. And if you’re running on fumes, it’s very hard to do that.
This also means disconnecting from what you need to for a short period of time. Whether that be your phone, social media, extra curricular/ ministry activities for that day or an extended period of time. Those other responsibilities and distractions can sometimes take up a lot of time. Scrolling they Internet for 2 hours could probably have been better spent. Learning to disconnect from things that aren’t necessary at the time, allots you the time to become more balanced and spend time and prioritizing the things that may be more important at the time.
I hope these tips have helped you see ways to create a little more balance if that’s something you desire. As moms, our jobs never stop, so we need to make sure we are creating balance so that we are able to pour from a full cup. Whether that’s outsourcing, taking a personal day or just saying no sometimes, all these things contribute to a healthy and wholistic lifestyle as the beautiful , booked and busy mom you are!
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