Like most working moms you have suddenly found yourself working from home. For me, working from home has been a rewarding, yet challenging experience lately. Being quarantined has got me feeling like every day is Groundhog’s Day! It’s hard to stay motivated when each day blends into the next. If you can relate, then keep on reading, because I’m going to share some tips for productivity that work for me.
Maybe you can relate to my typical day scenario? Or maybe not. Did I mention I’m a middle school teacher? Yea, I know, I’m a saint.
My daughter is in 3rd grade and is learning how to use Zoom and Google Classroom for the first time. My son, who is 5, and in preschool, has Zoom school too. When we ALL have to be on a Zoom class call at 9am, this can get a little complicated.
The other morning was like something out of a sitcom! At 9am I’m logging into Zoom for my department meeting, while simultaneously logging my son in to his morning circle time in the dining room, and my daughter is getting on for her morning class meeting upstairs inside her fort (she used all the blankets and sheets in my house…joy). Usually this all works out, but of course on this morning everything seemed to fall apart.
First, I forgot my son was supposed to eat breakfast with his class. So I quickly tried to make him a bagel, while attending to my video call at the same time. Then, my daughter came rushing in and begged, “Mom, I need a hot drink for my class!” What? Now, I’m boiling water for her “hot drink” (don’t ask). Meanwhile, my Zoom meeting is still going on and my teacher friends are laughing hysterically (a couple of them are moms too). Finally, my kids are settled on their Zoom meetings once again.
Now back to my meeting right? Wrong. As I sat down to my video call in the home office, with the door shut, I noticed one of the cats had spewed their cat food and hairball all over my desk chair, headphones, and keyboard! A deep yellow sludge was dripping off the side of the table. Arghhhh!
I frantically cleaned up the mess with about 10 Clorox wipes (they are a precious resource right now) I forgot I was being watched by my colleagues, who were wondering what the heck was going on. I can’t make this stuff up people!
Suffice it to say, no mornings are typical for full-time working moms, who now have to work from home. So, here are a few things I do to stay sane and productive.
Side note:
For the purpose of not making this blog post longer than it needs to be, the phrase Full-time working mamma will be abbreviated as FTWM. It also looks cool.
Monday Hour One
This is a game-changer! I know I’m not the only overachieving mom who wishes she had more time in the day. The truth is, we all get the same time in the day, 24 hours. 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours work, 8 hours to do the mom life. #Realitycheck, my life is more like, 6 hours sleep, 10 hours work, 8 hours mom life. Anyway, you get the point. No matter how you slice it, we all get the same amount of time. So why does it seem like some super moms are able to get more done than others? I’m obsessed with finding the answers to questions like these, so I listen to a fantastic life coach, Brooke Castillo, on her podcast called The Life Coach School (Episode #306). The whole point of Monday Hour One is to not live life on default, but to plan ahead, using your rational brain (prefrontal cortex).
This is Monday Hour One in a nutshell:
1. Empty your tank (brain). On Monday morning, get in the habit of emptying your brain on paper, all of the things you think you need to do for the week: personal and business related. This is referred to as a “brain dump.” Just get it all out. It is very important to do this on paper (you’ll understand why later).
2. Prioritize your list and decide how long you want to spend on each task. Write an amount of time in parentheses. (i.e. Aztec Empire lesson planning (1 hour) or Call optometrist (15 min.)
2. Put it on your calendar! I know this sounds strange, but by putting your tasks on your calendar, in specific time slots, there is a higher chance you will follow through.
3. Throw the “to do” list away! Some of you just had a panic attack. I know, right? You have to trust me on this…better yet, you have to trust yourself. That’s the whole point of this. You need to get used to trusting that you are going to follow through with what you promised yourself you would do. Now, crumple up your list and throw it away. You got this.
4. Follow through! This is the most important step. The more you follow through with what you say you are going to do, the more you will trust yourself and the more confident you will become overall.
Now, I know what you’re saying. “But Barb, my kids interrupt me like 50 times per day and something always comes up!” I know, I know. Which is why you need to schedule in breaks throughout your day to attend to your family as well. Make sure you only put 2-3 priority things on your calendar per day. It is not realistic to put 10 priorities. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
Finally, give yourself grace. If some things on your list don’t get done, just move them to the next day. Don’t beat yourself up. Have your own back. You are doing a great job mamma!
**Side note: We have a family Google Calendar too, but for my own personal calendar blocking I prefer writing in a traditional calendar like this one, with erasable multicolored Frixion pens (one of my favs).
