Daily Habits For Moms: 10 Tips to Better Manage Your Day-to-Day Life

Hey, mama! How is your day going?

Is it going the way you planned? Has everything fallen apart and it’s not even lunchtime?

Maybe you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants gal and planning isn’t your thing.

We all do things a little differently. But is it safe to say our end goal is similar? More days of not feeling overwhelmed.

Do you have good personal habits? Those things that make your life better. Easier. More productive. Happier!

Good habits in life can change the game. Holy moly they work wonders.

But there is a catch.

It does take some time for things to become a habit. You have to train your brain. Be persistent.

This concept gives me a run for my money. I am that person who sets out with the best of intentions. I decide on something and figure everything will fall in place perfectly. You can guess how well that works for me.

Wanting to do something and actually doing that thing. Let’s just say one is not like the other.

Don’t make the mistake of choosing 15 things to start doing. Just seeing that number overwhelms me. Take it down a notch, sista!

Little things add up to big things. So, start small.

Have a daily routine that works for you. Not against you.

These may not seem like life-changing things. But in my life, they make a huge difference.

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Here are 10 Daily Habits to Improve Mom Life Starting Today

1) Get Ready For The Day

I feel my best when I am up, dressed, and ready for the day before 8 a.m. Sitting around in my pajamas for too long slowly makes me lose motivation to do anything.

My butt starts making an indent on the couch. Maybe watching Grey’s Anatomy and snacking for three hours would be OK. This exact conversation has gone on in my head. And I’m sure it will again.

I want to make it clear that there is also nothing wrong with staying in pajamas and binge-watching a show. In fact, if given the chance to do this, I would encourage this behavior. Just not all the time.

Getting ready is what makes me feel good! It gives me a little pep in my step. And some days I am in desperate need of that pep!

And then I am ready for any opportunity that comes my way!!

2) 20-Minute Cleaning Session

I do this every single day.

What can I say, I can be a little bit of a clean freak. My best self has a clean house. But, I don’t want to start cleaning and then realize 2 hours have passed.

So, I set an alarm and I go room to room and do a quick little spruce up. And when the timer goes off I am done.

It always shocks me how much I can get done in just 20 minutes!

Does this mean my house is always clean? No way. But most of the time it is clean enough.

3) Set A Goal For The Day

I love making a list. I have so many lists that I run out of things to make lists for! (check out all these list ideas)

Sometimes what happens is my focus is all over the place.

So I start thinking about and writing down all the things that I need and want to get done.

These lists keep me sane! And keep my brain from becoming fried!

And they put my goals into perspective. 

These goals can be work-related or home life-related. Maybe you want to write a certain number of words for a project. Or clean out an overflowing closet.  Even make sure you check in with a friend.

Anything you want.

This is about making a few things a priority.

And nothing is off-limits. I used to think certain things were too small to write down. Not anymore. 

Some days my goal may be to decide on a gift for someone’s birthday and make sure I text a few family members. Reframe your idea of what is productive or important.

Check out these tips for a deep dive into setting and achieving goals!

4) Stay On Top of The Laundry

With my family of four, I can get away with missing a day here and there when it comes to laundry. But for the most part, I try to do a load, even if it is small, every day. I also pick a day when I do all the bedding in the house.

Now, here is the kicker!

This does not just mean doing a load of laundry and leaving it in the dryer for days. All the laundry needs to be put away! AHHHHHH. Putting away laundry may be my least favorite thing to do. I don’t know why I dread it so much. I just do. It feels so tedious and makes me want to cry.

Here’s what I do. Put on some music and power through.

By no means do I enjoy laundry. Most days I will still try to talk myself out of putting it away.

But I take it one load at a time. And I feel so much better when it is done.

5) Prepare the Night Before

Every night, I pick out my daughter’s clothes for the next day. My clothes too. We also always do baths and showers at night. Unless I am just desperate to get her to bed and then a quick bath in the morning will have to do.

I check the calendar for the next day. Are there any appointments? Is anything special going on at school? Errands that need to be taken care of. All that fun stuff.

She only has school 3 days a week so all of our mornings are not the same. She starts Kindergarten in August so I’m already thinking about those changes!

(Update: She is now in 3rd grade. Time really flies once they start school!)

