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A busy life is inevitable in today’s landscape. Balance being a mom and working on top of that, and it can seem impossible to do it all. After being a stay-at-home mom for the first year of my son’s life, I returned to work. After entering the workspace, I enrolled back into school. I don’t know what possessed me to put all this on my plate, but I was determined to see it through. These are a revolving cycle of time management, discipline, and persistence.
- My Laptop
A laptop might be a no-brainer to some, but I know a lot of people who don’t have them, and it could change their lives completely. I always recommend Apple products, but there are a lot of options out there that don’t come with the price tag.
You don’t need it for all kinds of fancy stuff, such as video editing or gaming (unless you want to). However, for paying bills, scheduling and planning day-to-day life, emails, and all sorts of other necessary administration tasks around the house, your life is so much easier with a laptop.
2. Fridge Calendar
It does not matter how old your kids are, a visual calendar can keep your household together. I have a weekly, monthly, and to-do list magnet calendar on my fridge. I will tell you the number one thing this helps with is letting the ADULT members of your household know what’s going on. I use the to-do list as a way to easily communicate with my husband what needs to be done around the house.
None of us enjoys asking or reminding our spouses what we need them to do or what we need help with. With this to-do list, he can choose what he wants to do when he has the time. It also prevents me from feeling like I am nagging him to do something all the time. I plan out school events ahead of time, what my work schedule looks like, and other events we have coming up.
3. Instant Pot
I don’t know about you, but being responsible for every single meal for a tiny human is exhausting. The moment I got an Instant Pot, it became so easy to throw together meals. I set it and forget it. I also got an Instant Pot cookbook and use that as a way to plan out my meals. It gives me so many ideas, and I use it to tailor our grocery list so I don’t have to think about it.
Pro Tip: While the food cooks, I use that time to do dishes, clean the kitchen, or tackle laundry. Those are things that can’t be done while you’re laboring over a stove.
4. Sanity Savers
For small kids, a doodle board will keep you sane. I am not big on screen time, and this doodle board has kept my toddler occupied in several different spaces. I have one in the bathroom that he can draw on while he’s sitting on the potty. We all occupy ourselves while “doing business,” so there’s no reason why our kids can’t have something to do. One of the other perks… it helps them learn how to hold a pencil!
For older kids, tablets can be a lifesaver. I know I just said the forbidden word in the mom circles, but hear me out. Rules and boundaries need to be established first, and purchasing a tablet with controls can help with that, too. Tablets are good for road trips, and that is about the only time I will have them use one. I’m sure there are other times, but I don’t want to bring a tablet with us everywhere we go just to bribe my child into good behavior. However, life is stressful, and every mom has a different way of doing things.
5. Everything is storage
You’ve heard it a million times… “You are a reflection of your environment,” or however that goes. It’s true, though, when the house is cluttered, I don’t feel at peace. I live in a small house with a lot of stuff. Which can be a recipe for disaster. Therefore, I have made everything we have in the house its own version of storage.
Entertainment centers, coffee tables, buffets, coffee bars, and spare walls are all capable of being their own storage. I buy the biggest chest of drawers I can for the bedroom, instead of a typical entry table I chose one with storage capabilities, and I decorate bare wall spots with shelves.
6. Bed desk
I always think about something I need to do after I am already in bed. So I have a lap desk next to my bed, and I can easily whip out and set my laptop on it. I wouldn’t get half of my work done if I didn’t have this. The major game changer is a pillow I can actually sit up with, too. Turning your bed into your own personal office makes work more enjoyable.
Confession: I actually use my bed as an office more often than I do a desk after setting this up because it is just too easy and comfortable to change back now.
7. Car Bag
My car has everything I am known to forget or need on a daily basis. I picked out a cute little backpack and filled it with the essentials. Hair, makeup, journal, extra cash, deodorant, etc. I may have taken it too far, though, because I recreated a second full-face makeup kit to keep in my car. I always get to an event or work early and use that time to get ready. Besides just a bag for your essentials, the kids need one too.
