How to Busy Moms can Maintain Focus

Practical tips to maintain focus on your busiest day

This season has presented a number of challenges for me. We are wrapping up virtual school for my two girls and transitioning to summer camps. I worked from home while assisting them with virtual learning. It was challenging to say the least. I am so thankful for the experience and humbled by our resiliency. Given how busy life is, maintaining focus some days was extremely difficult. In an instant, I’d go from project lead presenting to quizzing on math facts. I had to quickly learn ways to maintain focus even on the busiest days.

In today’s post, I’m sharing my experience with the hope of letting other working mothers know they are not alone in their challenges, sharing some practical tips I implemented to maintain focus and some inspiration.

A lack of focus leads to chaos

I feel like this is needless to say. A lack of focus often leads to chaos. I feel so disheveled when I task switch or when distractions get the best of me. Not to mention the times when I start overthinking my to-do list and slip into daydreaming. Am I the only one that experiences this phenomenon?

Not only does a lack of focus cause chaos, but it can also lead to stress. The inverse is also true. Stress for me leads to a lack of focus because my minis not a ease.

The importance of focus

In my opinion, concentration and focus are needed to accomplish tasks, navigate life well, and grow personally and professionally. Being focused also allows us to execute with excellence.

The scripture below reminds me to focus on the task at hand (both literally and figuratively). “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Source – Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it – Bible Gateway

Practical tips to maintain focus

Reduce distractions

Recognize triggers in advance

Set boundaries

Practice mindfulness

Eat well

Maintain an active lifestyle

Cognitive training

Rest and get enough sleep

Our minds are wired differently. The amount of sleep one requires can differ from another. How our bodies respond to food and physical wellness also differs. It is important for each of us, as an individual, to determine the need for our bodies and minds to function at their maximum capacity thus improving focus and concentration.

Working from home with two very active girls who love to play and engage, distractions became the norm. They would often come into my office to ask totally random questions that could wait. Or they would ask if I could play with them throughout the day regardless of whether I was working or not. It was a constant struggle.

I still have not mastered healthy boundaries when it comes to my children, especially as a working mother. I know they are important to establish and I’m still evolving through a trial and error phase. Some simple way that I established boundaries was by making snack packs before starting my work day. They knew their snack times and had things prepared as a way to not disrupt me during busy days. Another simple boundary that I set was communicating when the door is closed (for meetings) do not enter unless there is blood, flood, or fire.

To Wrap it Up

For working moms, the day can get busy and with active kids and competing priorities chaos can strike at any moment. Couple that with an increase in stimulation due to social media and technology focus and concentration throughout the day can become compromised. However, that are some practical things we can do to help maintain focus and be the most productive and peaceful versions of ourselves.