29 In Homemaking/ Organizing/ Personal Growth/ Planning/ Productivity

Productivity Habits to Simplify your Life

Lately I’ve been on a mission to simplify my life as much as possible, as a stay at home mom. I was determined not to go through another year feeling like I could never catch up and yet was missing out on the most important things in my life. I have simplified my cleaning routine, my children’s chores, my meal planning, my schedule and my business. As a stay at home mom and as a mom who works at home, I wear so many hats that it can be overwhelming! I knew I needed to implement some productivity routines to help me balance everything I had going on.

 

I’ve discovered some productivity habits that really help me to streamline my time and my life in general. I find that by cutting out a lot of the unnecessary, or decreasing how much time I need to spend on my to-dos, I’m left with a lot more time and energy to devote to what I truly love and enjoy doing. 

 

Productivity Habits to Simplify Your Life

 

Some of the benefits of a streamlined life include:

  • Having the time to spend on activities that you enjoy
  • The ability to bring yourself closer to reaching your ultimate goals
  • Using your time more efficiently and being more productive as a result
  • Feeling more at ease and in control of the direction your life is headed

 

I know it can be so hard to simplify things as a busy wife and mother. But it is imperative to your health and well being! Think about what you are teaching your children if you are always running around with too much on your plate. They will follow your lead! There are many ways that a streamlined life can have a positive impact on your overall well-being and help you feel more empowered when it comes to your future and achieving your dreams. Here are my top productivity habits for stay at home moms to streamline your life and help you get on the path to feeling empowered!

 

PRODUCTIVITY HABITS FOR STAY AT HOME MOMS:

 

SIMPLIFY YOUR POSSESSIONS

Physical clutter almost always turns into mental clutter. If you’re serious about streamlining your life, this is the best place to start. Once you get the clutter under control, it will be a lot easier to simplify the other areas of your life as well.

For more in-depth tips on how to go about simplifying your possessions and decluttering, feel free to read these other posts I’ve written on this topic:

MAKE LISTS FOR EVERYTHING AS YOU GO

I can NOT function without a list! Seriously, I have a list at all times, and I typically have multiple lists. For example, a grocery list. We keep a magnetic notepad on the fridge. As we run out of things, it goes right on the list. The kids are trained to add to that list as they see a need. The family also knows that if it doesn’t get on the list, it doesn’t normally make it in the house! Keeping a running list on the fridge means I don’t have to go rummaging around the house, deciding what we need when it is time to head out the door. This also helps to prevent you from forgetting anything and having to do another trip shortly after.

 

SET UP ROUTINES

As a busy  mom, I am more about routines than schedules. Routines don’t sound like the most exciting thing to take on, but they really can do wonders for your productivity level. There are homeschool routines, cleaning routines, morning routines, evening routines, Bible study routines, etc. I think the best approach is to pick one type of routine to help you simplify your schedule and some tasks that you need to accomplish. After that one routine is established, then maybe move on to incorporating another into your life.

 

AUTOMATE

This is a great way to save some time and energy on remembering to pay monthly bills. Automate as many bill payments as possible so you don’t have to fret about paying anything late (or worse, actually paying late and then having to pay for a late fee!). If you are a blogger, figure out how you can automate your social media platforms!

CREATE TO-DO LISTS

I know, lists again! Are you catching a theme here? Be sure to create a to-do list the night before, so you can wake up feeling less frazzled. If I already have my planner filled out and my list made for the day, I know I can wake up in the morning and have my quiet time with the Lord, without distractions. The biggest thing is to figure out your top 3 priority tasks for the day, and try to tackle the most challenging one first. Accomplishing your hardest task of the day will likely keep you motivated enough to keep trucking through your list.

LEARN TO SAY “NO”

If something doesn’t align with your priorities in life, don’t feel guilty about saying “no” to it. You aren’t obligated to do everything in life that is asked of you. You are the keeper of your time, so it is up to you to not let others dictate how you are spending it. When we allow ourselves to become caught up in activities and perceived obligations that we don’t enjoy, it doesn’t leave much time to spend on what we actually want to do.

DELEGATE

I had a number of years where I would run around like a mad woman, trying to do it all. As my kids have gotten older, I have learned that it doesn’t do them any good to see me doing everything. They need to have me at peace as much as realistically possible. I have learned to delegate many household chores to my children. It is good for them! It teaches them life skills, how to run a home, and how to work together. I also keep a small, “honey-do list” for my husband. Not in a nagging way, just a list of things that may need to get done around the house that he tends to be more efficient at.

 

 

 

 

Struggling with all there is to do as a busy mom? Learn some top productivity tips for stay at home moms. Perfect for sahm or work at home moms, you'll learn how to streamline your days and gain back time. #productivitytips #sahm #wahm #workfromhome

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29 Comments

  • Reply
    Harmony, Momma To Go
    January 5, 2017 at 8:09 am

    seems like good suggestions. i need to get better about saying NO and about delegating (Im good on lists, lots of lists!) your pictures are beautiful btw

  • Reply
    Casey
    January 5, 2017 at 8:11 am

    I am a huge list maker and take great joy in checking things off the list. Saying No is huge too. Love how you are breaking down and streamlining the process!

  • Reply
    Tyane
    January 5, 2017 at 8:36 am

    I love making lists! It’s even better when I can cross things of those lists for a sense of accomplishment. I need to work on saying no more, though.