Do Your Creative Work in the Morning
Have a side hustle? Dream of writing a book? Have a job that demands brainpower and creativity? Me too. I am not naturally a morning person, but if I want to have quiet time to read and create, I have to do it before my kids wake up. That means between 5 am and 7 am. I have spurts, where I get up at 5, am, but I need to get to bed by 10 pm, which is so hard for my “night owl” personality. I am stoked when I can get up by 6 am so I can read my personal development book (currently reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert…love her!), write in my journal, and write for my blog. It makes me feel super accomplished and my cup is full to start my “real job” as mom and teacher.
My job as a teacher is also creative, with lesson planning and unique ways to engage middle school kids (which is no easy task). There is plenty to do each day, and while I’m working from home, distractions are often with my two kids needing help with their school work. So, I plan my days, between Zoom call lessons, to do the creative stuff (i.e. lesson planning) before 12pm. I don’t know about you, but after lunch, my brain is slower and fatigue starts to set in. After 12pm is when I answer emails, grade student work, and do weekly planning which seems to be less cognitively demanding.
Turn Off Your Notifications!
This has been another game changer for me. I have major attention span issues and anxiety, so when I hear PING PING PING all day long, I am compelled to check my phone. Now, more than ever, I am distracted with 100 emails, text messages, and news alerts per day, due to quarantine. The biggest mind shift is that you have to tell yourself, I am in control of what information I receive.
Now, that might mean that I don’t answer an email right away or reply to my colleague’s texts, but after a while, you train yourself and people who work with you that you will get back to them when the time is right for YOU. This simple shift will help you stay focused and overall more productive because you are getting the things done on YOUR list first. Emails and messages are everybody else’s to-do list for you.
Schedule When to Check Your Email
Similarly to turning off notifications, make sure YOU are the one deciding when to check and respond to emails. It might feel like you are being productive by checking and answering emails, but then an hour or two later, you have not accomplished a single thing on your own priority list. Even worse, you are fatigued from replying to everyone, so now you don’t have the energy to finish your creative tasks.
Here’s what I do. I check my email for about 5-10 minutes as soon as I start my work day, which is about 9am, once the kids are on their Zoom school calls. I “star” any emails that are important. I ONLY answer emails that need an immediate response, which, by the way, is super rare because most things can wait. By doing this, I have learned to respect myself and my time more. Then, at 2pm, I spend about 30-45 minutes answering the emails. I try to empty my inbox. If someone really needs to get a hold of me, they can text me, but even then, I won’t respond until it is convenient for me. This feels awkward at first, but then it feels really great because you make yourself the priority and in turn people have more respect for you AND you are getting more done on your own priority list!
Choose 3 to Accomplish Each Day
This is a hard one for me, because I am an overachiever, like my parents. I want to do ALL things in one day. I am terribly impatient and hate feeling like things are looming. This is why sticking to Monday Hour One and actually following through with your calendar is so important.
Choose 3 things that you want to get done each day. I find 3 to be the perfect number. That DOES NOT include “answer emails” or “do laundry.” 3 BIG things that will make your heart happy and relieve stress from your life. Make sure those 3 things have a specific outcome, like “Create Japan Unit Test” or “Order Heidi’s birthday gift.” It should NOT be, “Work on lesson planning” or “Plan for birthday,” which is way too general and can make you feel like you spent time on something, but didn’t finish anything.
Plan for Family Time
Have mommy guilt? Um, me, like always. I am proud of being a working mom. I want to do it all. I want to be a great mom. I want to be a great teacher. I want to be a writer/blogger. I like to set impossible goals and constantly challenge myself and raise the bar. I think it is good to be a role model for my kids, but that also can come with a cost if I’m not careful. I try to be very intentional about spending quality time with my kids, which is why I block out time on the daily calendar for “family time.” After 5:30pm it is all about my family. On the weekends, it is making breakfast together, online church, and some kind of afternoon family activity.
Here are some things we like to do to stay connected. We sit down and eat together every night. We do puzzles, watch movies, read books, play games, go for walks, ride bikes, go to the beach, do crafts, all of it. I encourage them to have hobbies and we do things together on the weekends. I can easily spend all day reading, writing, taking walks, listening to podcasts, while my kids do their own thing. However, that is not why I had kids in the first place. I believe there can be a balance. You don’t have to spend every waking moment with each other, making each day all about your kids, but make sure to carve out specific time for them. You won’t regret it later.
