Productivity for Moms Series

In 2016, I was spending my time in a reactive state. Constantly overwhelmed by everything that needed to be done. I felt like I never actually made progress on the things that mattered to me. I was wondering if this was really what my life was supposed to look like.

I lived in an exhausted state. Holding too much information in my head. I was angry all the time. Constantly short-tempered with my kids and had no patience for my friends.

Where it all began:

When we moved into this house 6 years ago there was so much to do that I didn’t have time for planning. I spent my days doing the most urgent tasks right in front of me. My youngest kid was learning how to walk, I was drowning in moving boxes, I was homeschooling in a mess, and constantly reorganizing every room. 

I also had a long list of commitments outside our house. I was teaching classes, volunteering at church, hosting social events, and we often had visitors in our new guest room.

I had stopped doing all the things that gave me time for reflection and planning. I did not take time for journaling, planning out my calendar each month, having business meetings with Jim, or even writing down my to-do lists.

One night in the spring of 2016, I sat in the kitchen crying and feeling completely broken. Jim came in, sat next to me, and we had a much needed conversation. He reminded me of what matters to us and what I could do to restart. He met me with kindness and practical help.

While that was only six years ago it feels like a lifetime ago.

I feel like I’m on a completely different journey than where I was in 2016, sitting in my kitchen breaking in frustration.

My goal with this series is to share some ways that I have restructured my life. Tools that I use to spend time on what is most important to me. To embrace the day today with calm, planning, and what I want my life to look like.

Each of these categories form the structure of what we want in our family life. These are the pieces to the puzzle that we have chosen.

I challenge you to find the pieces that matter to you.

In our house, harmony happens when everyone knows what is expected and what is planned.

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Structure your life around what is important to you, your kids, and the lifestyle that you want to go after.

• Do you ever feel stuck?
• In what areas are you living a reactive lifestyle?
  • (my definition: Reactive – verb. Frantically doing what someone else has decided is important, without time to plan, be reflective, or have an opinion.)
• What pieces of your life need more planning and structure?
• What do you wish you had time to do?
• Do you ever feel powerless to change what your day looks like?
• Where do you feel like you are failing your kids, your spouse, or yourself?
• What can we do each day to set ourselves up for success and calm?
• How can we make the week more productive and create harmony in our family?
• When can we decide what is happening this week?
• Where are we choosing to do what matters to us?  What are those things?

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In this series, I have posts for each of these areas with examples, questions, and ideas. I see them as building blocks that form the foundation for our family life.

I would love to hear from you about how you organize your home and your routines. Let me know if any of these articles have been helpful to you.

Smiles and Love – April

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