As moms, we take care of everyone and everything around us.

The kids, the husband, the dishes, the laundry, the appointments, the budget, the shopping, the cooking, and the list goes on and on. Moms have an amazing ability to get it all done, with the little time and energy they do have. Maybe we are born with it, maybe it’s a learned skill, or maybe we just do it because if we don’t, we know that it’s not going to get done.

However, most moms lack one very important thing; self-care. We are so busy taking care of everything else and making sure everyone else is okay, we oftentimes forget to check in with ourselves and make sure we are okay. Why do we do this? Why do so many of us make time to help everyone around us, but refuse to take a bubble bath? Or go on a walk alone? Or do anything else that is only for us?

I don’t know about you, but anytime I used to go out with my friends (which was hardly ever) I felt enormous guilt leaving my kids behind for my husband to take care of. Even if it was only for a few hours and even though my husband was more than happy to stay home with them. I still felt guilty.

We shouldn’t feel guilty for getting breaks. We shouldn’t feel guilty for WANTING breaks.

We shouldn’t feel guilty for asking our partners to pick up some of the slack and pull their weight. You don’t have to do this alone, and it’s not just your job to ensure everything gets done. It is okay to ask for help. Its okay to want help.

With that being said, everyone’s situation is different. Maybe your partner works late and doesn’t have the time to help out as much as they would like. Maybe your partner is out of town during the week and you don’t have anyone to help. Maybe you don’t have a partner and it all truly does rely on you to get it done. No matter what your situation is, there is a way to make it just the slightest bit easier. I’ve learned that it’s oftentimes to smallest changes, that make the biggest difference.

Here are some ways that I have found to make this mom business a little bit easier.

1. Prep the night before:

Every single night, take 20-30 minutes to prepare for the next day. Pack lunches, load the dishwasher, prepare the coffee, pick out what clothes you and your kids will wear, and make sure everything that needed to be done that day got done. Taking the time to do this will save you so much time in the morning. Having everything ready means you can sit down with your kids and enjoy them in the morning before the day starts without rushing to get everything done.

To make my most dreaded tasks easier, I find ways to make them more enjoyable. For example, I only do laundry when I know I won’t be interrupted too much, and I listen to audiobooks while I do it. It makes it go by so much faster, and I enjoy myself because I enjoy listening to books.

2. Use a planner: 

It doesn’t have to be a fancy planner, and by no means do you have to plan every minute of every day, but at the very least it will help you organize the things that need to get done, while also encouraging you to prioritize yourself and your personal goals. I absolutely love my planner and use it almost every single day. This is also a great place to keep a gratitude journal, which will add a lot of value and happiness to your life.

This also helps you keep track of appointments you have coming up, or anything else you need to remember. As moms we have a lot of things going on in our lives and a lot of people we are responsible for. It helps tremendously to have one place to write all these things down. Mom brain is no joke, and this helps to combat the side effects of it.

3. Meal plan: 

None of us were prepared to cook every day, three times a day, until the day we die. This is literally one of the hardest parts of adulting, especially if you care about nutrition. The best thing you can do is plan a week in advance, and once you go shopping, actually take the time to prepare what you can. If you know you have to chop that celery for a stew you are making in a few days, chop it now and whatever else you can so that when it comes time to make these meals, you already have half the work done.

I purchased a set of glass containers, and use them for my food prep, and they have made all the difference for me. Mealtime is so much easier this way, and we actually waste less food doing it this way. I also purchased some glass bento boxes, and pack up lunches when I am putting the leftovers away. This ensures that my husband is taking lunch to work instead of buying lunch, and it also makes things a little bit easier because lunches are already packed and ready to go.

4. Take control of your finances: 

This one is tough because when our finances are suffering, the last thing we want to do is take the time to understand how messed up they are. Nothing is more depressing than getting paid and having your account go in the hole 3 days later. Not to mention finances are the second leading cause of divorce. Taking control of your finances is a necessity if you want a happier life.

Exactly how much debt do you have? What is the APR on all those credit cards? What are you spending each month? How much do you make after taxes each month? How long will you be in debt for if you stick to the minimums. You have to ask yourself these questions and figure out how to improve your situation.

