Life Hacks from A Working Mom with #Goals

The juggle is real. That was precisely how I felt at this point last year when we were at the apex of the pandemic.???

With two kids under three and a business that was (thankfully) taking off, I was genuinely white-knuckling it through most days. So, I decided to start exploring ways to make my life better. Everything from productivity hacks to organization styles. Food prepping to meditating. I gave it all a go in the quest for balance.???♀?

So, I figured I would share what I’m still implementing today. A year later. Things that have stuck with me that have some tangible ROI attached, just in case you find yourself in that similar “grinding it out” situation. Check it out and if I’m missing a must-try, let me know below.

Love,

A mom with no time but lots of #goals

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?? Meaningful mornings

By FAR, the most impactful thing I started doing during the pandemic was waking up early. I’m up every day at 5 am or slightly before, which is the most essential part of my day. I’ll go into more of my morning routine below, but this immediately changed my life for the better.?

Not a morning person? Start slow. The first few weeks, I would get out of my bed and sit on the couch watching Bravo before I even attempted to add anything else. Ease in. Bribe with the housewives, if necessary.?

?? The 10/10/10

As part of getting up early, I try to start my day off on the best possible foot and accomplish something early to “get the ball rolling,” so to speak. I use (and highly recommend) the Oak Journal, which is part planner, part goal-focused diary. As part of their recommendation, I spend 10 minutes meditating when I wake up, 10 minutes reading something exciting, and 10 minutes journaling (including listing three specific things I’m grateful for each day)

Since I got into the 5 am vibe, I also added a little yoga, and then it’s time for a pre-kid cup of coffee and catching up with my east coast and international clients.

??♀? Efficient Exercise

When you work from, as many of us do, it’s important to make sure you’re changing up the scenery and getting your blood flowing throughout the day—especially those of us in a writing or creative field. Stagnation isn’t beneficial for anyone. I incorporate exercise in two ways every day. First, I schedule (like really put it on my calendar) a 30-minute walk. I put on my shoes, walk in one direction for 15 minutes and turn around. That’s it. While I walk, I listen to business or motivational podcasts, so I get double the benefit. I like Street Parking for regular workouts because they’re typically 15 minutes or less and super-efficient.?

?? 321-Zero Inbox

This year I finally got control of my email inbox and let go of the idea that I always needed to respond instantly. Now, I check my email ?? three times a day, for 20 minutes each time. The rest of the day, I’m actively able to focus on the tasks I need to complete without the distraction of constant pings (although I’m still working through this with Slack).?

During this #email check-in time, the goal is to reach inbox zero every.single.time. The first step of this is to unsubscribe to EVERYTHING that just automatically gets delivered to your inbox. Those emails add clutter and stress. Once you cull it down to the stuff that matters, three things can happen.?

I respond if it takes less than 5 minutes, then I archive the email. If it will take longer than 5 minutes, I add it as a to-do in my Todoist app and assign it a time in the day to complete the task, then move it to my “To Respond” folder. Anything else that doesn’t require a response or is just an FYI gets archived. This method has kept my inbox at zero for months now.?More info on this method here.

What works best for you? What other tips am I missing? ??