If you’re popping over from the previous post about Housekeeping & the Modern Mother then welcome! If not – go check it out here.
Modern motherhood is hard enough. Throw in modern housekeeping on top of everything else and cue the rising cortisol and crashing energy levels…where’s my coffee again? As much as I hate to say it, because I know I’m guilty, but we are our own worst enemies here. Girl, I know you know we know you know – FRIENDS fans reminisce here. But seriously, you are most likely the one that is putting the pressure on yourself and I know deep down you know that. Release yourself and take care of those stress hormones girl! We need to save those for pilot Pete’s season. (Kidding…)
If you’re a mom that thrives on list-making, scheduling and organizing – START HERE:
- Step 1: Start with a brain dump. Get it all out of your head. From the biggest task to the smallest – but not in any order. Just get them out! Pro Tip – Do this on a computer. I don’t know about you – but I can type much faster than I can write and get it out a lot more in much less time.
- Step 2: Make the detailed list. Separate your to-dos by listing out Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Seasonal and Annual tasks that you ultimately want to take place in your house. Pro Tip – Use a task organizing app like Evernote. They have built in templates to make it pretty.
- Step 3: Delegate to other members of your family. If you have children, assign them to the kid-friendly tasks on your list. Pro Tip – Create a chore chart or allowance system for kid-friendly tasks. Visual works best for kiddos!
- Step 4: Post the list where you and everyone involved has to see it everyday. Transfer the tasks to a calendar, planner or virtual shared organizing system. Pro Tip – If you have older kids, set up a Command Center for your entire family so they can see the tasks on the calendar and what they are responsible for.
- Step 5: Check in weekly to see how the plan feels. Is there something you need to shift, is there something you left off, do you feel less chaotic with a plan? Ask your family. Pro-Tip – Weekly check-ins work well – but do what works best for your family. You have to do this check-in or you will let months go by before you realize what is happening.
If you are a new mom, you are in a hard season, or you’re just a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal – START HERE:
New motherhood, additional children, times of grief, moving etc….these are times when you really need to scale back on what matters. If you are in a super busy season, starting a new job, you rebel at the sight of a schedule or you’re battling something like anxiety or depression, you ALSO need to scale back and give yourself permission to let some stuff GO!
- Step 1: Make a list of the top 10 most important housekeeping chores in your house. These look different for every family. If you have 10 kids, laundry is pretty important to stay on top of. If you cook every night, the dishes are going to pile up.
- Step 2: Delegate some of the tasks. Assign ONE task each to your kids that are old enough, or that they younger ones can pitch in on. Even delegate to your husband – or give him your list and let him pick!
- Step 3: Assign a task to do each day of the week. If it gets started, half-completed or fully completed, great! If it doesn’t, you can swap days, or double up, add it to next week in some situations. The idea is not to overwhelm yourself with too much in one day.
- Step 4: Check in with yourself and your family once a week. What was neglected, what got done well, how can you shift the next week to make more sense? Don’t forget to ask yourself if your own needs are being met, too.
- Step 5: Keep. it. simple. Don’t overthink it. Don’t try to perfect it. Just let it be. There will be another time and another season to do it differently. This is enough!
The most important thing to think about is what really matters to you? What matters right now, this day, this week, this season? You really don’t have to do it all right now. There is so much peace that comes with learning how to shift your focus to the people around you and the life happening for you – instead of the perfectly organized sock drawer or the floors clean enough to eat lunch on. Those are just the bonuses, mama. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
Those accomplishments matter, but they are not what this life is about and sometimes we all need that reminder.
You can do this.
❤ MA
The Well Mom Collective 