Mom Lifehacks

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Jump to a Lifehack

1. Manage your Time
2. Take a Power Nap
3. Plan the Meals
4. Outsource some Tasks
5. Set up your Auto Pilots
6. Find Time for Yourself
7. Let It Go
8. Divide and Conquer
9. Engage your Family
10. Join the Community

Mother with baby writing something on a paper

1. Manage your Time

There is only limited amount of hours in each day. The time flies by and there is so much to do! Be the master of your schedule and assign a to-do list per daytime, weekdays and periodically. Make sure the list includes most of the must-haves and is always at hand. A digital calendar on your phone might be the way to go. Highlight the essentials and mark priorities. Absolutely important and urgent events get the colour red, then orange, yellow and green get the next marks down.

It can be beneficial to know your personal productivity timing. Ask yourself, for example, when am I the best at writing emails? Some moms find it easier to focus in the evenings, some in the mornings. So set up the to-do's accordingly.

The schedule does not need to be extremely precise, otherwise you are risking to cause yourself extra stress when things take a little bit longer time or something else comes along. Leave some margins for unexpected events. Most importantly, do not forget to take small breaks in-between to-do's. Not only they will mark the completed tasks, but will drastically improve your performance with the next ones.

2. Take a Power Nap

"Employers are increasingly recognizing the benefits of a power nap as an effective means of stimulating both attention and performance and are taking this into consideration when planning office layouts and schedules" (sleepcycle.com, 2022).

Why is taking a nap listed right under the time management lifehack? Because you cannot focus within your decided timeframes if you are constantly tired! However, worth noting that power naps are not for everyone and do not always work. Sometimes, short breaks as mentioned above are just enough and can perfectly do the trick.

How long do you need to recharge your batteries? The general rule of thumb suggest 15-20 minutes should do. It is good to set a timer that will be the wake up call and cancel the worries about oversleeping and being late. The best time is suggested after lunch. But again, depending on circumstances you might like taking your power nap earlier or later.

The ambience is responsible for the quality of the sleep. It is better to have a quiet place with a bed to lie down offcorse. If not the case, choose a private, rather dark spot, let's say with a comfortable armchair where the power nap will go uninterupted.

3. Plan the Meals

What do we have for dinner today? This is probably one of the most challenging day-to-day problems for all parents, working or stay-home. Depending on your budget and local services there are several options to consider and most of them include planning meals beforehand. Take-outs and pizza deliveries can always be somehting to consider, especially during busy and stressful weekdays. Nothing to feel guilty about, as long as everyone is well nourished and happy.

Ingredient delivery services offer a variety of choice, from pre-cut and pre-portioned vegetables to combi-bags with spices and sauce. Many of them include recipes that take no more than 15-25 minutes of praparation time. Besides the convenience of a quick put-together, healthy meal, these services often take the tough decision of what to cook off your shoulders.

If the pre-planned recipe delivery is not an option, you can opt for a regular supermarket grocery delivery service for a moderate fee. All you need to do is deciding on the fridge, freezer or shelf, and place an order, often online. That way you can stock up on pantry items and focus on daily fresh supplies only. You then might need to only pass by the bakery on your way home for some fresh buns and the grocery isle for just that one letuce head.

Many working mothers cook and prepare portions for the whole week during weekend. That way, the pressure during hectic mornings and tired evenings is off, by just taking a home-made, microwave-ready meal out of the fridge or freezer.

4. Outsource some Tasks

Depending on your budget, consider finding reliable people and technologies to minimize the overwhelming amount of work. Task outsourcing benefits not only businesses, but individuals as well. You can save time and energy and get some things done by other people and professionals.

Find reliable babysitters you can trust. Teenagers and pensioneers from local community are a budget-friendly option for temporary childcare. So is time-sharing with other parents. For example, a group of neighbourhood parents can take turns picking up their children together with others' from kindergarten and pre-school. Involving other people will also enrich your family's networking and communication skills.

In the same way you can hire helpers to manage househod chores - cleaning, laundry, as well as shopping. Modern technologies, such as a robot vacuum cleaner, can assist every now and then. Most of mothers posess a talent for multitasking, building and fixing. And there are enough reoccuring reparations to do. Intead of do-it-yourself approach, get a handyman(-woman) to help you assembing your furniture, or playground equipment, for example.

Baby shoes, jacket and shirt, nicely prepared

5. Set up your Auto Pilots

Putting a whole life on auto pilot is definitely not a good idea. Exactly that is why you need to set some Auto Pilots to free time for more important decisions, including life strategies.

Decide on easy-to-pick presents, ready-to-use everyday tools and products. Set up automated routines. Prepare everyhting the evening before, such as outfits for children and yourself, lunch boxes and the breakfast table. Have a default set of clothing - the famous capsule wardrobe. In this case every item in your closet fits together and you will spend next to no time getting dressed for any occasion.