You might be wondering, how does this relate to productivity? Well, If you’re like me, you desire to be a great role model for your kids and make sure every moment counts. I find that when I know there are specific times I have planned to be with my family, I am way more attentive and we do meaningful activities together that create memories. I am more productive throughout the day and have less “mommy guilt” because I have already built in quality time for my family too.
Add Home Chores to the Schedule
I can’t stand it when my home is dirty or disorganized. Which happens fairly quickly with two kids who love arts and crafts, playing in dirt, and building forts with literally everything but the kitchen sink. I want my kids to use their imaginations and be able to express themselves, which also translates into a BIG GIANT MESS! Since being in quarantine it feels like the mess never goes away. As soon as I pick up one room, they’ve made another mess. I literally can’t think straight if my house is in disarray.
In order to keep “order” in my household, everyone has to pitch in, including my children. So each day the kids have morning and afternoon “responsibilities,” from making their beds, to feeding the cats, to polishing their furniture on the weekends. If you would like a PDF of our family checklist click HERE. We are all more productive and proud of our home when the house is clean and tidy. On the weekend we do a few deeper cleaning chores like changing sheets and scrubbing the showers.
Here is what I do daily to stay on top of things and not get overwhelmed:
- Do one load of laundry each day. In the AM I throw a load into the washer, then in the PM I fold and put away
- I turn on the dishwasher each night, then empty it each morning
- When the kids are taking baths/showers I wipe down the bathrooms and countertops with a Clorox wipe
- EVERYONE picks up clutter around the house after dinner
- I don’t go to bed until pillows, blankets, dishes are picked up (just a personal rule because I can’t stand waking up to a messy house)
- I don’t wash my husband’s clothes unless I’m feeling very generous. I do the kids. It is just a standing agreement we have. LOL, I never want him to do my laundry for fear that he will shrink something (it has happened before).
- Laptops, Chromebooks, and other devices go back on the chargers
- Kids schoolwork goes back in their boxes, labeled with their names
Designate Work Areas for You and Your Kids
I can’t tell you how important it is to have designated work areas for everyone in your household. Each of us has a work spot. My husband and I work in our home office. My 3rd grade daughter works upstairs at a desk in the playroom with her Chromebook, and my preschool son works at the dining table downstairs because he needs additional support. Each day school starts at 9am for all of us. My son, Ethan and daughter, Heidi, grab their laptops off the chargers and log in to their 9am Zoom class calls. I finish cleaning up after breakfast then head into the office for my work day to start. When we have a routine our brains are more prepared and at ease because we are ready to work. My kids do a really good job with maintaining focus for school between 9am and 1pm (with breaks in between of course). Part of this is because everyone has their own work space.
Take Breaks
I know this sounds counter intuitive, but taking breaks by getting up to get water or taking a short walk outside help to get the blood flow circulating, which gives more oxygen to the brain and makes us less fatigued. Take a walk with the kids, do a quick Kid Yoga YouTube video like (Go Noodle or Cosmic Kids). This is another great way to connect with the kids before getting back to work. You will feel more energized, have less mommy guilt for needing to get back to work, and you will be more focused.
Get Ready Each Day
I know, I know. It sounds great to be in our PJs all day, while working from home, but for me, if I don’t take the time to get dressed and put some makeup on, I just don’t feel all put together. It really is a mindset thing for me. I make my kids get dressed before their Zoom class calls as well. I feel like I am way more productive and confident when I am ready for the day.
Quick tip: A few months ago I cleaned out my closet and only put things back in that truly “sparked Joy” (thanks Marie Kondo) and I have a very simple color palette of neutrals only for tops and bottoms. This makes decision making of what to wear each day so much easier because everything matches! It has really saved me time and I feel great in everything I choose to wear.
A final thought…
Give yourself some grace. You are doing an amazing job. You have been asked to work from home and home school your kids with very little warning. To me, being productive just means I was able to do the 2-3 things I said I was going to do. So if your house is not as clean as you would like it to be, you didn’t have time to curl your hair, or your kids had an extra hour of iPad so you could focus, it’s okay! They will survive and so will you. Focus on the little moments during this time and having fun. Oftentimes we put too much pressure on ourselves. You got this mamma!
If you would like to have a weekly dose of inspiration and encouragement from a working mom who gets it, then simply join my weekly Joyful Life Experiment email list below this post. I promise to make you laugh and help you add a little more joy to your life while you navigate working, adulting, being an awesome mom, and doing that little side project….because who needs to sleep, right?
What about you?
How do you stay productive as a FTWM? I’d love to get a collection going from other moms in the comments!
