I don’t have a perfect morning routine, an empty house or eight uninterrupted hours to get things done. I’m a mom of three, I work, I’m building an online business, and there are days when my carefully made plans disappear before breakfast.
But over the years, I’ve found a handful of small habits that genuinely help me feel more productive—and, just as importantly, less overwhelmed.
Because let’s be realistic: what worked when I only had myself to get ready in the morning doesn’t always work when there are three kids, work deadlines, laundry, meals and a never-ending list of things competing for my attention.
I’ve also learned that being productive isn’t about squeezing more and more into my day.
For me, it’s about knowing what matters, using the time I have intentionally, and accepting that I don’t have to finish everything.
They’re simply 15 things I personally do to be more productive as a busy mom—starting with something I’ve learned makes a huge difference:
A productive day often starts the night before.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please read my full Affiliate Disclosure
1. I Start My Day the Night Before
This might sound strange, but one of the biggest things that helps me have a productive day happens before the day even starts.
I don’t like waking up and immediately having to figure out what I need to do.
When I do that, everything seems important.
Work needs attention. The house needs attention. The kids need something. There are emails waiting. There are things I want to do for my blog.
Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed before I’ve even started.
So I try to spend a few minutes the night before thinking about tomorrow.
What actually needs to happen?
What can wait?
What is the ONE thing I really want to accomplish?
One book that really changed the way I think about this is Organize Tomorrow Today. Instead of trying to become better at doing everything, I’ve been learning to become better at deciding what deserves my attention.
I wrote a full Organize Tomorrow Today book review and shared the simple planning lessons I’ve actually been using in my own life.
This might sound strange, but one of the biggest things that helps me have a productive day happens before the day even starts.
I don’t like waking up and immediately having to figure out what I need to do.
When I do that, everything seems important.
Work needs attention. The house needs attention. The kids need something. There are emails waiting. There are things I want to do for my blog.
Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed before I’ve even started.
So I try to spend a few minutes the night before thinking about tomorrow.
What actually needs to happen?
What can wait?
What is the ONE thing I really want to accomplish?
One book that really changed the way I think about this is Organize Tomorrow Today. Instead of trying to become better at doing everything, I’ve been learning to become better at deciding what deserves my attention.
I wrote a full Organize Tomorrow Today book review and shared the simple planning lessons I’ve actually been using in my own life.
📚 Want to read it for yourself? You can find Organize Tomorrow Today on Amazon in the format that works best for you.
And if sitting down with a physical book feels impossible right now, check whether it’s available as an audiobook in your region. You can also start an Audible free trial if you’re eligible and see whether audiobooks fit more easily into your routine.
2. I Wake Up Before My Kids
Waking up early isn’t something I discovered after becoming a mom.
I actually started waking up at 5 a.m. when I was a university student, and I continued doing it for many years.
It was a complete game changer for me.
There was something special about those early hours when everything was quiet and I could start the day before the rest of the world seemed to wake up.
Then I had kids.
And life changed.
Now I have three kids, a job, a home to manage and an online business I’m building. Waking up at 5 a.m. every morning simply isn’t realistic for me anymore.
These days?
Sometimes I manage just 15 minutes before my kids wake up.
But those 15 minutes still matter.
They give me a little space to wake up without immediately responding to someone else’s needs. I can start the morning quietly, take my shower and get myself ready before the house gets busy.
If you can comfortably wake up at 5 a.m. and still get enough sleep, I think those early hours can be amazing.
One book I loved reading about this is The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma. The 5 AM Club
The idea of intentionally protecting the beginning of your day really resonates with me because I’ve experienced the difference myself.
📖 Curious about the 5 a.m. routine? Check out The 5 AM Club on Amazon, or look for the audiobook if listening works better for your current season of life.
3. I Shower, Get Dressed and Make Myself Feel Good
One of the first things I do after waking up is jump in the shower.
Then I get dressed and usually put on a little light makeup.
I work from home, so technically I could stay in pajamas all morning.
But I’ve learned something about myself:
I feel better when I get ready.
And when I feel ready, I work differently.
It’s not about looking perfect or believing that moms need makeup to be productive. Not at all.
