5 MUST-DO TIPS TO BALANCE YOUR LIFE (MOST MAMAS DON’T DO)

How many times a day does the thought “I don’t have enough time” run through your mind?

This thought used to haunt me “daily”. And rather than motivate me to be productive, it paralyzed me with overwhelm.

My battle with time taught me some important lessons on how to get organized and stay sane.

“Finding balance is all about pre-planning and having the proper tools to organize your gorgeous, chaotic mess.” – Tejal

Here are my top 5 tips and tools to help create balance in your life.

1. Get clear about your PRIORITIZES  

If you aren’t super clear about your priorities, your time will get filled up with tasks that doesn’t add value to you life. You’ll quickly become over-scheduled, overstressed, and overworked –without actually making any progress!

Getting clear about the tasks that need to be completed and the people you want to spend quality time is the first step toward feeling balanced. Determine what areas are of your life are most important to you. This will help you to know where you should commit your time first and then fill in the minimal tasks afterwards.

2. Invest in a good desk organizer

Yes, I’m a total tech-savvy mommy but online calendars and to-do-lists really don’t allow me to see the big picture like old-school pen and paper. (Yeah I’m an 80’s geek) If you are like me, and like being surrounded by beautiful things, investing in a good desk organizer is the key to creating a structured life.

I love my Day Designer planner but there are tons of other ones out there.

Planning your day out with your most important to-do’s, pre-planning dinner and self-care is a great way to feel accomplished at the end of each day.

3. Plan Out The Hours

Since we feel we have so much to accomplish, and not enough time, we become over zealous and plan too much into our day. When we fail to meet our expectation, we feel anxious, frustrated and overwhelmed.

Using a good desk organizer that lists out the hours of the day and then scheduling the exact task you will be doing at the time is the key to getting realistic and only scheduling what’s feasible to accomplish. (A big reason why I love the Day Designer)

When we know how many hours we really have to work, we are much more efficient about where we spend our time.

4. Brain Dump Daily

When we have a running to-do-list is in our mind, the fear that we will forget something causes us anxiety because our mind never stops. Brain dumping is a simple activity to get every thing you want to accomplish out of your mind and onto paper. Seeing it on paper gives you reassurance you won’t forget anything. When a random to-do pops up in your head, you add it to the list and stop wasting the current moment stressing about something you need to do later.

5. Schedule Self-care In Your Planner

To prevent burnout, be sure to take time for yourself. While it’s hard for mamas to do, remember this isn’t a waste of time or a luxury- it’s a necessity to lower stress and prevent burnout.

Once a week take time to completely unplug and do something with no agenda except pure joy. Take 10 minutes to be quiet, spend time alone, do adult coloring, or even walk –whatever it takes to refresh and re-charge your batteries. It’s the best way to let your mind go, and will help you to shift your focus onto important things. You may even find that some of your best ideas come to you this way.

While achieving balance as mom can be difficult, it’s vitally important for your health and overall well-being. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to take time to step back, and evaluate your situation objectively –looking for areas that may need to be balanced. Achieving balance will help you feel less stressed, more focused –and more in control of your life.

And remember to keep your goal in the fore-front of your mind. You desire to be a patient, positive and peaceful mama to your kids. That can only happen if your daily actions are supporting that vision.

Now on to you. I’d love to hear how you organize your gorgeous mess.

Leave a comment below and tell me which one of the tools you are going to try out. And if you have a tool you use to keep your life organized and stress-free please share it with us.

This is an area that we are always struggling with. ( I know I do) so I can’t WAIT to hear your tips!

Stay balanced mama,