Some essential things for a working mom to do as part of her daily routine
It is important to have a daily routine as a working mom, but it is even more important to include some essential things for your growth and personal well-being.
Lots of working moms are stressed out or overwhelmed trying to balance every aspect of their lives. It takes a lot of effort and determination to keep plugging away without burning out.
As a working mom, there are a few things I do as part of my daily routine. I find that doing them helps me maintain some sort of balance and also keeps me from feeling too guilty or overwhelmed.
So, if you are ready to create a working mom routine that is effective and makes life a little bit easier and more fun, here are some things to include as part of your morning or evening routine.
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1. TIME FOR SELF-CARE AND REFLECTION SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR WORKING MOM DAILY ROUTINE
As a working mom, your daily routine is incomplete if you don’t spend some time reflecting or some time on self-care.
The life of a working mom is such a busy one that it’s easy to ignore your needs. But, I have found that running full steam ahead all the time without taking some time to reflect or care for myself can be counter-productive.
You need time to think about your life and how well things are going or not going. Without reflecting, you will miss out on important cues and have a harder time setting and achieving goals.
Many working moms know they need to change some things in their lives, but these moms are too busy they can’t stop to think or work things out. An easy solution for this problem is to make self-care and reflection a part of your daily routine. You can do this in the morning or evening before you go to bed.
Self-reflection is self-care because you are taking the time to focus on yourself and your needs. Self-reflection allows you to ask yourself questions, analyze any difficult situation you might be going through, and maybe come up with a solution. It is a useful tool to help you improve your life and identify areas of your life that need some work.
So, if self-reflection and self-care aren’t part of your daily routine, I want to encourage you to make these activities a part of your working mom routine. Personally, I like to do this as part of my morning routine when everywhere is still quiet, but you can do it any other time.
Yes, you may have to get up a little bit early, but it is so worth it. If this sounds interesting to you, here are some tools or resources you can use as part of this exercise.
- A journal (to write down your thoughts, feelings or questions)
- To-do list (for a list of things to do or action steps)
- A planner (to help you plan your life and keep track of your day to day activities)
- A nice mug (for your favorite beverage)
2. SOME TIME WITH YOUR KIDS
Working mom guilt is real y’all, and I still haven’t found a way to overcome it after many years. To be honest, I have tried to stop worrying about it (for the most part). I have accepted that mom guilt is a part of life, so I just try to roll with it.
Now, this doesn’t mean that I don’t care (I do), but the only thing I accomplish when I let guilt get the better of me is sadness, and feeling like a bad mom. This doesn’t help anyone in any way.
So, while I can’t completely do away with working mom guilt, I try to mitigate it. One of the ways I do that is to try and spend some one-on-one time with my kids. Even if it’s ten minutes a day. I use this time to listen to them, reassure them, and sometimes just play a quick game with them or watch some TV.
I am one of those moms who believe quantity time is important, but quality time can be as valuable. So don’t wait until you have lots of time to spend time with your kids. Find a way to carve out some time in your schedule. Even if you have to schedule it in your planner or whatever.
The important thing is that you give your kids your undivided attention when you are with them. Put away your phone or other gadgets. Be present with them, and make that time special.
Depending on your work schedule, this can be a part of your evening or bedtime routine. It doesn’t really matter when you spend time with your kids. Any time is a good time.
3. CLEANING AND ORGANIZING
A daily routine for working moms should include some cleaning and organizing because cleaning and housekeeping are two of the biggest challenges working moms face.
Lots of working moms can’t find the time to clean their homes, so they end up with messy houses (which they ignore for as long as they can). To alleviate this problem, the daily routine of a working mother should include some time to clean and organize.
Ten minutes of cleaning and organizing five days a week, will make a big difference to your home. Just decide ahead of time what cleaning tasks you want to do each day. Create a cleaning schedule or a list of daily cleaning and organizing tasks. This is the simplest and easiest way to stay on top of housekeeping.