It’s simply something that makes me feel good.
Taking a shower, putting on real clothes and spending a few minutes getting ready signals to my brain:
The day has started. Let’s go.
That’s why The Shower Habit caught my attention. I love the idea that something as ordinary as a daily shower can become part of an intentional routine.
🚿 If this idea resonates with you, take a look at The Shower Habiton Amazon.
Sometimes productivity doesn’t begin with an expensive planner or an elaborate morning routine.
Sometimes it starts in the shower.
4. I Don’t Let My Phone Start My Day
This is something I have to be intentional about.
It’s so easy to wake up, pick up the phone and think:
I’ll just check something quickly.
Then one notification leads to another.
An email leads somewhere else.
And suddenly, instead of starting my day, I’m reacting to everybody else’s.
I prefer to give myself those first few minutes.
Shower.
Get ready.
Think about my day.
My phone can wait.
I don’t think you need a complicated two-hour phone-free morning routine. Even protecting the first 15 or 30 minutes can make a difference.
5. I Do a 5-Minute Brain Dump
My brain can become a very crowded place.
Remember this.
Buy that.
Reply to this person.
Do something for one of the kids.
Fix something on the blog.
Make an appointment.
Research an idea.
When I’m trying to remember everything at once, I find it much harder to concentrate on anything.
So I get it out of my head.
I take five minutes and write everything down.
But here’s something important I’ve learned:
My brain dump is NOT my to-do list.
Just because I thought of something doesn’t mean it deserves my attention today.
Getting everything onto paper clears my head. Then I can decide what actually matters.
6. I Keep My To-Do List Short
I used to think a detailed to-do list would make me more organized.
Sometimes it did the opposite.
I’d write down everything.
Then I’d look at the list and immediately feel behind.
I’ve learned that I don’t need 20 tasks staring at me all day.
A shorter list forces me to make decisions.
That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot while learning how to prioritize when everything feels important.
Because the real productivity skill isn’t writing down everything you could possibly do.
It’s deciding what not to do today.
7. I Choose ONE Must-Do Task
I love this habit.
I can have several things I’d like to accomplish, but I try to identify my:
⭐ ONE MUST
If everything goes wrong today, what’s the one thing I really want finished?
That becomes my anchor.
It doesn’t mean I only do one thing all day. Of course not.
But it stops me from spending my most valuable time completing ten tiny tasks while avoiding the one that actually matters.
This is another reason Organize Tomorrow Today has influenced the way I plan.
I don’t want the longest completed to-do list.
I want to make progress on the right things.
8. I Protect My Best Hours for Important Work
I’ve learned that not all of my hours are equal.
There are times when I can concentrate deeply and times when my brain would much rather do something easy.
So whenever possible, I don’t want to waste my best energy endlessly checking emails, scrolling or doing tiny administrative tasks.
I try to use that focused time for something that genuinely needs my brain.
Then I can save easier tasks for lower-energy parts of the day.
The exact time will be different for everyone.
The important thing is figuring out:
When do I do my best work?
Then protect at least some of that time.
9. I Use Time Blocking—But I Keep It Flexible
I like the idea of time blocking, but I don’t want my entire life scheduled in 15-minute increments.
I’m a mom.
Someone is eventually going to destroy that schedule. 😂
Instead, I prefer broader blocks of time.
One block might be for focused work.
Another might be for household jobs or administrative tasks.
Another is family time.
And another might be time for myself.
The biggest benefit is that I stop trying to do everything at the same time.
When I’m working, I can work.
When I’m with my kids, I can try to actually be with them.
When something unexpected happens—and with kids, it will—I adjust.
My schedule is there to help me, not control me.
10. I Batch Similar Tasks Together
Switching constantly between completely different tasks is exhausting.
Write something.
Check an email.
Open Pinterest.
Start laundry.
Answer another message.
Go back to writing.
Remember something else.
By the end of an hour, I can feel incredibly busy without having accomplished very much.
So when possible, I batch similar tasks together.
I might answer emails together, work on several Pinterest tasks together or handle several small blog-admin jobs in the same block.
It reduces the constant mental switching and helps me stay focused.
