It’s not easy being a mother! It’s like a never-ending job.
I had my share of struggles too. I left my full-time job when I got pregnant with my first child. Then I got back to work after she turned 3 years old. Soon I became pregnant for the second time and couldn’t continue due to complications related to health and work.
Leaving work and choosing to stay at home at that point in time was a blessing in disguise in the truest sense. I was spending more time with my daughter along with focusing on my health since pregnancy this time brought a bunch of complications with it.
So, until my full term, I had no help; barring a few intermittent visits by my mother and mother-in-law. My husband was super busy and hardly had any time; except for taking me for the checkups, consultations and ultrasounds. I was managing my home, my pregnancy and a toddler all on my own.
Being pregnant that time with a handful toddler, I had no choice but to be both efficient and effective. And even now, when my elder one is 6 and the little one is 2, I have to strike the right balance.
I have to treat both the kids not only equally but uniquely too along with managing work, home, having a social life and most importantly, retaining my sanity.
No matter how much you try, there is always a fear of slipping out. It takes a lot to be an effective parent — physically and emotionally.
Now that I work from home, I try to do my best to be both effective and efficient to strike the right balance between work and family. I brought some changes within myself and my attitude towards people around me which made a lot of difference.
7 Habits That Made Me A Highly Effective and Efficient Mother
Based on my experience, I am sharing the seven impactful changes and adjustments that I brought in my life and attitude which made me a highly effective and efficient mother.
⇒Prioritising urgent and important
I figured quite too soon that with two handful children it’s next to impossible to do everything at the same time. I did what needed urgent attention. It’s important to understand the difference between what an urgent task and what’s an important one.
For example, stocking up kids’ pantry is more important than arranging their cupboard or sorting their toys. The latter two tasks can easily wait until you finish buying groceries or kids’ eatables.
To help you decide, let me try to explain this using a matrix below. If you look at it, it may look like a marketing lesson but once you learn to categorise the tasks at hand, you’ll be able to prioritise your tasks better.
Now try to visualise a situation related to work or family or yourself and try to place it in the most suitable quadrant.
- Quadrant 1 (top left) has important, urgent tasks – tasks that need to be dealt with immediately
- Quadrant 2 (top right) has important, but not urgent tasks – tasks that are important but do not require your immediate attention and need planning
- Quadrant 3 (bottom left) has urgent, but unimportant tasks – tasks which should be minimized or eliminated
- Quadrant 4 (bottom right) has unimportant and also not urgent tasks – tasks that don’t have to be done anytime soon, perhaps add little to no value and also should be minimized or eliminated
⇒First things first
Fix up a routine and try to stick to it. If you work from home then fix the time of work. Set alarms or a time table for yourself everyone’s convenience. People should know when to reach you and when you are not available. Divide your work and home chores depending on what needs more attention on a particular day.
It’s also a great idea to have a fixed timetable. By having a set pattern, you will be able to pay equal attention to work and family without either of them suffering from your lack of attention.
⇒No gadgets when kids around
I always make it a point that I keep my phone and laptop away when I am with kids and family. I can focus on them and give them my 100%
Avoid using your phone or tablets around children and family. Be attentive when your kids are talking to you. Look in their eyes and have a conversation. Make them feel that you are there for and with them.
You don’t have to be with them for hours. However, if you have an hour then keep that one hour dedicatedly for kids and family.
⇒Eating my meal after kids have eaten
Eating peacefully became a privilege after having kids. So, one day I decided to eat after they have eaten. I sat peacefully for 15 minutes and ate the most pleasant meal after so many months.
Why didn’t I think of it before? Well, because I was eating with kids to save some time. I also thought that it might encourage them to eat properly. But obviously, it didn’t happen.
⇒Working when kids were asleep
I am sure you are already doing this. If not, then this is something you need to start doing now! I sometimes have to work late at night but those 2-3 hours are the most productive hours workwise. I could think better and plan my days ahead.
⇒Shifted my skincare routine to bedtime
Given a choice, I would love to do more than CTM every morning, Taking a peaceful shower looks like a distant dream for now. I know it’s temporary but there is no escaping this phase. So, I started doing things like applying face pack, deep cleansing, face massage, etc. at night. Not only the skin looks healthier in the morning, but it also saved me a lot of time during the day.
⇒No more pajamas during the day
I have been through a phase when I won’t come out of my pajamas. Pajamas all day, pajamas all night. From fulltime working woman to a first time mommy, I decided to step back from work to raise my baby. I stayed at home with my baby all day and all I wanted was to be comfortable. With a little baby and so much to do, I could not think beyond pajamas. Little did I know that this was damaging my self-esteem and I started hating the way I looked.
My husband shook me out of this phase and reminded me every day that I should take out my “normal” clothes and start dressing up nicely. Luckily, I was able to fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes. I stacked all the pajamas at the back for wearing at night only. I felt good about wearing different clothes every day. I loosened up a bit and started doing some light makeup too. Best decision ever!
Now, when I work from home, this change in habit makes me feel so good about myself. I dress up smartly and do light make up daily. It surely gives me the feeling of being a professional and not just a WFHM.
What do you think about these seven habits? What’s makes you effective and efficient? Share with me in the comments below.
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