I have discovered over the years that in order to feel fulfilled, happy and motivated as a stay at home mom, there are some important things to know. Sometimes you get into survival mode and it’s hard to get out of it. My hope is that if you’re there, you’ll be thriving soon, and these are my 5 best Tips that helped me go from overwhelmed and stressed to smiling and creative again.

(If you would rather view a video of the content below, watch this!)

1. Have Proper Respect for your Profession!
This means no more saying you don’t work! You DO work, and you work hard! Know how much you’d get paid as a Stay at Home Mom in a fair world? You should! Don’t feel bad you’re not generating a tangible income; your value is worth wayyy more than any salary (even though it’s good to know what it would be.) Now, hold your head high and think like a CEO! You’re BOSS mom!

Respecting your Time is part of respecting your profession. No more overcommitting to doing other’s stuff for them because your schedule is self-set! While having a flexible calendar means I can volunteer if I feel led to, I set some boundaries with my time. I’m not everybody else’s wife, too! If YOU respect your time, so will everyone else.

2. Speaking of Time, you’ll find if you Maximize your Mornings, it makes all the difference in feeling accomplished after a day. For me, waking up at 5 a.m. to a calm, quiet house makes me feel most charged up after alone time. If you’re in no way a morning person (yet…I thought it would be impossible for me…but it wasn’t!) then just waking up 15 minutes before the kids makes a big difference!

I can face the day confidently when I’m not scrambling, stressed, and not even sure what’s on the calendar. I write down my 3 Big Goals for the day and get them done in the first 90 minutes if possible, when the brain is often thinking the clearest, and interruptions are least.
Michael Hyatt’s Book Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System and Your Best Year Ever were life changing for me in learning how to do this. Productivity and organized thinking do not come naturally to my ADD mind, so I am so thankful through those books and other podcasts and Ted Talks I discovered effective ways to approach my life.

3. Invest in Yourself and Your Job
Professionals are encouraged to invest around $1,000-$2,000 per year to learn new skills or obtain more tools to uplevel in their careers. You don’t need to do something big and official like enroll in college courses (unless you want to). A simple Audible subscription can open a world of knowledge that is easily access while doing dishes or folding laundry. Parenting, marriage, productivity, leadership, and every other kind of topic is available within the Audible world. Your library may even have audio books, but I find it annoying when even those are checked out and on hold, so I prefer Audible. I also watch Ted Talks on Youtube while I’m folding, and in the past have ordered Cooks Illustrated Magazines to improve my skills in the kitchen.

4. Make Sure Your Workplace is Somewhere you Want to Be!
This is why I declutter so much and am a wannabe minimalist! I don’t want a messy, chaotic home to bring me down. I still have a lot of mess to sort through, and as Dana White from a Slob Comes Clean notes, you have to “declutter at the speed of life,” meaning continue the practice throughout your life. It’s not a one-and-done thing. SO true.

I had one year in which our house was amazingly decluttered, but as I delved into wreath-making and had supplies given to me, papers got stashed in the wrong places and piled up, and office supply/junk drawers completely disordered by little fingers, well…I look a lot less like a minimalist lately and am ready to go tackle all the junk again! I really see a connection between the state of my surroundings and my mental state! Chaos around me, distracted brain!

But beyond physical surroundings, you want to appreciate the perks of your job! I treat myself to a homemade chai tea latte practically each day, and once a month I used to take myself on a date with a book and go out to eat sushi as a reward for my hard work. (I’m excited that I recently learned how to make sushi with smoked salmon and am now able to save on what I crave!)

5. Finally, Outsource.
Yup. Heard of burnout? It’s not fun, so don’t go there. Don’t try to prove you can do everything for everyone. It’s ok to have Costco prep supper. Our freezer stays stocked with GF cheese pizzas from Costco for those days I’m either struggling with health issues or just short on time.

I have the kids doing chores that lighten my load, like putting clean dishes away, folding their clothes, and putting them away. Then I’ll pay them for extra stuff I loathe doing like vacuuming our two flights of stairs, washing the van, or taking out the recycling. (Granted, you gotta train them how first. Effort that is worth it.) They’re happy with the arrangement, too because they have been setting goals using these awesome free printables!

Some of my mom friends have cleaning help come into their home. That’s not my jam, but I am seriously thinking about hiring a painter for the bathroom. We’ll see. I think my desire to save money outweighs my desire to outsource. Anyhow, my point is that it’s ok to have someone lighten your load. Communicate with your partner about what you need help with, and you’ll both be happier that you’re not feeling angsty!

Go forth and conquer!

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