Parenting: How to Increase Productivity
Being a productive parent doesn’t mean you must act as some alien from another planet. You can love and care for your children while still working, going to school, keeping house, having “me time” and managing to get a few nights out with your spouse.
I know, it sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But it’s not.
You have the capability to be the most productive parent you’ve ever encountered. All you need is a good plan, the will to get things done and love for your littles.
Now, even if you have all of those things in place, doesn’t mean you’re going to be batting 1000 from the beginning. You need to put in a bit of effort to get the ball rolling! If any of this sounds interesting to you, keep reading and allow yourself to be the “super mom” you’re always following on Pinterest!
Creating a plan
Nothing is every perfectly done without a plan in place to follow. You want to be sure to know what your goals are, when you want to achieve them and the direction you want to be going once you’ve achieved them. Start off by writing it as a to-do list to give yourself a visual. For example, you could start your list like this:
More time with the kids
Job that allows me the flexibility to aid to my home
Date nights with hubby
time to work on school assignments
Less time at the grocery
Once you’ve gotten your list of overall goals created. It’s time to zone in on these areas. Think of ways you can make them reality. It’s not going to be easy, change never is, but once you begin, you’ll realize how easy it is to keep going.
Let’s go over a few that have assisted me in becoming more productive as a working wife and parent.
Working from home
Yes, even my regular 9–5 corporate job is a hybrid work from home position. This allows me the freedom on my breaks, lunches, and what used to count as my commute, to get things done around my home. I’ll get the children ready for school in the morning and pack lunches, get laundry done on breaks and get some schoolwork done during lunch. This significantly drops my workload for the evening hours. More time to focus on family togetherness and relaxation.
Schedule a weekly grocery pickup
Okay, so before I began this process, I loathed the grocery outing. Hours of time spent walking through isles trying to determine what my family will or will not eat. Trying to gain healthy items, when I knew good and well it would sit in the fridge until it passed its expiration date. Now, I sit at my computer and do all of our monthly grocery trips in one sitting. I set up pickups for each week of the month. The large grocery shop at the beginning of the month and three other mini shops for regularly used items such as milk and bread. What’s even better is that if we run out of something I didn’t originally have on my shopping lists, I can return to the list and update it. (As long as it’s before the final 24 hours)
Take care of yourself
This one is very important. It is hard to be productive when you are drained and depressed. You have to keep your cup full if you intend to pour from it, right? There are things we have to do to stay energetic and healthy. Getting good sleep, exercising, and eating healthy meals are a good place to start.
I know, exercise is probably the one part of that sentence that you cringed at while reading. Probably thinking,
“How can I be expected to exercise with everything I have to do around here?”
That’s a good question. In fact, I had it too. I would spend a lot of time researching ways to exercise at home with little ones around. Much more time than I actually spent exercising. Then, I found that taking 15 minutes or more a day to do yoga was so easy. On top of that, I was able to do it along with my little ones.
To be honest, they just kind of roll around on the ground and stand funny while mommy works out, but it’s nice to have them experiencing the process with me.
If you choose to do a workout that your children can join in on and have some fun, chances are you’ll continue that routine. They may even start joining your workouts as they get older.
Ask for assistance
Some of us wish we could just snap or fingers and become more productive instantly. We keep searching for ways that we can do everything on our own and we just can’t. When I was reading some information on the Classful website, I found that I am not the only individual going over this particular issue. The author of a particular article advised that being productive doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything yourself.
You need to allow yourself to delegate some tasks to others that are able and willing to assist you! You could hire a tutor to assist your children with their homework, have your spouse take on some of the day-to-day chores or connect your agenda to one of your Alexas or Home Googles so that you can be reminded of your tasks throughout the day without continuously having to return to your written agenda.
There are apps out there to help with all different areas of productivity. Apps for working out, quitting smoking, eating healthy, drinking more water and even becoming more positive! These apps were created to help people like us become more productive in our daily lives and take a bit of weight off of our shoulders.
Get a routine together
Being a parent is chaotic. No matter how you view parenthood, you’re going to run into chaos a time or two. However, as my friend Taylor Michael would say, there’s not a lot of people who thrive within chaotic households.
Creating a routine, even if it’s a minimalistic one, can go a long way. Turning everyday activities into a systematic response for yourself and your little humans can make your day pass by a bit smoother.
Take your mornings for example. Many families are scrambling in the morning. Mom and dad are getting ready for work, kids are getting ready for school, and someone has to let the dog out to use the bathroom before you all leave. During this process, there are many things that everyone must do.
Eat breakfast
Shower
Brush teeth
Get dressed
If a routine is set for the morning, that hectic morning can go from everyone scrambling around to what would look like bees in a hive.
Unified. Start by thinking about your home. How many bathrooms? Then… How many people need to get ready for the day? Okay, now let’s make a plan.
For Example:
If you’re looking to become a more productive parent, the key is going to be getting a routine together, remembering that everything should not always fall upon you, and you have to take care of yourself.
It may start out stressful and you may have to work at it a bit to find what works for you and your family, but the results will be worth the work you put in!
What ways have you found that increase your productivity as a parent? Leave a comment and let me know!
🧡 Shine Bright, Kayla