11. I Put My Phone Away When I Really Need to Focus
Sometimes turning my phone face down isn’t enough.
I know it’s there.
And somehow my hand still finds it. 😂
When I really need to concentrate, physically moving it away from me works much better.
I also don’t need to respond to every notification the second it arrives.
Most things can wait 20 or 30 minutes.
Protecting a small period of uninterrupted attention can be surprisingly powerful.
12. I Use Short Pockets of Focused Time
Before becoming a mom, I could wait for a long stretch of uninterrupted time.
Now?
I take what I can get.
If I have 15 minutes, I can do something with 15 minutes.
If I have 30 minutes, even better.
I’ve stopped telling myself:
There’s no point starting because I don’t have enough time.
Sometimes I’ll set a timer and focus on one task until it goes off.
You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish when you spend 20 focused minutes actually doing one thing.
13. I Expect Interruptions
This one has taken me a while to accept.
A perfect productivity schedule looks wonderful on paper.
Then real life happens.
A child needs you.
Someone gets sick.
Something spills.
An appointment takes longer than expected.
Dinner doesn’t magically cook itself.
Instead of planning every available minute, I try to leave some breathing room.
And when I need a little focused time while my youngest is home, it helps enormously to already have a few simple toddler activities I can pull out without spending 30 minutes preparing them.
That’s actually one of the reasons I love low-prep kids’ activities so much.
They aren’t only activities for the kids.
Sometimes they’re a little breathing room for Mom, too.
14. I Take Breaks Before I’m Completely Exhausted
For a long time, productivity sounded like:
Do more.
Now I think it also means knowing when to stop.
There will always be another email.
Another load of laundry.
Another blog task.
Another thing I could improve.
I’ve learned that rest isn’t wasted time.
Sometimes I read. Sometimes I simply step away from what I’m doing for a while.
Reading has become one of my favorite ways to slow down while still learning and thinking about the kind of life I want to build.
And when you’re a busy mom who genuinely doesn’t have much time to sit down with a book, audiobooks can be incredibly convenient.
You can listen while doing suitable everyday tasks, going for a walk or during other moments when your hands are busy but your mind is free.
🎧 Want to try audiobooks? If you’re eligible, you can start a free Audible trial and choose a book you’ve been wanting to listen to.
You could start with Organize Tomorrow Today, or simply choose something completely different that you’ve been meaning to read.
15. I’ve Stopped Trying to Do Everything
This might be the most important productivity lesson I’ve learned.
There will always be more to do.
I have three kids.
I have work.
I have a home.
I’m building an online business.
I have things I want to learn, books I want to read and goals I want to work toward.
I could make a to-do list that never ends.
But finishing everything isn’t the goal anymore.
The better question is:
What deserves my time today?
Years ago, productivity looked different for me.
I could wake up at 5 a.m. and have those beautiful quiet early hours before the rest of the day began.
Now, sometimes I wake up just 15 minutes before my kids.
I take my shower.
I get dressed.
I put on a little makeup.
I look at the priorities I chose the night before.
And then I start.
My life has changed.
So my productivity habits have changed with it.
And that’s okay.
You Don’t Need to Do All 15
If you’ve made it this far, please don’t turn this post into another giant to-do list. 😊
You don’t need to wake up tomorrow and suddenly implement all 15 habits.
Pick one.
Tonight, decide what matters most tomorrow.
Or wake up 15 minutes before everyone else.
Put your phone away for 20 minutes.
Try time blocking.
Choose your ONE MUST.
Small changes count.
And if you’d like to explore some of the ideas that have influenced my own approach to productivity, these are three books worth checking out:
- Organize Tomorrow Today — especially if your to-do list constantly feels overwhelming.
- The 5 AM Club — if you’re interested in creating a more intentional early-morning routine.
- The Shower Habit — if you like the idea of turning a simple everyday routine into a positive start to your day.
🎧 No time to sit down and read? Check whether your chosen title is available as an audiobook, and if you’re eligible, try Audible free to see whether listening fits more naturally into your busy days.
Because being more productive isn’t about creating the perfect routine.
It’s about finding a routine that works for the life you’re actually living.
