I’m an organized, functioning adult…most of the time. And I want to be that person all the time. The reality of that? Doesn’t always happen. Okay…I’d say 40% of the time doesn’t happen. Why? Oh, just plain ‘ol life happens. Kids and husbands and jobs and cooking {UGH, I hate cooking!} and other responsibilities like YouTube being on the internet and wasting my time.
While I’m not always winning at this organized adulting game, I try. I have a few mantras and rules that help me along the way. They’re little rules I’ve given myself that, in the end game, help me keep my sanity. Without striving to keep these goals, I would be dwindling. I don’t always succeed, but knowing that I have a target helps me shoot the arrow a little more straight than if the target wasn’t there.
So I’m here today to give you those few tips, for when surrounded by tiny crazy persons, help you keep what I’m calling “Momsanity.”
1. If it takes less than a minute to do, do it.
I remember reading this concept in The Happiness Project, and it was a game changer. When you put it into perspective, a minute really isn’t that big of a deal. If it takes me one minute or less to put my dishes in the dishwasher, I do it. If it takes me one minute to put my *fill in the blank* away, I do it. Right then and there. The biggest drudge? Carrying stuff upstairs to put in it’s proper place. UGH! Going up the stairs is the worst! But if it takes less than a minute, do it, Hannah! Plus, stairs are good exercise. This concept has really helped keep my stairs clear of clutter and helped me work out{ish}.
Instead of having a long to do list at the end of the day full of small, minuscule things that added up into bigger pains, if I follow this rule, it cuts out the headache of having to tackle a bigger task in the long run.
2. Speed cleaning is your friend.
I get hopelessly caught up in details, especially with cleaning. I start out with grand ideas for deep cleaning and then end up sitting on the floor day dreaming of what I hope my clean house will look like. So I end up getting nowhere. While deep cleaning is important and needed, don’t get bogged down by the details and just get it done. I call it the “speed clean game.” I set a timer, grab a laundry basket, and go through a room grabbing everything that’s out of place and put it in the basket. Then, I go through each room and pull the things from the basket that belong in that room. Badabing, badaboom. Same concept goes for cleaning kitchen counters {my vice}, dresser tops {my other vice}, and closet floors {don’t even get me started}.
3. Get everything ready the night before.
All of my life I have NOT lived by this rule, and every morning I was rushing out the door half dressed and discombobulated. And then kids came along, and {WHOA!} I kicked me into gear. Now, if we’re going somewhere, the night before I get everything ready that I can – stock the diaper bag, pack snacks, get clothes together…you get the point. Just plain ‘ol makes life easier.
4. Get up early.
GUYS! THIS IS MY NEMESIS!! Exclamation points necessary! I’m THE WORST at getting up early. I’m a night owl. It’s in my genetics. A switch clicks on in my brain after 10pm that before then, was completely off. The night is full of possibilities! {Sidenote :: Sounds like the name of a pop song}. Morning time is ick and depressing to me. And I’m not good at getting up early. And I fail at it A LOT. But it’s on the list of things I know help me function because when I do get up early, I find that my days go better and I’m more productive.
5. Take a moment each day for you.
I take a bath almost on the nightly because that’s my time for me. I need it. I’ve carved it out. When I don’t get that, I try to sit still with a cup of coffee for a moment’s time some time during the day or watch one YouTube video from a favorite channel. These things breathe life into my otherwise full brain that’s inundated with to-do lists and making sure everyone in my home is taken care of. But I take care of those I love best when I’m being taken care of. So I try to have the space in my humility to recognize how I can be taken care of – in the big and small ways – and making those happen when I can.
6. Keep a child-free space in your home
Before I became a mom I was determined to keep our main living room *mostly* adult zone. I’d only have a few kid toys, but other than that all kid activity and toys were relegated to the playroom. This hasn’t always turned out to be a reality, but even if our living room is vomiting children’s regalia, we try to keep a kid-free space in our home. It can be as small as a chair in a corner or it can be your master bedroom you share with your spouse. A space that’s yours and yours alone is important for taking care of yourself.
7. Unfollow, unsubscribe.
Oh, Mom Comparision, you ravaging beast. You suck.
I LOVE these cute, hipster, granola moms on Instagram who dress like they’re from the Anthropologie catalog, dress their kids in organic clothing, who want to be around their kids 24/7, and eat unpronounceable, organic, home-cooked food at every meal. These ladies are so cute! However, I’ve caught myself dogging my mothering because I’m not like the moms whose lives I wished look like mine. I’m the “doesn’t wear makeup for two weeks, dresses her kid in whatever I can find clean, eats Easy Mac several days a week, is terrible at home making, and sometimes pushes nap time 30 minutes later so she can get work done” mom. And sometimes I think I suck because “Why can’t my life look like theirs?!”
So to protect my heart and my mothering, I’ve had to unfollow a couple of people because my head wasn’t in my own game. Sometimes I’m inspired by other moms, but sometimes it’s nasty comparison. There’s no need for competition. Finding our unique mothering and embracing and learning and growing is what matters.
8. Give yourself grace.
I have found this to be the most important tip of all.
The fact is, we’re going to mess up. We’re not going to get this mothering thing perfect…ever. And it’s important to show yourself grace in those times. I also want to be the type of mom that my kids see me mess up but I’m graceful enough to be honest with them, own it, and let them get glimpses of my own journey. After all, everything is a journey, right? We never arrive, and that’s okay. Who wants to have arrived? Because then what do you have to look forward to, to learn, to experience, and to grow?
I want to remember to show myself and others grace so that when my kids grow up and are learning how to do the same things, they’ll be able to show themselves and others grace as well.
There you have it. My tips for keeping your momsanity. I’d love to hear tips that have helped you!
