Crushing your Daily Productivity Like a Mom (and/or Dad)

Ok, so, about that never-ending struggle to get more done in less time. Here's a thought experiment:

Imagine your run-of-the-mill LinkedIn parent: a couple of great kids, a supportive spouse, and a rockstar career.

Yet that same person regularly forgets 40% of their kid's needs:

• "Oops, forgot to pack your lunch... again"
• "Sorry kiddo, totally spaced on that early pick up"
• "Basketball practice? Was that today?"

Sounds absurd, right? No decent parent would consistently drop the ball on 40% of their child's needs.?

Yet, here’s what that looks like at work:?

According to Time Doctor's 2024 report, 48% of employees self-report being productive less than 75% of the time.

We're literally leaving our potential on the table, and somehow that’s ok?

Think about how parents handle their responsibilities:

• They prep the night before (lunches packed, clothes laid out)
• They maintain strict routines (breakfast at 7, school drop-off at 8)
• They batch tasks efficiently (grocery shopping for the week, meal prep on Sundays)
• They're masters of the morning rush (no sock left behind, shoes rescued from behind enemy lines; it’s a military operation worthy of a Medal of Honor)
• They track everything (that color-coded family calendar in the kitchen isn't just for show)

A Note About Balance

Let's be clear about something: I'm not suggesting you should parent your career with the same intensity that you parent your kids. It's more nuanced than that. Which is why I wrote a whole separate article about Intensive Parenting styles at work.

What I am suggesting is this: Parents have mastered the art of getting stuff done efficiently because they have to—there's simply no alternative when tiny humans depend on you.

They've developed systems, routines, and organizational skills out of pure necessity.

And here's the beautiful plot twist: these same skills, when applied to work, don't just make you more productive—they actually create more space in your life.

When parents batch-cook meals for the week, they're not doing it to work harder; they're doing it to free up precious reading time with their kids.

When they prep the night before, they're not being workaholics; they're creating a smoother, less stressful morning for everyone.

That's exactly what we're aiming for at work.        

The goal isn't to make work as demanding as parenting. The goal is to apply proven organizational skills and techniques at work so work becomes more efficient, more focused, and ultimately less intrusive into your personal life.

Work to live, not live to work, eh?

Because, let's face it, the best career advancement in the world means nothing if you missed your little girl scoring her first soccer goal.

Now, what if we applied that same level of dedication and organization to our work life?

Pregaming

Just like a parent laying out tomorrow's school clothes and packing lunches the night before, your professional prep is crucial.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

• Specific (like "pack a balanced lunch" vs. "feed the kid")
• Measurable (did you pack all 5 food groups?)
• Achievable (no gourmet bento boxes on weekdays)
• Relevant (nutrients matter more than Instagram-worthy presentation)
• Time-bound (lunch needs to be ready by 7 AM, period)

Leverage The Eisenhower Matrix

• Do: Important & Urgent (fever of 102°F)
• Decide: Important but Not Urgent (planning summer camps)
• Delegate: Urgent but Not Important (who's bringing snacks to soccer?)
• Delete: Neither Urgent nor Important (organizing the Legos by color)

Find Your Peak Time

• Are you a morning songbird or a night owl?
• Figure out when your brain is firing on all cylinders and protect those hours like they're the last slice of pizza at the kids party and you haven’t eaten since yesterday.

Ok, we're doing this. It's go-time.

Hitting the ground running is the only option here. There’s no dilly-dallying when you’ve got a call at 8:30, and the GPS says your round trip from school puts you at your desk at 8:40.

The 2-Minute Rule. Parents live by this one:?

• If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now. Sign that permission slip. Check the backpack. Fill the water bottle.
• No parent ever says, "I'll pack your lunch when I feel more motivated."

Time Blocking. Ever wonder why parents are so good at this? They have to be:

• Morning routine block
• Work block
• After-school activity block
• Homework/dinner block

Maintaining Momentum

Coffee. Lots of coffee to keep that momentum going.

Task Batching Parents are the OG task-batching experts:

• All laundry on Sunday, absolutely no exceptions.
• Week's meals prepped in one go
• Birthday gifts bought in bulk (because there's always another party)

The Pomodoro Technique 25 minutes of focused work, 5 minutes of break.

• Rinse and repeat. It's like HIIT training for your productivity.?
• And yes, during those 5 minutes, you have my permission to watch that cat video you saved earlier.

Embrace AI (But Don't Let It Embrace You Back, eww)

• Let's be real—AI is here to stay. Use it for the mundane stuff so you can focus on what actually needs your human touch. The Time Doctor report mentions that "desk workers using AI are 90% more likely to report higher productivity."
• Just remember: AI is like a microwave—great for certain things, but you wouldn't trust it to cook your anniversary dinner.

EoD

Take a victory lap, please. You deserve it.

Closing Out

• Spend 15 minutes (set a timer, I know you) reviewing what you actually accomplished.
• It's like a mini performance review, but without the awkward conversations.

Productivity Journaling

• Document your wins, losses, and "interesting learning opportunities" (aka mistakes).
• Think of it as your personal productivity podcast, but in writing.

Here's a quick reality check:?

According to Gallup's 2023 report, 77% of workers are not actively engaged.

And you know what? That's okay. We're not robots (despite what your Scrum Master might think).

Real Love, Real Talk

If parents handled their responsibilities the way many of us handle our work tasks, Child Protective Services would probably have some questions. Yet somehow, we've accepted this productivity gap in our professional lives as normal.

Parents don't have the luxury of being less than 75% effective. They can't tell their kid:

"Sorry, didn’t have the bandwidth to make dinner tonight. Let’s circle back to that tomorrow."

They plan, prepare, and execute because little humans are counting on them. Just the same, your career, your goals, and your professional growth are counting on you too.

So next time you're tempted to wing it at work or "go with the flow," ask yourself: Do you take that approach with your kids?

Getting Started

Pick one technique and try it tomorrow. Just one. Draft it out today; try it out tomorrow. Treat it with the same dedication you'd give to packing your kid's lunch or getting them to school on time. Then come back and tell me how it went.

Because remember: Nobody ever won Parent of the Year by winging it, and nobody ever crushed their career goals by leaving more than 25% on the table.

Hashtags for the bots

#ProductivityHacks #ParentingWisdom #TimeManagement #WorkSmarter #PersonalDevelopment

Sources

Time Doctor (2024). "Workplace Productivity Statistics: The State of Work in 2024." Retrieved from https://www.timedoctor.com/blog/workplace-productivity-statistics/

Gallup (2023). "State of the Global Workplace Report." Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx

Author's Note

Stats cited in this article are based on Time Doctor's 2024 workplace productivity report and Gallup's 2023 State of the Global Workplace report.