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The Five Commandments of Busy Moms

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I write for busy moms because I know the toll doing ALL THE THINGS can take on your mental and physical health. Life isn’t going to slow down, but you should be able to enjoy the ride.

I’m also an avid reader so I was tickled pink when Tabitha Lord, author of the Horizon book series, offered to share her five commandments for balancing the busy. These are great tips for enjoying each day while getting things done.

a mom holding her baby while typing on a laptop in a kitchen with title text reading The 5 Commandments of Busy Moms

What Does Tabitha Lord Know About Busy Moms?

Don’t you just love when a man gives you pregnancy advice? Or a single woman with no children tells you how to discipline your children? Me neither.

I value advice from people who have actually experienced whatever they are doling out advice for. And when it comes to being a busy mom, Tabitha Lord knows all about it from first hand experience.

She’s a mom of four kids and when they were little she also worked full-time as an admissions officer and Latin teacher. And even now that her kids are grown, she still manages a very busy schedule.

She just released Infinity, the sequel to Horizon this summer. Horizon, by the way, won the 2016 Writer’s Digest Grand Prize for Self Published Fiction. Right now she’s attending conferences, doing readings and signings at bookstores, and plotting er next big project.

The Five Commandments of Busy Moms

Attend to the priorities first.

There are things to do. Every day. And busy moms don’t just manage their own tasks, they manage the entire family’s schedule.

Use your calendars and lists! They’ll help keep you focused and organized.

Lists help you attend to important things without losing or forgetting things that might be more important on a different day. And calendars make sure you don’t miss important events and activities.

Plan the down time and unplug.

When our to do list is a mile long, we feel like quitters if we stop before all the items are checked off. That’s why me time needs to be on your to do list.

Make self care part of your schedule. If you really struggle with doing this, find a way to turn one of your tasks into down time. For example, use dinner prep time as a way to connect with the family by having them join in the activity.

Sleep on it before making a commitment to something.

A trademark characteristic of Wonder Mom Wannabes is that we have a hard time saying no. We like to help others and we have a hard time turning down opportunities to do so.

Unfortunately, there are only so many balls we can juggle before we start dropping them. By taking time to “sleep on it” before taking on a new responsibility, you give yourself time and permission to only add tasks that are important to you.

Laugh more.

Being busy can cause stress. Stress causes us to become anxious and perhaps even irritable.

When you find yourself headed towards a negative attitude, take a break and look for something that will make you laugh. A silly meme or joke can shift your perspective in just a few seconds.

Don’t wish it away.

No one’s saying you have to enjoy misery (e.g. the stomach flu or a broken water heater). However, often our suffering is accompanied by blessings that help us cope.

Next time life hands you lemons, instead of wishing you could throw them away, look around and notice who’s trying to hand you the rest of the ingredients to make lemonade.

More Help for Busy Moms

If you found the advice above helpful, you might like some of these other posts for busy moms:

3 thoughts on “The Five Commandments of Busy Moms”

  1. I love these tips – especially sleeping on it before making a commitment to something. I can remember saying yes to something and later thinking – wait I can’t do that – but I committed so I couldn’t back out.

    Thanks for the tips! Passing this along.

    Have a great Wednesday!

    Cori

    Reply
    • Hi Cori! I’m glad you found some useful tips. The sleep on it tip is definitely one I’m using. At one point my husband put me on a volunteer hiatus – I wasn’t allowed to volunteer for anything for one year!

      Reply
    • Glad you found some of this useful! Of course, I came up with the rule because I found myself similarly overcommitted!

      Reply

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