  • Reply
    Jen
    January 5, 2017 at 8:46 am

    If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t get done! My husband asked me yesterday if I took the car in to get it’s oil changed and I told him, it wasn’t on the list. Now it’s on the top of my to-do list and you can bet I won’t forget about it!

  • Reply
    margo
    January 5, 2017 at 8:49 am

    OH I need to work on routines! 😛 Good stuff!

  • Reply
    Callie K
    January 5, 2017 at 9:10 am

    All very good suggestions for sure. I am so excited to start 2017 much simpler that any years prior! Thanks for sharing great tips. 🙂

  • Reply
    Nicole Kauffman
    January 5, 2017 at 9:10 am

    This post has so many great suggestions! I also love to make lists! Simplifying is so important in reaching our goals (in fact I just wrote a post on this as well!). Loved your post today, thanks for sharing 🙂

  • Reply
    Lisa Sell
    January 5, 2017 at 9:37 am

    I really need this at the moment! I’m finding it hard to get back into writing after time off due to illness. Your tips are a great way forward. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Cristy
    January 5, 2017 at 9:52 am

    Great motivation to get ready to simplify.

    http://www.happyfamilyblog.com

  • Reply
    Abbey
    January 5, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Routines and to-do lists are my JAM! 🙂 Seriously, they keep me going every day! These are awesome tips, Terryn!

  • Reply
    Erin | A Welder's Wife
    January 5, 2017 at 10:36 am

    Great post, Terryn! Each one of these are important when it comes to living as simple as possible! I actually use them all!

  • Reply
    Sarah @ Now One Foot
    January 5, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    I was never a list-maker until my husband and I got married. Now we make lists for everything. We’re also in the middle of a big purge leading up to a family garage sale in the spring so we are going room by room to get rid of things. It feels soooo good to declutter and I definitely feel more productive! Now to declutter my desk at work…

  • Reply
    Jo-Anne
    January 5, 2017 at 3:11 pm

    I definitely need to learn to delegate. I think I can do all then I become easily frustrated.

  • Reply
    Kira
    January 5, 2017 at 3:34 pm

    I need to learn to say no to myself! I tend to plan out so many tasks to that I can’t possibly get them all done in a day. It is hard for my to give something up that I would like to do.

  • Reply
    Ana
    January 5, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    Great post! I love making lists, especially the to-do ones :). I’ll try doing the hardest task first and then the easier ones later to stay motivated- that makes so much sense! Strange how I haven’t thought about that before. Thank you for these ideas! Pinning this 🙂
    Ana,
    http://www.365beautytips.com

  • Reply
    Abby
    January 5, 2017 at 5:23 pm

    Thanks for the post! Learning to say no is my downfall :/ Working on it!!

  • Reply
    Bridget @ Antics of a Nutty Hiker
    January 5, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    Great tips and something I need to work on. I always feel like I can never catch up, mostly because I take too much on at once!

  • Reply
    Miri
    January 6, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Nice! Under routines I might add “Batch!” – combine together like things (social media, emails, meetings) into chunks of time so that they don’t overwhelm the whole day.

  • Reply
    Lauren Sheriff
    January 6, 2017 at 12:23 pm

    Definitely needed to read this! I’m going to print these habits and keep it in my office! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Lauren
    http://www.basicbabelauren.com

  • Reply
    Kristal
    January 6, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    These are all great tips! I am also a big list maker. I have found that making my to-do list the night before has really helped keep me on track. I know exactly what my main priorities will be for the next day.

  • Reply
    Joy Domingo Gurtiza
    January 6, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    My favorite is the Learning to say NO part! I’m the typically go girl so this year I want to change that so I can focus on what really matters and what I really want to achieve for myself! Thanks for sharing, I love it! 🙂

  • Reply
    Robin
    January 7, 2017 at 9:24 am

    I’m feeling the urge to simplify and improve my productivity this month, too! You know what I just did? I unsubscribed from all marketing emails and unfollowed hundreds of pages on Facebook and Instagram to make sure I only see the things that inspire me. I feel SO much better!!

    • Reply
      terryn
      January 7, 2017 at 11:11 am

      Oooh, that is so good Robin! I need to do that with my pages too. It’s a daunting task, but I bet it feels amazing!

  • Reply
    Dana
    January 8, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    I love setting up routines, I feel so much better when I’m following a routine and always feel completely thrown off when I’m not doing so.

  • Reply
    Rebekah
    January 10, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    Our routine and my to-do list is what keeps us functioning at our house. 🙂 I’m much more on top of things when I have all my lists together. Thank goodness for planners and sticky notes! 🙂

  • Reply
    Clarissa
    January 11, 2017 at 2:24 pm

    I am RIGHT there with you on the list making! I need to get better at delegating – my fiance is so great and takes direction so well, I don’t know why I don’t utilize that loving skill even more! I’m always thinking I need to handle everything at home because he always gets home late, but he can totally pitch in more (and I think he wants to!) <3

    -Clarissa @ The View From Here

  • Reply
    Mindy
    January 23, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Good advice, beautiful blog! I look forward to reading more.

    • Reply
      terryn
      January 24, 2017 at 1:05 pm

      I appreciate that, Mindy!

  • Reply
    Miranda Nahmias
    April 28, 2017 at 9:20 am

    Great ideas. It can be difficult to stay focused on productivity, but setting up routines help a lot!

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