Switching your energy and focus to productive work can be trying when you have been dealing with the demands of your children. Often, time carved out for work is the only alone time you have in your day - so you find yourself checking out a bit before jumping into productivity. You end up frustrated with yourself because you’ve lost valuable time aimlessly scrolling the internet or socials. Try these actionable steps to make the transition easier.

When life throws us a curveball - like sick kids - the feeling of loss of control can be a bit overwhelming. Amidst putting out the fire, you may find yourself thinking “I should really be doing…” [fill in the blank with pretty much anything you have on your list of to-do’s]. A shift in your mindset during these chaotic times might be all you need to feel a bit better about your situation.

You’re a working mom. You have a lot to keep up with. You’ve purchased a new planner every year (or more). Only for them to end up in a pile collecting dust. Before you purchase your next new planner, there are some important questions to ask yourself to determine the reasons why you need one, the format that will work best, and how to use it successfully.

You’ve worked all day and come home to the demands that all moms face. There’s whining, bickering, cooking, bathing and everything in between to deal with. Then it all hits you and you’ve boiled over. Do you scream and yell or do you pause and choose patience? Let’s practice choosing patience.

As moms, it can be hard enough to be fully present in the best of moments: listening to your child tell you a story about their day or truly getting into a game of hide and seek. So what about the hard moments? When your vacation starkly contrasts what you’d looked forward to for months or your kids fall ill, turning the house upside down?

The stereotype tells us that it’s normal for working moms to be tired all.the.time. What if you could flip the script for your life?

Is your plan in control of your day? Does your plan leave you feeling calm, relaxed and in control? Do you even have a plan? With no fancy planner or a set of flair pens, take control of your day to feel less overwhelm and stress.

You look at your week to make a plan. Everything is important, all of it. You’ve got a looming deadline at work. School supplies need to be purchased. Laundry must be done. Sports practices. What if there’s hope hidden in just four simple steps? Try it. You, even as a working mom, may just find yourself with a bit of extra time this week.

The decision to work or to quit is less about the reason for making the choice than it is about how the decision is being made. A working mom who wants to change her life by quitting her job has power; when she feels that she must quit her job, she has none. There are steps you can take, work you can do, to put yourself in a position of power.

She dreamed about relaxing. About smiling more. About sitting on the floor and actually playing with her kids, instead of just being in the same room with them while she picked up around them.

But she’d lost the ability to prioritize all the things in her life and she’d fallen into the habit of just doing whatever was in front of her.

Instead of beating yourself up for “falling behind”. Or fighting to get “caught up” again, you shrug your shoulders and remind yourself that this is life. And especially life as someone with a professional job and kids and a household to manage.

Memories, adventures, and experiences don’t just happen. With careers, kids, responsibilities, and routines, an entire season can pass you by if you don’t think about what you want to create. A life that you'll remember takes intention, but it doesn’t have to be hard.