From Chaos to Clarity— How I Found Focus as a Mom and Product Lead (Without Burning Out)

Balancing life as a woman in tech with two small kids is not an easy task. After sleepless nights, my mornings start with cereal spills, misplaced teddy bears and rushed school drop-offs. By the time I sit down to work, my phone is buzzing, deadlines are pressing and my to-do list feels endless.

For a long time, I was drowning. My mind was cluttered, constantly jumping from one thing to another with no clear purpose nor focus. Every day felt like a losing battle between work and family. I was stretched so thin it felt like I was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

I just couldn't keep up with it anymore. Something had to change before overwhelm would completely take over my life.

Now, it takes me 2 seconds to find my focus and get moving. How? By using a simple, flexible framework that works for me.

If you’ve been juggling too much and feeling overwhelmed, here’s the 3-step framework that transformed my days— and it can transform yours too.

1- Have a Kanban Board

It’s impossible to balance work, family and your sanity without a system. For me, using a Kanban board turned my scattered thoughts into organised, actionable steps and brought clarity to the chaos.

Here’s how I made it work:

• Get it out of your head: Every task— whether it’s a critical deadline, a presentation to finish or a workshop to prepare— goes on the board. The moment I think of it, I write it down. No more “I’ll remember that later” (spoiler: you won’t).
• Use a ‘backlog.’ This is where I put every single task as I think of it. It’s not about doing it all at once; it’s ensuring nothing gets forgotten. This keeps me organised and prevents me from staying up at 2 a.m. stressed because I missed or forgot something.
• Keep it visual. I love how one glance at my Kanban board gives me a clear snapshot of what needs to be done. I keep everything into four columns— To Do, In Progress, Waiting for Information (WFI) and Done. It's simple. And it focuses my energy where it should be all while keeping me away from distractions.

This simple system brought order to my chaos. Everything is captured, tracked and visualised. I don't need to stress over what I might forget, what comes next or what I should be doing. It's all in there, laid out in front of me, keeping me calm, focused and in control.

2- Know Your Limits

Let me make this clear: You cannot do everything. And you shouldn’t even try.

For years, I thought I had to be everything to everyone— managing my team, delivering despite the impossible deadlines, being the perfect mom and keeping the house organised. You know what that got me? Exhaustion. And the constant feeling of falling short.

But it turns out, the real secret isn't doing it all— it's knowing your limits. Once I accepted that, it shifted my perspective. I stopped working harder and started working smarter.

Here’s how I set boundaries that keep me sane:

• Set your limit: My limit is three tasks at a time. That’s it. I no longer juggle 10 things at once— I focus on three things at a time, no matter how urgent everything feels. If I hit my limit, I don't start anything new until I finish something. It's about doing less, but doing it better.
• Prioritise ruthlessly. Keeping the most important task at the top of my Kanban board is my focus hack. Whenever I feel distracted or overwhelmed, a simple visual check pulls me back to what deserves my attention. Everything else can wait.
• Stick to your rule. It’s tempting to break your work-in-progress (WIP) limit when your boss, your kids or the world demands more from you. Don’t. I protect my boundaries like my sanity depends on it—because it does.

Setting limits doesn’t mean you're less capable. It means you're focused on doing what you should be doing. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, you'll find yourself getting things done with clarity, purpose and the energy to keep going. That’s already half the battle.

3- Stop Starting. Start Finishing.

This agile mindset transformed my productivity: instead of constantly starting new work, I now focus on finishing what I’ve already spent time on.

I used to pride myself on being a multitasker. I even believed it was one of my strengths. But reality hit hard when I’ve realised half-finished tasks piled up, leaving me busy but unproductive. The result? I felt like I was constantly chasing a moving train, never catching up.

We’ve all been there. You get halfway through writing an email when a chat notification pulls you into a new task. Next thing you know, you’ve started three new things and the email is still sitting there, unfinished. Sound familiar?

Now I make finishing a non-negotiable rule:

• Pick up where you left off: When I start my day, I don’t waste time figuring out what to do next. I check my Kanban board and jump straight to work on the tasks already in progress. It keeps me grounded, gives me the satisfaction of progress and avoids me the temptation to start something new.
• Focus on the work started, not on starting more: Unfinished tasks are energy drainers. They nag at the back of your mind, creating unnecessary mental clutter. By finishing them, I'm getting the satisfaction of moving them to 'Done' and closing a mental tab. I can move to the next task without any distractions and with the right energy.
• Avoid context switching to keep your flow: Jumping from one topic to another slows you down and drains your focus. When I stick to one task at a time, I eliminate this waste and make real progress. Block out distractions and commit to finishing what's in front of you. If I’m working on a presentation, I focus on that and nothing else. No emails, no chats, no wandering thoughts about what to cook for dinner.
• Break tasks into smaller steps: If a task feels overwhelming, split it into smaller steps. My presentation gets broken down into brainstorming, drafting an outline, creating slides and refining the final version. Each small step feels doable and keeps the work flowing.

In the end, it's not about how much you start— it's about how much you finish. By focusing on completing what's already in progress, you'll not only get more done, but you'll do it with greater focus and less stress (not even mentioning the satisfaction from completing your work). It's time to stop starting. Start finishing.

How to Make This Work as a Parent and Tech Professional

Balancing work and family will never be easy. Some days you'll be on top of it and other days you’ll feel like you’re barely holding it together. But with the right focus, you can make progress even when life feels overwhelming.

These 3 steps—Kanban boards, setting WIP limits and finishing what you start— keep me on track. But they also keep me sane when life throws challenges at me. It turns out, they're helping me manage family life as well.

When my son interrupts me mid-working session because he's stuck building his Lego, I don’t panic, I don't get frustrated. My tasks are captured, my priorities are clear and I know exactly where to pick up once the Lego crisis is averted.

When my 20-month old daughter suddenly gets sick, I can drop everything without feeling guilty. My system gives me the flexibility to pivot when I need to.

It’s Not Magic, It’s Focus

Here’s the rebellious truth I ended up learning: You don’t need to work harder. You don’t need more hours in the day. You just need to stop wasting the ones you already have.

Focus isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity. It’s about knowing what matters, setting boundaries and following through.

So, if you’re tired, overwhelmed and spinning, here’s your action plan:

1. Create a Kanban board and get everything out of your head
2. Set a work-in-progress limit that works for you—and stick to it
3. Commit to finishing your work in progress before starting new tasks

Life will still be messy. Kids will still throw curveballs (and cereals). Deadlines will still press. But when you focus on the right things, you’ll find clarity in the chaos and ignore the noise. And you'll be okay.

You’ve got this. Now go make it happen.