13 Easy Ways to Simplify Mom Life When It’s Hard

Ready to learn the best tips to simplify motherhood? If you feel stressed and overwhelmed as a busy mom, you’re not alone. Having been at the point where it all became too much, I am excited to share my tips to simplify mom life and make motherhood easier and more enjoyable for you (and me).

How to Simplify Motherhood 

I was fully prepared to become a mom (or so I thought).

Both of my pregnancies were planned; I was married to a supportive husband, worked at a job I loved, and had a comfortable income.

I had watched all of my friends become mothers and figured if they could do it – so could I.

But there was something they had neglected to tell me – or maybe they had a different experience altogether. No one had ever mentioned how stressful it could be.

• Running a household
• Working full-time
• Shuffling everyone to daycare, school, work, and activities each day
• Trying to eat healthy and exercise

Under the stress of it all, I could barely remember who I was – much less find the joy that I had thought was an inevitable part of becoming a mom.

Truth be told, I completely lost it. My health – My happiness – My sense of self had gotten lost under the weight of the expectations of modern motherhood.

Eventually, I climbed my way out. I made the conscious decision to simplify my life and find time to enjoy everything that was precious to me.

And guess what….IT WORKED!

When you make an effort to simplify, you can feel happier, more in control and waste less of your valuable time and money.

Super bonus alert – all of this will also increase the health and happiness of your family.

How to Simplify Your Life as a Mom

When we try to juggle all the tasks of being a good mom, wife, employee and friend simultaneously in an attempt to “do it all” – we are actually sabotaging ourselves.

In fact, current research tells us that multi-tasking actually makes motherhood less enjoyable.

To really create balance and find more joy – you have to let go of the idea that you can do everything.

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or work for an employer, you must establish your priorities and values and focus most of your time and efforts on those things.

But how do you do that when there is so much to do?

The trick is to simplify and streamlineanywhere you can, so today, I am sharing my best tips to help you do that.

1) Limit Time Spent on Social Media

When used correctly, social media can be a great way to get inspired, get new ideas, and connect with friends and family. 

Unfortunately, most of us use it excessively, and it becomes an all-consuming time suck, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and unproductive. Minimizing screen time is an easy way to instantly create more free time.

•  Set a timer for 10 – 15 minutes to check your social media accounts daily, and stick to it! 
• Unfollow anyone or anything that no longer serves you, and create boundaries around how often you check in throughout the day.

2) Utilize Online Grocery Ordering and Delivery

A quick way to save yourself time and money is to shop for groceries and household items online.

Avoiding the grocery store will help you avoid impulse purchases and makes sticking to your grocery list easier.

Plus, now that pick-up and delivery options are available almost everywhere, you use that time saved to spend with the family or focus on other to-do’s.

3. Edit Your To-Do List

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you make a list of everything you need to do. 

Take some time to look at your list and decide which three tasks are most important.

Focus on those first; if you have extra time, move down the list. If not, move on to the rest the next day.

4) Declutter and Organize your Home

As moms, we still have all of our typical household responsibilities PLUS the enormous responsibility of keeping another human alive. 

If clutter, toys, and laundry are everywhere, it can feel like you are constantly cleaning and never getting ahead. 

Spoiler alert- having less stuff is the answer! 

While it takes a bit of time and effort upfront, you will reap the benefits on a daily basis for years to come.

Spending just a few minutes each day and focusing on small sections at a time is key to making progress.

Ready to create a clutter-free home?  

Get started with my checklist of 20 items you can purge from your home in just minutes.

5. Ask for Help

You know that saying: “It takes a village to raise a child?”…..Well, it’s true!

There is no possible way to do this on your own. We all need help when it comes to raising kids and working full-time.

One of your first priorities should be to create a network of support.

This will look different for everyone depending on your family dynamics and social circle, but here are some ideas of people you could reach out to:

• Spouse
• Parents/In-Laws
• Friends
• Co-workers
• Motherhood Facebook Group
• Church friends
• Hire a house cleaner
• Older kids
• Child’s teacher/daycare provider

6. Create Routines for a Neat and Tidy Home

Unfortunately, as moms, we spend way too much of our precious weekends cleaning the mess from the previous week.

