Tips to help working moms juggle it all
Parenting is not a small feat. On my working mom journey, I have learned a number of life lessons and I am sure there is still so much more to learn. Navigating motherhood while working full-time, pursuing passions such as this blog and my YouTube Channel, and accomplishing other life goals, is a lot to juggle. The biggest lesson I have come to accept that that “you can have it all, just not all at once” – Unknown. In today’s post, I will share the best advice for working mothers juggling it all.
Best Advice – Apply what is relevant to you
I am someone who values diverse perspectives. It’s the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Practitioner, also known as DE&I, in me. I also acknowledge that some perspectives are not a good fit for my preferences. As you are reading the advice below take what you can and feel free to leave the rest.
I understand each mother has a different journey and varying circumstances that impact their ability to apply certain techniques to their life.
Best Advice for Working Mothers
I’ve narrowed down my list to five topics. I’ve spent a lot of time engaging with other working mothers to understand the dynamics of the journey. Similarly, I’ve learned a lot by listening to and reading comments in mom circles on various platforms. Below is my top five list.
Create Structure
It sounds more fun to “just go with the flow” but for most mothers, this is the path to chaos. Even with young children who are often unpredictable having some sort of structure is necessary.
For example, morning and evening routines are always helpful. Even when life throws you off track, having a routine will provide a guide back to a sense of normalcy.
Plan Purposefully
I’m a planner mom so I may be a bit biased. But I love planning. There’s nothing more refreshing than checking things off of my to-do list and putting a “you did it” sticker beside an accomplished goal. It gives me the motivation I need to keep pushing.
There are several planning techniques that one could implement. Everything from timeblock planning to functional planning. Technological advances have also helped to modernize the planner scene with digital ways to organize the day.
Ditch the Superwoman Cape
This used to be my downfall. I wanted to do everything for my children so much that I didn’t even realize when I was burnt out until my health started to suffer. Now, I rely on services such as camps and childcare and graciously accept the help of my family.
If you have a small village of support like I do, check out this blog post for more tips and encouragement, How to Thrive in Motherhood with a Small Village – Career Mom Community.
Don’t pour from an empty cup
Think about the safety commercials on an airplane. It always suggests that you put your oxygen mask on in the event of an emergency before trying to help small children. I used to have a serious problem with that recommendation. I get what it’s trying to say, however. In order to best help someone who may not be able to help themselves. Take a similar approach to motherhood by ensuring you are “full” so that you can operate at your best for your family.
Be present
Focus on the tasks at hand. For me, I try my best to focus on work at work and on my family when I am with my family. Task switching is ineffective and decreases productivity so I minimize it. The only time I multi-task is with low thought processing, ie. easy to do, activities. In doing so I can give my full undivided attention to what matters most at that moment.
Being present has also helped me to minimize mom guilt. Giving my undivided attention to my children means the world to them and that makes it all worth it.
I encourage you to lean into this advice and self-reflect on areas in which you can improve. Let’s all continue to grow forward in our motherhood journey!
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