Yes, you will still need to do some deep cleaning at some point, but daily cleaning and organizing will prevent your home from becoming a complete mess or disaster. So, go ahead, create a weekly cleaning and organizing schedule or find some free ones online.
4. WORKING MOM ROUTINE SHOULD INCLUDE SOME TIME FOR READING AND LEARNING
Moms, whether working or not, should prioritize personal development. A commitment to reading and learning is one of the easiest ways to achieve personal growth. Never be too busy to read or learn new things.
As a working mom, you are probably interested in growing your career. Some of you may be in the process of changing careers or beginning your career. No matter what stage or phase you are in, you can make personal development a part of your daily routine.
Personally, I like reading, so I have never really had a problem reading. However, it became harder to find the time to read after I became a mom. Thankfully, my kids are older now so it is easier to squeeze out time for reading and learning.
Do you have some books you have been meaning to read or do you have some books gathering dust on your nightstand? It’s time to pick them up and start reading.
Do you have some new skills you’d like to learn for your job, to start a business, or just for fun? Time to carve out some time to learn those skills.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need a large block of time before you can read or learn something new. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish with little blocks of time each day. They add up to big chunks of time and many achievements.
So, if reading and learning aren’t part of your daily routine, consider making them a part of your routine. You can do your self-reflection in the morning and reading/learning in the evening, or the other way around. Whatever makes sense to you and your schedule. The only important thing is that you do it.
5. SLEEP AND REST TIME
You need enough sleep and rest to feel refreshed and to function at your best.
As a mom who frequently burns the midnight oil, I know that this is not always possible. There are times when the only way to complete a project or achieve some goals is to give up some of your sleep time. But, remember we all have our breaking point, and you will reach that point faster if you don’t get enough rest or sleep.
So, always plan for enough sleep. You don’t have to sleep eight or nine hours at night to feel rested and refreshed. What you need is to understand how your body works and how much sleep you need to function at your best.
Some moms are fine with only five or six hours of sleep, while others feel tired and listless if they don’t get at least eight hours of rest. It’s different for each one of us.
How much rest you get is irrelevant. The only important thing is that you need to get enough rest and sleep to be at your best.
6. EAT WELL AND HYDRATE
Eating well is something that takes a back seat when you are a busy working mom. It is an area to let slip because it is not so convenient to cook or eat healthy meals (at least for some moms).
You can get so busy at work that you forget to eat something healthy. Instead, you stuff yourself with unhealthy snacks and drinks. In case you couldn’t tell, I have been there and done that.
The problem with eating unhealthy foods for a long period of time is that eventually, you will pay the price, and that’s not a price anyone wants to pay. That’s why it’s important to have a plan for eating well and staying hydrated throughout the day.
This is where meal prepping and meal planning comes into the picture.
Find the time to meal prep ahead of time. You can prepare your lunches days or weeks in advance and brown bag them to work. Also, invest in healthy snacks, fruits, and vegetables, that are easy to munch on.
You will need some good food containers and a reusable/refillable bottle to help you stay hydrated. You will also save some money on food and drinks while you are at work (and even at home).
It takes discipline to eat well, but you can make it a part of your daily routine. Start with eating at least one healthy meal a day. Replace one unhealthy snack with a healthy one, and swap one coffee or sugary drink with water.
Make a conscious effort to eat healthy and stay hydrated. Make it a part of your daily routine to make it easy for you.
Some more words on things to include in a working mom routine
Working moms are some of the busiest people in the world. Between working, taking care of your kids, housekeeping, and many other responsibilities, there is so much to do but very little time to do it. That’s why having a daily routine is so important for working moms.
Since you can easily get distracted and busy yourself with unimportant tasks, it is a good idea to know what activities are important to include in your routine.
I have given you a list of some essential things to add to your routine. Adding these things will enrich your life and make life as a busy working mom a lot more manageable. So, go ahead and add some of these things to your morning or evening routine.
Are you a working mom? What are some things you do as part of your daily routine?
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