Being a mum is, without doubt, one of life's greatest joys, but it can also be an incredibly challenging and chaotic experience. With so many demands on your time between work, home duties, childcare, and trying to snatch a few moments to yourself, mastering motherhood often feels utterly impossible. This guide sets out five key strategies designed to help you regain control amidst the madness.
1. Get Organised: Plan Ahead Where You Can
Mornings with little ones can be mayhem, with last-minute scrambles to get dressed, pack bags, and get out the door in time. Getting organised the night before is a sanity saver. Lay out school uniforms or outfits, pack lunches, prepare packed meals for the freezer – save yourself time and stress by alerts and online calendars to stay on top of routines. Being prepared helps provide structure for the whole family.
2. Set Boundaries Around Your Time
Modern mums too often try to "have it all"; but just end up frazzled and exhausted. You cannot please everyone all the time – so prioritise your needs too. Block off daily time for important self-care like showering, grabbing a tea or coffee, reading a chapter of your book while the baby naps. If friends try squeezing in last-minute plans to make the most of your day off, stick to allotted catchups with those you truly want to see. Say no to volunteering for endless school bake sales if you are already maxed out. Protecting pockets of time for YOU maintains sanity and prevents burning out.
3. Outsource Chores You Don't Enjoy
Why spend your limited free time scrubbing bathrooms and washing floors if you hate cleaning? Consider using a cleaning service, clicking delivery for the weekly grocery shop, or ordering prepped recipe boxes. Exchange pet care or babysitting duties with other mum friends in your area – they watch your little ones for a few hours, and you return the favour another afternoon. Find areas where you can pay someone else or get help from others to tick off the mundane tasks draining your time and energy so you can focus on enjoying time with your loved ones instead.
4. Invest in Tools to Simplify Life Admin
From monitoring the family finances to making medical appointments, pesky life admin constantly distracts from parenting. Streamline this by using online tools providing easy visibility: budgeting apps to track spending, shared family calendars to coordinate everyone's activities, automated reminders for bills coming due. Eliminate paperwork piles by scanning/uploading documents like insurance policies, medical records, and school notices to secure cloud storage. Tech can transform organising from daily headache to simple occasional monitoring of important household info.
5. Meet with a Parenting Coach for Fresh Perspectives
Sometimes, an outside perspective can help us see our problems or patterns more clearly. Parent coaching is a growing field of professionals providing support and advice tailored around your family's needs. A parenting coach like those from The People Practice Group helps identify your mum goals, big or small, then offers non-judgmental guidance on adjustments to positively develop new daily habits together.
Mastering modern motherhood is no simple feat, but implementing even a few of these strategies, like visiting a parent coach, can help regain control of the chaos.