How To Organise Your Life Better: Simple Habits For Working Mums
Organising your life if you’re a mum is quite challenging. Whether you’re a stay-at-home or working full time, your responsibilities are often the same.
As a mum, you have to ensure your kids are healthy and safe. You have to feed them, bathe them, and get them ready for school every day. After that, you have to face the household chores waiting for you, from picking up toys to doing the dishes and laundry. And on top of that, you have to worry about not being late to work or a meeting.
But it doesn’t stop there. You also have to do some grocery shopping on the side and make dinner. The list seems never-ending! And it’s enough to overwhelm anyone just thinking about every little thing you need to accomplish in a day.
Any minute mums don’t spend with their kids is gold as this is the time you can maximise their time at home. This is also one of the factors for staying organised. Besides, you’ll simply waste your time if you spend it being disorganised.
So how do you stay organised if you’re a working mum?
- It’s time to start creating a solid routine
Yes, we all have daily routines. But they need to be solid so that you can easily run your life. You need to ensure that it involves activities and tasks performed the same way every day. Pick a time of the day where you’re the most confident you can accomplish more.
For example, if you feel like mornings in your home are unpredictable, and you more control at night, then opt for an evening routine. You can pack your children’s school bags, fold clothes, do the dishes and laundry, decide on the family’s breakfast, and so on. The more chores you can do, the easier your morning will go. Keep in mind that the number one enemy of organisation is not having a firm routine set in place.
- Write everything down
We have so many things going through our minds that it’s simple to forget the itty bitty things. Don’t worry, that’s normal, you’re a mum! You don’t have to memorise or try to remember everything as this will not help you stay organised.
It’s been proven that you can remember things better if you write them down. You can simply use a pen and paper or download my free printable planners. It’s the easiest way to become organised, remember the tasks you need to do, and accomplish your goals without feeling overwhelmed.
- Get yourself ready first
Getting everyone ready ahead of you is what we’re all accustomed to. However, this will not serve you, and let’s face it, mornings with kids are unpredictable. Fortunately, you’re not.
So wake up early, take a refreshing shower, dress up, and get your morning caffeine fix and eat before everyone. So even if your toddler makes a mess or two, you’ll have more time on your hands to clean it, instead of worrying that you’ll be late for work.
- Clean as you go
You can stay on top of organising and keeping things clean in your home is to clean before you go. As a busy mum, you may not have a particular day of the month or week to do stuff even if you love cleaning. Instead, consider doing a few tasks every day.
You can fold towels and clothes while your little one takes a bath. While your kids are playing, you can also vacuum a room or wipe down light switches and handrails. There are ways to keep your home spotless without the need to spend precious hours on your hands and knees cleaning over the weekend.
- Make decluttering a part of your life
You can maximise organisation by decluttering often. Write it down on your calendar or planner and set a day for it. You can also declutter regularly at a specific time. It’s something that will not stick with you if you don’t do it frequently. It’s like showering. It has to have a place in your routine and life.
- Learn to say no
One common thing that every organised mums have in common is that they know when to say yes or no. But enthusiastically, of course. Saying no to stuff that has no clear purpose will not make you a bad mother. So, make sure to say yes to things that will serve you.
- Learn to accept help and delegate
Let’s admit it, we love being saints! I’m sure you often see yourself not taking up the help offered by someone. We’re all guilty of thinking that we’re the only ones who know how to do a certain task. And it’s a habit that you need to kick out of your system.
Being a very organised mum means you know that it’s okay to accept help when it is offered to you and delegate work to others. Give your children things to do, as it’ll teach them valuable things in life. Go ahead and say yes to your mum when she wants to babysit your little ones. Allow yourself not to take care of everything.
- Forget about technology for a while
Leave your work at the office. Do not bring it home with you. Consider turning off your email notifications if needed if you have a habit of checking it constantly. Keep important ones such as SMS, phone calls, voicemails, and so on. And if you have numerous apps on your smartphone, turn their notifications off to keep you from getting distracted.
You want to be as intentional about the time you’ll spend over the weekend so that you’ll be fresh and ready on Monday. I know this will be challenging, but if you want to be more productive if you don’t have phone distracting and interrupting you with alerts throughout the day.
Remember that if you truly want to organise your life and home, there’s no better time to start than today. It will not come naturally for all of us, so push yourself. If you have time today, do it instead of telling yourself that you’ll have plenty of time tomorrow or on some other day.