Tips For Busy Mums

I have to be honest, I have found being self-employed with a family really hard. It’s also really amazing, but it’s not for the faint hearted. (And trust me, after working with serial killers and psychopaths in my past life, I’m anything but faint hearted.)

Trying to get that work-life balance is a real art, and I know some people that can just switch off, set time aside and give themselves really firm boundaries. My Doula sister Leanne is a great one for it, as soon as the summer holidays started her phone and Facebook were switched off and she spent time with her family, like every day, no phone. No phone.

I am getting there though, but establishing and running two businesses, keeping house, volunteering and having the two boys means I get hardly any down time. I do however have the best job in the world, so its swings and roundabouts. If anyone else finds themselves in the same boat as I do, feel free to browse at my tips for busy mums, and if you find me wandering the streets of Newport Pagnell in a daze, feel free to guide me into the nearest coffee shop and order me all the coffee, and in true doula style, I’ll have a bit of cake to go with that.

1. Eat good. Fresh crunchy food is a must and a lunch time duty in our house. Get your taste buds excited and feed your body with goodness.

2. Eat bad. Don’t hold back, if that chocolate bar is calling and you need it, swallow that mutha down. You’ve got to re-tox to de-tox, right?

3. Go outside. Trust me, if you can move your office outside for 30 minutes you’ll feel amazing. Sit amongst some big trees and answer your emails.

4. Multitask. It’s not ideal, but I find eating breakfast whilst in the bath is a great time saver. Im joking, obvs. But I do try to hide in the bathroom to answer emails and messages… of course if you have children under the age of 4, you won’t be doing this by yourself, but you are killing two birds with one stone.

5. Tribe it up. I know I bang on about it all the time, but seriously, you need a tribe, a red tent, a circle of women. I’m lucky to be surrounded by awesome females, go get a coffee together. If I feel a bit flustered or twitchy I can hang with my fellow mamas and feel instantly grounded.

6. S L O W D O W N. Catch your breath, drink a cup of tea and re think. Does it have to be done today? If not, make a brew and put those feet up for 5.

7. Have sex. I put time aside for this one. It’s a necessity, it makes me feel good, and every once in a while I need to check in with my partner and re connect.

8. Dish out the chores. If you can, spread the duties. Many hands, right?

9. Self care. I recently had a colonic (much overdue) and my god did I need it. Months of toxins removed in minutes so my liver can focus on absorbing the goodness I put in. If a colonic isn’t your thing, why not head to the acupuncturist or reflexologist?

10. Love what you do. If you don’t, something needs to change. You can be run off your feet doing what you love and it won’t feel like work at all. Your family will thank you for putting yourself first too.

11. Do nothing. Have that day where as soon as your back from the school run your pyjamas go straight back on and you can take a nap with the small one.

12. Strap the baby to your back. Those mornings where you haven’t brushed your teeth or bathed because the small one needs you and you need to meet that deadline. If you need to get shit done, then this one’s for you. Dry shampoo is a must for days like this.

13. Let them watch TV. There, I said it. It happens. And sometimes TV is a slice of heaven that will stop your head from exploding or from repeating the f word over and over.

14. Be creative together. I’m lucky in that my partner is very creative. We often sit at the table together arting. I sew, he illustrates. We drink tea and chat like two girls in sixth form.

15. Be passionate. With every single thing you do. Be it volunteering, sending invoices, answering phone calls, posting packages or unpicking a blanket you stitched upside down. It’s so much easier to enjoy every aspect of your work when you’re passionate, you feel lighter and more content. If you can’t find something you love, see number 10 and do something about it.