10 Ways Working Moms Can Balance Competing Priorities with Ease

I’ve heard countless working moms say they struggle “balancing it all”.  I too experience the challenges of balancing competing priorities, getting pulled away at the drop of a dime, and juggling a million tasks in a single day.  The truth is being a working mom is a unique journey filled with both challenges and beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.

Think of it this way…

I’ve used an analogy about juggling in a few of my live training sessions to illustrate balance for working mom’s. It seems to resonate will and helps to explain what happens and how we should respond.

In short, think of your working mom journey as juggling balls.  Some are glass and some are rubber.  If you drop the glass balls they will shatter and break, causing a mess that you will have to spend time cleaning up.  If you drop the rubber balls they will just bounce and land somewhere, giving you the opportunity to pick it up later. 

What then is the goal when juggling?  To focus on keeping the glass balls in the air! These include more delicate situations and high priority activities.  When you are juggling priorities, sometimes, things will fall.  This is the reality for many of us, if we are to be honest. You might miss a call, forget to log the kids in for virtual school because a meeting ran over (I’m telling on myself with this one), run late for an event… the examples are endless.

In today’s post, I am going to share 10 ways that working moms can balance competing priorities with ease.

I know you’re probably thinking, “ease”. There’s nothing easy about managing competing priorities.  I appreciate this perspective and agree that it’s not easy, but there is an opportunity to manage with ease. 

By definition, ease is:

Ease is the state of being comfortable. Oftentimes, managing competing priorities is frustrating, difficult, and stressful at times. These 10 strategies will help you to become more comfortable with your juggling act.

10 Strategies

1. Set realistic expectations for your time
2. Review your plans at the start of each day
3. Identify commitment overlaps and mitigate time constraints in advance
4. Stay committed to what you said you will do – accountability is key
5. Identify all commitments for a specific period
6. Learn to say no to non-essential activities and things that don’t align with your current goals
7. Find ways to clear your mind daily
8. Prioritize yourself
9. Find a planning system and/or home management system that will work for you and your family
10. Be OK with pivoting and adjusting real time – show yourself grace when you do

As you digest this list of 10 ways you can manage competing priorities with ease, don’t try to implement everything at once.  Determine which point is most relevant for your success in this season and implement.  If you attempt to implement everything at once, the chances of you getting overwhelmed are higher.  If you focus on 2-3 strategies, your chances of success are higher. Remember one of the definitions of ease is, “an easy fit”.  Focus on what you can fit into your life right now. 

Examples…

For example, you may be in a season where it’s important to prioritize yourself because you are on the brink of burnout.  As you are juggling your priorities, outsource and say no to non-essential task (point xyz) so that you can make your selfcare a priority.

As another example, if you are focusing on consistency, perhaps you can find an accountability partner.  If, that is not an option at this time, focus on creating check list, Work in Progress (WIP) board, and other tools to stay consistent with your plans and goals.

Implementation…

At the end of the day, competing priorities come with the territory for multi-dimensional motherhood. It is our job to create the right environment to thrive so that we can balance, grow, and have success in all of our roles. As you implement a few of the strategies at a time and I’m confident you will begin to balance it all with ease.

At the end of the day, competing priorities come with the territory for multi-dimensional motherhood. It is our job to create the right environment to thrive so that we can balance, grow, and have success in all of our roles.

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I hope that you found these 10 strategies helpful.  Let me know if the comment what you will be implementing.

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