You have to understand your finances before you can change them. I budget every single week, and I spend one night a month doing a quarterly budget. Not only do I know our financial situation, but I know what it will be like in 3 months. I know exactly when each of our cards will be paid off, and I know how much we will pay in interest. I spent many, many nights crying over our finances, and it didn’t do jack shit for me.

You have to bite the bullet and be honest with yourself about your spending habits before you can reach any sort of financial goals you have. If you want your finances to improve, it all starts with your mindset and your behaviors.

5. Clean as you go: 

This might seem silly, but it’s one of those very small and insignificant things that makes a huge difference and saves you a ton of time. If you are walking through a room, do a mini clean-up in that room before you leave it. You don’t have to deep clean it, or even spend more than a few minutes picking it up, but that few minutes of effort will be the difference of a long day at the end of the week cleaning everything.

Don’t allow yourself, or your family members to walk past a mess. Teach your kids and make it a habit for them to not ignore a mess and to clean up after themselves. Research some age appropriate chores for you kids, and start teaching them early on. Not only will this help you, but it will help them in the long run.

6. Ask for help: 

If you are struggling, and feel as though you are drowning in your life you need to speak up and ask for help. Give your kids age-appropriate chores, and do not let them off the hook until they are done with their chores. Tell your partner you need more help. Ask your best friend to come over and help you in exchange for some wine. Yes, you can do so much on your own, but that doesn’t mean you have to.

Trust me, I know you don’t want to ask for help, but unfortunately, your partner cannot read your mind, and it will save you a lot of trouble if you just communicate what you want. Eventually, the people in your life will help without you needing to ask.

7. Drink, drink, and drink some more: 

I’m not talking about alcohol, though it is tempting to numb yourself with a stiff drink, I’m talking about water. It is far too easy to forget to drink water during the day, and go straight to the bottle at night. Staying hydrated will improve your mood, your health, your memory, and give you energy.

So many of us are dehydrated and we don’t even realize it. Splurge on yourself and get a nice water bottle that tracks how much you are drinking each day and make it a point to empty that bottle. There are also so many tasty sparkling waters you can buy if you prefer bubbly drinks.

8. Remember to eat: 

It is so easy to forget to eat when you are busy taking care of everyone else. I cannot tell you how many moms I have met who told me they oftentimes forget to feed themselves after they feed their kids. In fact, I struggled the past year with this, and now I have an alarm to remind myself to eat or else I won’t.

Everything seems worse when you are hungry, and it’s far more difficult to focus on what you need to be doing when you are lacking the nutrients your body needs. That anger and the irritation you feel every day might be there because you simply need to eat more. I also want to remind you that coffee is not food.

9. Turn off the tech: 

Phones, television, tablets, and even music are all distractions and stimulating our minds. Give your brain a break from the constant influx of ads and stimulation and turn it all off. Sit in a quiet room, and just take in what is going on around you. We are exposed to thousands of ads every single day and if you think that it’s not affecting your personal life, you are sorely mistaken.

Turn the tech off for at least a few hours a day, and learn to enjoy your time without it. Go the extra mile and turn off your phone before bed and read until you get tired. If you are afraid of missing an important call in the middle of the night, keep your phone on, but on the other side of the room so you aren’t tempted to spend 2 hours watching Instagram reels. I know I’m not the only one who does that.

10. Replace your bad habits with good ones: 

It’s so hard to quit a bad habit, and it’s even harder to create new positive habits. However, if you replace a bad habit with a good habit it becomes much easier to accomplish because your brain is still getting what it wants on some level. If you have a habit of sleeping in and being lazy in the morning, replace that morning laziness with a morning exercise routine.

If you have a habit of drinking 2 or 5 glasses of wine a night, replace that wine with tea or water. This still requires work and effort on your part, but it’s far easier to quit something when you have something positive to replace it with. Try practicing meditation, or mindfulness to help you break your old unhealthy habits.

Being a mom is hard. In fact, being a human is hard.

Thankfully there are ways to make it easier and more meaningful. Implementing just a few of the tips I listed above will help make your day to day life just a little bit easier.

If you have any other suggestions that have helped you with your day-to-day life please let me know in the comments! 

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