Boosting Productivity at Work: Practical Tips for Working Moms

Managing work and life is challenging and can become hectic for everybody and if you cannot strike a balance between work and personal life, you will find that one spectrum of your life intrudes into the other. And this can lead to discontentment, tension in the family, and the inability to function at one’s best.

Working mother often feels like someone in her life is getting the short end of the stick. When she is immersed in the kids, she feels guilty for not working. When she is immersed in work, she feels poorly for not focusing on the kids. She is trying every day, fighting every day just to strike a perfect balance between her personal and work life. Remember, You cannot do everything at the same time; You just have to do the right thing at the right time.

 Your spouse, significant other, or your relatives will undoubtedly assist you in looking after your child, whether it is yours or theirs. However, the challenge arises when it comes to balancing work and achieving the necessary level of productivity to maintain motivation and satisfaction in your professional endeavors.

Practical Tips for Working Moms to Boost Productivity:-

Managing your energy, not just your time: Instead of using the principles of time management to organize your entire day, imagine organizing your tasks by your level of energy. Assess your energy levels for the whole day, and evaluate your best performance hours, golden hours. Try only using those periods for your most important work. 

For instance: Plan your deep, complex, or creative work for your golden hours(most productive hours, when you are "in the zone" )and save menial tasks for the times when you feel a little more drained. 

Building a better to-do list: Prioritization is a powerful skill that will help you take control of your workflow and optimize productivity.

• List your tasks as individual items.
• Determine which tasks are truly important.
• Assign alphabetical priority levels to your tasks: A (top priority), B (high priority), C (medium priority), D (low priority), and E (no priority).
• Tackle your most intense, high-effort tasks first.
• Focus on one task at a time (hint: try not to multitask).

Try not to stress out for the day, and be realistic in defining your daily bandwidth. After all, you have to use some of your golden hours with your child and family too.

Tuning out distractions: Explore ways to minimize distractions to maximize focus and productivity. A few tips to tune out the distractions while working are:-

• Close out your email tab or set up an autoresponder.
• Switch your phone to “do not disturb” mode.
• Using a browser blocker (like StayFocusd) to avoid time-wasting sites.
• Putting on headphones to block out environmental distractions.
• Avoid rechecking your phone and notifications again and again.

Focusing on one thing at a time: Some studies suggest that multitasking can reduce productivity by 40%. It may seem like you are getting more done when you juggle more than one task at a time, But studies show that you may actually just be doing more things, but slower and less efficiently.

Working women tend to multi-task and will try to respond to their work emails while handling kids at home. Let me burst the bubble here, You are doing no good. You are just creating stress, and anxiety for yourself, pressuring yourself to do all the tasks with perfection and all together which is scientifically impossible.

Instead, Establish work, and family hours and stick with them. You need to set your boundaries to maintain the work-life balance. Do not hesitate to take breaks for self-love because that doesn’t make you selfish. 

Instill regular & relaxing breaks in your routine: It’s tempting to think that more time at your desk means you’ll get more done. But in reality, studies show that taking regular breaks can actually boost your productivity.

Head outside for some fresh air. Studies show that getting out into nature can alleviate mental fatigue.  

Start your day early

This is a simple habit that a lot of Mothers find very useful. Waking up before your children will give you some precious, interruption-free time. This is an ideal time to complete tasks that require focused work. Early morning hours also give you an excellent opportunity to find some quality time for yourself and your partner.

Prioritizing healthy habits: Uncover simple habits that can enhance your energy levels, focus, and overall mood. Such habits include:

• Don’t compromise your sleep schedules. Getting proper sleep is necessary for working efficiently. 
• Be kind to yourself, When things don't go according to plan, take a deep breath and be gentle with yourself.
• Don't strive for perfection; just try to be good. Good at your job and a good mother. Everything else will fall into place. 

• Physical exercises can help you stay physically fit and will help you maintain energy levels for the whole day

• Try a relaxation activities like meditation and yoga to ease your journey to be a working mom.
• Don't shy away from asking for help from family, employers, or colleagues or hiring a nanny for your child.

By implementing these practical tips, working moms can increase their productivity, manage their time effectively, and achieve a more gratifying work-life balance. You need to set your boundaries to maintain the work-life balance. Do not hesitate to take breaks for self-love because that doesn’t make you selfish. 

 Remember that you are doing your best and that there is no one who can do your roles better than you!

LOVE AND SUPPORT ALWAYS...!!