5 Ways to Start a Productive Day

As a stay-at-home-mom, you hear every opinion about your job that exists. There’s other stay-at-home-moms that say “You’ll feel insane for a while, but you’ll get the hang of it.” and the working moms who say they wish they could stay home with their kids so much. Be careful what you wish for, Cathy.. I’ve even heard from men who have absolutely no right to speak an opinion about my life on any level tell me how easy I have it! Let’s all laugh together. We all know that it takes an extremely generous person to work for free!!! I don’t think I know a single man that would do that all day every day. Do you?

Okay, focus, Bailey. I’m on month 5 of being a stay-at-home-mom after being a single mom for 3 years, working for 6 years and mastering my office skills. Luckily, Mr. Right came along, smoking hot AND funny - yes, he exists - and gave me this very bittersweet opportunity to stay home with our kiddos. And let me tell you, “You’ll feel insane for a while,” was NOT an understatement! And neither was “...you’ll get the hang of it.”

The day starts at 6am (which is damn early, okay?) and that first 2 hours will define the rest of the day for me. Now, self-discipline is a learned behavior. One I didn’t learn until my first daughter was about 2 years old. I probably wasn’t ready for kids. LOL. But hey, she’s 7 now and alive and loved! What else is there in parenting? EXAMPLE. That’s what there is. Here are 5 ways to set yourself up for success every day.

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1. MAKE YOUR BED.

I watched a video many years ago on YouTube of Naval Adm. William H. McRaven giving a speech in Austin, TX. (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxBQLFLei70). The 20 minute speech is quite inspiring and definitely worth the entire 20 minutes, but if you’re like me and want to go straight to the source, cut straight to the 5 minute mark. The Admiral explains how making your bed every morning is the first task accomplished of the day. Such a simple task that creates a domino effect and encourages you to complete another task, and another. This is pure fact and you cannot change my mind.

Another benefit to making your bed right away: It’s the perfect location for Laundry Island. There’s so much room for clean laundry to pile up. This also forces the husband to help fold it before he can crawl into bed. HA! #wifewin

2. DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR COFFEE

Coffee runs through my veins. It always will. I’m not a health nut. Maybe many blog posts

from now, but not today. I love myself and it’s almost cruel to me and the coffee if I make it

and then not drink it. See it, hold it in your hand, drink it. Train your brain to include it in your morning. You. Will. Not. Regret. It. 3 kids + newborn night feedings + an endless list of things to do every day = COFFEE. You earned it (3 hours from now). Drink your money or dump it down the sink. I know what I’m gonna do!

3. PULL OPEN THE BLINDS

Let the light shine in! Go to every window, pull open those shades, and give a good shimmy to the outside world. That shimmy tells the universe that you are about to beast on the day. In all seriousness, it’s a proven fact that natural light improves workplace performance. (See for yourself: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201306/exposure-natural-light-improves-workplace-performance)

Extra bonus, you turn off those light switches, save electricity, which saves the planet and saves money. Look at you being a good human!

4. MAKE A LIST

Making a list is the BEST way to assess what you’re wanting to accomplish for the day. Are you going to do it all? Maybe. Probably not, but maybe. If you do, BADASS. If you don’t, who cares? Put the stuff you didn’t get done on tomorrow’s list. Eventually, you will get to checkmark the box as “COMPLETED”. That feels so good. I also like to wave my completed list around in my husbands face. (Look what I did! All that crap you didn’t want to do!)

I made lists at the office when I was working and it was a great way to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I could add to the list at any time. Or if I didn’t put cleaning the mudroom on there, but somehow got caught up and cleaned it, I add “Clean Mudroom” and mark it off. BAM. Did that thing without even planning on it. This also gives you a few minutes everyday to write down what you need done. We all know that writing things down helps with retention. Now, nothing will get away from you!

Half the time, I can use a piece of scratch paper. Literally like a junk mail envelope. But I went to Walmart and bought some $1 notebooks covered in glitter because I’m glitter AF and that makes it way more fun. Something about pulling out my fluffy pen and glitter notebook motivates me to do stuff. Plus, everything's better with glitter. Am I right? Now, those lists, like you, are fabulous.

5. PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN

I’ve saved the best for last. Bask in yourself. Stay focused. Keep your hands free. (Remember, you’re supposed to have that coffee in your hand. DRINK.) I promise there is nothing in the world that cannot wait an hour. And if there is, handle it, and then move on.

This is the most important thing on this list! It’s one of my truest beliefs that we as human beings unintentionally miss what is happening right in front of us because of electronic devices. I.e, my 3-year-old was saying “mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy….” and I didn’t even hear it. You know what I did hear? “Mommy, put your phone down!” I was cruising Instagram and in that moment, my heart actually hurt. I put my phone down! It takes serious self-discipline to stay off the phone. But, it’s always worth it. LIVE IN THE MOMENT. For those that just have to have that screen time, set a timer. Make a promise to ONLY check the weather and not your social media. You can’t influence Facebook, but you CAN influence your household. Be that example for your kids, for you husband, for your dog! I don’t care! I don’t care if your business on your phone! Start your day without it for ONE WEEK, and see what happens.

It is of utmost importance to me to stay on a path of growth. What else is there to do in this life? Let me know what some of your ideas are in the comments below! Thank you in advance for the feedback!

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