As discussed above, food planning is an important lifehack for working parents. How about moving even a step further and establishing a default, every 2-3 weeks rotating meals schedule for each day of the week? Pasta Monday, Taco Tuesday, Fishy Wednesday, Chicken Thursday, Pizza Friday, Soup Saturday and Grill Sunday. How does that sound?

Wake up about half an hour before the children, to manage getting ready and allow some time for yourself. It is such a powerful mood set-up for the day!

Woman wrapped in a blanket drinking tea on a terrace

6. Find Time for Yourself

I could not formulate it better than this. So here is a small paragraph from Becca that says it all.

"The Non-Negotiable(s) are the one thing or things that you are going to do for you as a working mom that day/week barring any massive unforeseen circumstances. This doesn’t need to be something monumental, but it should be yours. Example. Your Non-Negotiable could be taking a walk every day at lunch. If you’re in a desk job especially, stretching those legs and getting some fresh air may be exactly what the doctor ordered to clean your head and give your body a little exercise. Or your Non-Negotiable could be reading for 20 minutes in the morning while the kids are still asleep, giving yourself an hour in the evening once a week for a pottery lesson, or calling the babysitter once a month for a night out with your spouse.

Whatever it is that you know would make your working mom life feel a bit more like YOUR life, put it on your calendar and keep the appointment with yourself" (withlovebecca.com, viewed on 27.05.22).

Child feet spreading dry pasta on the floor

7. Let It Go

Offcourse we are super heroes and deserve to be called so. However, perfectionism is not the way to take it, at least not for now. We have it all - in balance. There are good days and there are bad days. The house will not be pristine while the children are young and if it is, there must be something wrong with it! So the best advice there is - let it go. Good enough is the new perfect.

Here is what lifehack.org says about something else that needs to go - Mom guilt. 'Mothers are so often judged for “abandoning” their children when returning to work full-time, while fathers are expected to go to work to “provide” for the family. Why is this sexist stereotype still so present in our seemingly progressive society? Some women don’t have the option of being a stay-at-home mom, while others choose to go back to work because they don’t want to give up their career. Whatever the reason, deciding to be a working mom is a choice that should be admired, not judged or shamed. If you are feeling guilty about not being with your child all the time, it’s time to let it go.

Focus on the positive things that your work life is contributing to your family. Be confident that you are making the best choice for your whole family, including yourself, and your child will feel the extent of your love and understand your sacrifice'.

Yes, and like everything else, let go of letting go of mom guilt. You will never stop worriying about your child's well-being, while you are away. You just need to learn to control that feeling. You know what I mean.

8. Divide and Conquer

'Divide and conquer is a powerful tool for solving conceptually difficult problems: all it requires is a way of breaking the problem into sub-problems, of solving the trivial cases, and of combining sub-problems to the original problem' (Wikipedia).

Small tasks get things done. Assigning cleaning tasks for each weekday, for example helps keeping the house moderately tidy and not to be overwhelmed with hours and hours cleaning all at once.

Break any complex work-life problem into a sub-problem as small as possible by placing it in short time clusters. Approach one problem at a time and set a timer for 10-30 minutes. For example, folding just one person laundry or answering an email. That way you can focus on one thing at a time, have it done and move on to the next.

Split the tasks 50/50 with your life partner. Unlike delegating and outsourcing, there is a good deal of set-ups and communciation about who does what and when. It is important to hear and be heard, as well as be clear with the timeline setting. A good example of 50/50 is that you bring the children to kindergarden, or school and your partner picks them up.

River stones stacked on each other in balance

9. Engage your Family

You are not alone in your household. Your life partner, children and even extended family members are your support system. Be in it together, engage each other into building a happy life for all.

Make sure to synchronize your personal calendar with the family calendar. Every family member, depending on age offcourse, can edit or comment on the shared calendar as well as mark completed tasks. Children can have age apropriate tasks, as fun educational activity. Even a 2-3 years old can be a true mommy's little helper by folding hand towels, picking up toys or even wiping serfaces. Research on chores by age and you will be surprised to what your child is capable of.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles can contribute occasionally. Try some friendly diplomacy with your in-laws and you will gain a solid support team.

10. Join the Community

Connect with like-minded parents and caregivers for inspiration and support. You can find them while playing in a sandbox, at your courtyard or childcare centre. There are often collegues that can share similar experiences.

"At the office, there are people I know I can turn to if I need to have a mini break down about daycare. For my writing, I have groups of social media friends who make me laugh, support my work, and are so hilariously relatable”, says Becca in her working mom blog (withlovebecca.com).

Online communities expand the circle of your connections globally. You will find people all across the world facing the same day-to-day challenges as you are, and taking unique approaches, offering inspirational solutions. Mom forums, social media, podcasts will give you those giggly 'been there' moments that can recharge your super-hero batteries.