Instead, this time could be used to relax or spend time with our family. 

Here are a few strategies to help you and your family members tidy up during the week.

• Use a printable weekly cleaning routine that you can print out and follow.
• Set a timer and have everyone do a 10-minute nightly tidy at the end of the day.
• Delegate household chores and involve the kids with a printable chore chart.
• Use Sunday evenings to get the house prepared for the week ahead (as a family).

Related Post: A Busy Mom’s Guide to a Mostly Clean House

7. Prep Some Make-Ahead Meals

 Last-minute meals are something that every family needs.  

Instead of relying on fast-food drive-thrus and “cereal night,” give yourself some wiggle room by meal prepping a few meals each week.

From school lunches to freezer meals, make-ahead meals are the easiest way to feed your family when you’re in a hurry. 

8. Fit in a Quick Workout

Exercise is proven to improve your mood and energy-level (that sounds like mom medicine to me!)

But finding the time to fit in a workout or trip to the gym can be hard.

Sometimes a quick YouTube workout is all you have time for, but the benefits are worth it! You can see a list of my favorites below.

Related Post: 20 Minute Workouts for Busy Moms

9. Learn How to Meal Plan

A lot of moms I talk to share that planning to feed their family three meals every.single.day is one of the most daunting tasks.

Luckily, meal planning is a simple way to remove much of the stress we associate with cooking. 

No more frustration from not knowing what you want to make or not having an ingredient on hand since you will plan your weekly menu and build your shopping list based on what you know you need.

You also won’t waste money on food you don’t use. 

I recommend starting with one meal a day and building from there. 

If you want help getting started, I have a free beginner’s guide to meal planning that will walk you through the process step by step.

You can also grab your own printable meal plan cheat sheet here.

• A Huge List of Quick and Easy Meal Ideas

10. Single Task

Multi-tasking is quickly being proven to be much less efficient than we once thought it was. 

Mentally and physically switching gears to complete multiple tasks leaves us feeling scattered, chaotic and unfocused. 

In my house multi-tasking has resulted in burnt food, overflowing bathtubs and unfinished projects. You too?

When you focus on doing ONE THING at a time, you are often more productive, calm and organized. Here are the steps to being a single-tasker:

1. Choose your task based on your daily priorities
2. Minimize distractions before you start (no checking phone, make sure kiddos are occupied)
3. Re-focus if you find yourself starting to drift off task and
4. Continue until it becomes a habit.

11. Get a Handle on the Laundry

Laundry: it’s one thing you can count on always to be there 😉

In fact, clean laundry that hasn’t been put away is one of the major contributors to a messy house.

If you hate laundry, stop trying to do too much all at once. Instead, tackle one load of laundry at a time. 

Follow these tips to prevent the laundry from piling up and these genius hacks to get laundry done faster.

12. Create a Capsule Wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe is a mini-collection of really versatile clothing that you love to wear. Without the overwhelm of deciding what to wear you will have more time and energy for what really matters.

A capsule wardrobe will simplify your life because you will spend less:

• time shopping
• time doing laundry or caring for clothes
• money on clothes that never get worn
• time organizing the clutter created by lots of clothes, shoes and accessories

Take a sneak peek at what I include in my winter capsule wardrobe.

13. Implement a Morning Routine

You wake up in the morning and instantly there are a million things you need to do:

• feed everyone
• pack lunches
• shower
• get everyone dressed
• sign permission slips, finish homework, tie shoes, find backpacks….

Ugh! And this is also before your “day” officially begins.

Following a routine first thing in the morning means you’ll have a more peaceful start to your day. 

A morning routine isn’t about rushing to get out the door. It’s about a structured start to your day that creates calm and reduces chaos.

If you are interested in seeing what has worked to transform mornings in our home you can view this post:  From Crazy to Calm; A Simple Busy Mom Morning Routine

How to Simplify Mom Life

There you have it mama! 13 practical strategies to help you simplify mom life.

By implementing one or two of these tips, over time you can take control and start simplifying motherhood today. 

Whether you’re a SAHM or working mom, these simple shifts can make a huge difference in your overall mental health and happiness.

Take it slow, be gentle with yourself and remember that progress is made in baby steps!

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