Have you ever found yourself saying one of these phrases? 

• “I feel like a chicken with my head cut off!” 
• “I feel like my hair is on fire!”
• “I feel like a hot mess express all of the time!”

I can definitely relate because I said those things multiple times throughout motherhood and my adult life. It wasn’t until I stepped back and realized that I was my own worst enemy and that I was the main one in my home causing the most chaos. It’s true!

In this episode, I’m sharing with you three bad habits I was doing, and that you’re probably doing too, that were keeping me from being productive in my home. These three mistakes stole time from me as a mom, kept me spinning in circles daily, and made me feel like I didn’t have enough time in the day.

When I stopped doing these three habits, I gained so much more time and freedom and it’s my hope that you will too.

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1. Immediately responding to requests

When you are working on something and your children call for you, what do you typically do? Most moms will stop what they’re doing and tend to their children. The problem is that when we do this too often we find ourselves stressed and overwhelmed because we never get to complete what we’re working on at the moment.

Do this instead.

If it’s not an emergency instead of stopping what you’re doing and immediately responding to your children, let them come to you, tell you what they need, and let them know how long it’s going to be before you can help them.

Tell them they have three options:

• You can wait until I’m done. (Tell them when you’ll be done.)
• You can find someone else to help.
• You can figure it out on your own.

If it isn’t an urgent matter, it is better for you to stay focused on what you’re currently doing than to stop and try to return to the task later. Task-switching will cause you to lose focus and momentum and you will actually take more time to complete the task than what is necessary.

Here are the benefits:

• You are setting an example for your children of how to stay focused on a task until it is complete.
• You are teaching your children patience and persevering while they wait for you.
• You are training them to problem solve and be more independent when they don’t want to wait for your help.

If you have been immediately responding and it has become a habit, then it is going to take a lot of self-control on your part not to react to every single request all the time. I recommend pausing before you verbally respond to your children. Sometimes children just want to talk. Sometimes they have a habit of just calling our names without thinking it through first. Train yourself to be slow to speak and mindful about how and when you will respond to your children’s requests while you are focused on chores or tasks in your home.

2. Multi-tasking

Let’s be honest. We rarely get anything done when we’re multi-tasking in our home. When we split our attention between more than one task, we never are fully mentally present or able to focus well enough to complete the tasks efficiently. It can be very exhausting trying to multi-task and we will find ourselves burned out at the end of the day feeling like we didn’t really accomplish anything.

Do this instead.

If you’ve had a bad habit of multi-tasking, try this hack instead. Keep a stack of Post-it notes close by and write down only THREE tasks. The tasks can be super small and feel insignificant but only let yourself work on those three tasks starting with the one at the top and working your way down.

Something that helps me stay focused on small chores around the house is to count out loud as I work. The auditory reminder keeps me focused right where I am and I don’t stop counting out loud until I’m done. It might feel silly at first but if you are someone who struggles to stay focused or you may have ADHD this will help retrain your brain not to jump around to other tasks.

Here are the benefits:

• You’ll actually be able to complete tasks and feel much more accomplished at the end of the day.
• Your home will be more organized because you won’t feel as frazzled, overwhelmed, and exhausted.
• You will have a clearer direction for what needs to be done on a daily basis and be able to focus long enough to complete those chores in your home.

You may have thought you were accomplishing more by multi-tasking but in reality, it was leaving you stressed out and overwhelmed. If you’re still thinking about all the things that need to be done on your to-do list and that focusing on just one task at a time makes you think you won’t get it all done, then it’s time to simplify and declutter your life.

You are only one person and you shouldn’t have to carry so much burden. Be your own best friend and simplify your life so that you can do a few things really well.

3. Cleaning in more than one room at a time.

Similar to multi-tasking, when you work in multiple rooms you waste more time than if you were to enclose yourself in one room and complete everything that’s needed to be done there.

Do this instead.

Set up your home and your daily routines like an assembly line. Think about your morning. What is your typical morning routine like? What does your flow look like in your home? What room do you start with in the morning? Map out your daily routines and see if you can create a more peaceful flow in your home.

Then when you’re working in a certain room, discipline yourself to stay in that room and reset just that room before moving on to the next room. If you find things that belong in another room, create piles near the door and when you’re finished in that room then you can take those items to other rooms in your house.

Think like Wal-Mart:

Have you ever been to Wal-Mart and stood at their customer service counter? Behind the counter, they have boxes labeled for different departments around the store. Once the boxes are full, they will take each one to its respective department and return the items where they belong.

If you need help with planning out your daily reset, download my free Daily Reset checklist. And if you want to read more about setting up your home like an assembly line, you can read THIS blog post.

Here are the benefits:

Think of all the time and energy you are going to save yourself by not running all over your home to complete chores. You will have more focus, and more energy as a mom to spend time with your kids and you will be less frustrated because more than likely you will have less mess and less clutter.

How will you have less clutter? Because with mindfulness and intentional slow living comes awareness of what’s making you feel overwhelmed. You are more capable and motivated to protect your energy so decluttering more than likely will occur in your home on a regular basis.

• You will have more focus and energy to clean an entire room completely.
• You won’t wonder what you actually did today because chores and tasks will be done.
• You will enjoy your home more because you’re creating habits to help you manage it more simply instead of it being a complicated burden.

None of these new habits are going to be easy to establish. It’s going to take a lot of work and mindful discipline but the rewards are great and you my friend are worth working for. You’re peace of mind, your family, and your ability to enjoy life and your home will thank you.

Need help organizing your home?

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I’d love to hear from you!

Have you been hurting your productivity at home by constantly doing one of these habits? Which one do you think is going to be the most challenging to break?

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• 5 Simple ADHD Tips – How to Stick with Routines
• How to Make a Decluttering Plan – Basic Steps for ADHD Moms

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