I really love having everything ready the night before. It makes our mornings so much smoother. And I can let my little lady sleep as long as possible.

She is usually up by 7:00 but some days she is still asleep at 7:45! I love not having to wake her up because everything is packed and ready to go!

Having things ready also gives me the time to look over my goals for the day. And take a few extra minutes to enjoy my coffee or maybe even have 2 cups!

6) Kids to Bed at a Certain Time

Brooklyn is in bed between 7:30-8:00 almost every single night. She has always been an early riser and having her in bed early works for her. She has been on that same routine since she was a tiny nugget.

I am a very routine person and so is my husband.

No surprise Brooklyn likes to stick to her routine. Even on vacation actually. We went to Disney World and she was in bed almost every night by 8! And this was her choice!

This mama needs that time at night. I can get work done, read a book (here are my faves), watch TV, or even sit in silence. Which I desperately need some days! This is crucial for my mental well-being.

And we all know a tired kid is no fun!

7) You Going to Bed Around The Same Time

My internal clock wakes me up around 6:30 every day. I would be lying if I said I woke up refreshed. Some days I am still tired.

But going back to sleep is just not going to happen. It’s actually just not an option.

When I go to bed by 10:00 I feel so much better in the morning. It makes such a difference!

My love/hate relationship with Netflix is ongoing. I love to binge-watch but I am convinced time moves differently when I do. Four hours just fly by!

I know this is not possible for everyone to do all the time. But the point is to find what works for you and your body. Really tap into what makes you feel your best.

Sleep is important! 

Want to have better mornings? Read this!

8) Drink Water

I am constantly drinking water. This is something that I don’t even have to think about. Besides coffee, water is all I drink.

If I happen to have a pop I will feel blah. I can’t even think of a good word. Just blah. It’s better if you say it with a sound effect. Did you try it again? Better, right?

But really. I can always tell if I haven’t drunk enough H2o!

My husband has recently jumped on the water train. He had a bad habit of drinking way too many energy drinks.

So, either I nagged enough to make him change. Or, like most things, he just took a long way around to make things interesting.

He was really sticking to his guns trying to tell me energy drinks were good for him.

Some days I add lemon or fruit. But I actually prefer just plain ice-cold water!

If you don’t have water next to you right now, here is your reminder to go grab some! (I am also fully convinced that cute containers make drinking water more fun… these tumblers are sure to make drinking more water a breeze)

9) Plan Meals(to a point)

Meal planning is great. But it really does take some time.

Some people go all out and plan every single meal. I have tried that and things have not come together as I hoped. I give myself too big of a goal and set myself up for failure.

If you take one thing from meal planning, let it be this. Going to the store without a list is not the best route to take.

Oh, and never go hungry. I feel like we all know this. But I am still that person throwing random things in the cart. Everything looks tasty when my stomach is growling.

I have read so many things about meal planning. There are so many methods to try out.

But here is my basic plan.

I like to pick 2 to 3 recipes for dinner a week. I always leave a couple of nights for leftovers and a night a week for one of my go-to meals.

My daughter is a creature of habit and almost always eats the same thing for breakfast. I flip between a few things. And my husband either eats no breakfast or eats a bagel.

For lunch, I usually do leftovers. And I make my daughter what I call a snack plate. One she really likes is some kind of lunchmeat, cucumbers, carrots, grapes, and a cheese stick.

And we always have a few snack options like applesauce, fruit, and crackers.

I try to keep up with having a list of basics in the house at all times. This way I can shut my husband down when he says there is no food!

10) Self-Care

This can be as simple as a few minutes of quiet time.

Reading one chapter of a book. I just read this one and it’s so good. 

Listening to a podcast. Doing a short meditation to relieve stress. Writing in your journal (here are some fun ideas for what to write).

Whether you have 10 minutes or 60 minutes, take some time for self-care every day.

Tonight, I plan on taking a long, hot bath when my husband gets home. I decided that this morning.

Some days I actually choose in the morning what I will be doing for myself that day. This gives me something to look forward to. Especially on those days when things take a sharp turn and get a little crazy.

Don’t put self-care last on your list. Like I did on this one. Oops.

What daily habits are on your list?

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