The #1 Mom Super Power

Let’s be real, Mom… we are always trying to get that little edge. It’s like the world is spinning and if we aren’t going 500mph with it, we will be left behind (or worse, leave a kid behind… and that would be bad).

Like many of you, my to-do list upon waking up is normally staring down at me with 70,000 things and if I don’t attack the day running, nothing on that list will get done.

Mom, I totally feel you.

But I want to challenge you a little. One of the “buzz words” of the 2000’s is “PRODUCTIVITY.” We want to do more, be more, add more to our list and conquer it before the sun comes up. I see Facebook posts and people almost bragging about how awesome it is to be PRODUCTIVE. And secretly I want to scream. Productivity to me means work, and work is well…. WORK.

As a mom, my SUPER POWER isn’t PRODUCTIVITY… no… it is EFFICIENCY. And there is a difference. When I look at a 5,000 item to-do list immediate stress kicks in, sometimes so bad that I want to rip the whole list up and say…. “nahhhhh not today.” But when I look at 3 to 5 things that I could do to make my morning or evening more efficient, well now we are talking.

Being a working mom, I am all about making time for work, for me and for fun with the kids. When it comes to doing this efficiently, I think we are forgetting about the power of a routine. A routine isn’t productive, it doesn’t have to be littered with 100 different things, but a routine allows you to include certain things that become non-negotiable, and with practice you do them without a thought. It’s like you can be efficient while on auto-pilot, which opens up space for matters that need more of your undivided attention.

For me, my routine is quite simple in the morning. First I practiced getting out of bed early and not hitting snooze (this did take some training). Once out of bed, I put in my contacts and read a one page devotional to get my mind right. I get breakfast ready for myself and the kids, and I tear off my daily calendar of bad dad jokes (who doesn’t appreciate a morning full of a little laughter). I then drink my water, normally 32 oz because I found that if I front load my water intake in the morning, it is easier to get the rest of it in early enough in the day that I am not up all night peeing. Finally, I get dressed and get ready for the day- including a little eye shadow and mascara because that makes me feel complete and put together.

That is it. It is not over complicated, and it doesn’t take very long. But yet, with practicing this routine I have become very efficient. It helps me start my day with confidence and ease, instead of stress and overwhelm.

With the confidence and ease that being efficient brings, I become super mom. And super mom is ready for the day as soon as the kids get up. 🙂