10 Tips to Help Busy Moms Slow Down
Homeschool moms are busy moms. In addition to the usual mom-life requirements, we’re also responsible for educating our children. This can sometimes lead to burnout. Here are 10 tips to help busy moms slow down before it reaches that point!
10 Tips to Help Busy Moms Slow Down
1. Create Some “Mom Time” Every Day
If the only way you’re going to slow down your busy life is to put “slow down” on your to-do list, then do that. Carve 30 minutes or an hour out of your day when you’re not usually needed, and let your family know that time is Mom’s time. Then take that time to slow down and relax. I still haven’t been able to master this one, but I know we have to allow some time for self-care or we’ll face burn-out eventually!
I like to write, read, listen to podcasts, and work on creative or DIY projects to recharge my batteries. Find something that works for you as refreshment.
2. Remove Non-Essential Activities from Your To-Do list
In a perfect world, you’d always find time for everything you wrote on your to-do list. In reality, there’s only so much time in a day. If something doesn’t really need to be done today, and it looks like there won’t be time for it anyway, why stress about it? Try again tomorrow. Give yourself grace!
Again, this one gets me every time. I get panicked when I see my list growing instead of shrinking, no matter how hard I work. That’s when I have to force myself to have a little perspective. My to-do list will never be perfectly done. That’s just life! However, I can avoid stressing myself out over things that aren’t really essential. That takes intentional practice.
3. Work Toward 2-3 Goals
Busy moms are often busy because they’re working toward so many goals. They have goals for themselves, for their kids, for their spouse, for the family dog, you name it! Look at your life and decide what 2-3 big goals you really want to see achieved, then adjust your time to spend it toward achieving those few goals. Breaking things down into actionable, measurable steps instead of becoming overwhelmed by the big picture is also key.
4. Learn to Say No
If you’re always agreeing to activities, you’ll quickly find your schedule completely full. In the future, pick just a few things to participate in, and learn to say no to the rest. Reading something like The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst might give you some insight into how to do that.
5. Get Help with Chores
A great way to slow down your busy life is to get help doing some tasks faster. In particular, see if you can get help with your daily chores. Even young kids can help out with simple tasks. It’s possible your husband might be willing to help with some chores if you let him know that you’re feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes we don’t have any help because we’re afraid to ask for it. I understand the urge to do everything yourself, but there’s no shame in asking for help when you need it.
Homeschool moms might find help in a local homeschool group, a co-op, or just emotional support from an online homeschool group.
6. Embrace Imperfection
Many moms are busy due to a fear of imperfection. They think they’ve got to do everything and help everyone every day. This quickly becomes stressful and overwhelming. Instead, accept that you’re human and have limits. You can’t do everything, and you can’t necessarily do everything perfectly. Put your energy toward the things that are most important to you. I’m trying to remember the motto done is better than perfect. Otherwise I can be paralyzed by my inner critic.
7. Limit Your Children’s Extracurricular Activities
To help you slow down your busy life, limit how many extracurricular activities your kids can choose to participate in. Use the time they would have spent at soccer practice doing some fun family activity instead. Part of the beauty of homeschooling is spending quality family time together without being run ragged by too many outside activities. I’ve heard so many homeschool moms say this lately, too. They usually regret signing up for everything with the excitement of a new school year. Choose wisely!
8. Use a Home Management Binder
The more that your life is organized, the less you have to deal with daily. Try to keep your home organized by using a home management binder. A good home management binder will allow you to quickly flip through to find important information like phone numbers, your budget, bill due dates, your menu plan, etc. I highly recommend the undated printable planner, Beyond Blessed Life Planner. It has every form you could ever need for home, homeschool, holidays, meal planning, Bible study, budgeting — you name it! Not only that, it’s pretty. It was designed by a homeschool mom so she knows what we need.
9. Take Breaks
It doesn’t hurt to take a 15 minute break now and again. Read a bit of a book, or take a short walk. It’ll help clear your mind and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes a little change of scenery can make a big difference. Get out of the house, go to the library or park or get a pizza for lunch with the kids. That little treat might be just what you need to feel refueled.
10. Give Yourself Extra Time
Half the time, things take longer than they should. So always give yourself extra time to drive somewhere or to finish a task. If you don’t use the extra time, that’s fine. Otherwise, you’ll be happy you set the time aside just to have some breathing room.
As a homeschool mom, there are even more responsibilities added to your plate. There may even be times when you want to quit, but some intentional self-care can help you get through it.
These days, it seems like everyone is busy all the time. Obviously, moms are no exception. Between managing the house and the kids, homeschool moms have their plates full. If life is beginning to feel overwhelming, I hope these 10 Tips to Help Busy Moms Slow Down can help you start to slow down your busy life!
What are your tips for busy moms? Leave a comment and share!
If you’re in a homeschooling slump, you might want to check out this new book from the iHomeschool Network:
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I absolutely love this!
Thank you! I’m glad it helped. Thanks for stopping by.
Remove non-essentials from the to do list… that’s my biggest problem!! It all seems essential… at the time.
I hear you! It sure does. The tyranny of the urgent!