It’s Saturday, and it is time to look into ourselves so we can provide the best support to our loved ones. We have all wondered at some point in time if we have taken on too much. Did I over-schedule my children? Have I over-committed to events and projects? When will I ever have a moment to myself? I completely get it. At times, I wonder if attempting to be a self-proclaimed “super mom” is causing “super stress”. Keep reading to find helpful strategies to navigate these difficulties and take back your super power of getting it all done.
DELEGATING TASKS
There is no “I” in team, right? But sometimes that “me” in team can feel like “it’s all on ME to get it done,” when it comes to our families and our careers. To be honest, there are times this is simply the case and there is no way to avoid doing it ourselves. However, the majority of the time we are taking on more than we have to in the name of “perfection”. This is coming from a “type A” personality in myself, so I can relate. One of the ways to alleviate stress, as well as create more time to getting more things done, is to delegate.
Even a child as young as 2 years old can start to understand their role in helping the family function well. Small tasks, such as each person cleaning up after themselves, can be executed by all family members. The hard part in making this delegation work is to resist the urge to micromanage.
While reading the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the author Stephen R. Covey told a story about giving his son the task of maintaining the lawn. He found himself in a tough position when the lawn did not look well cared for, and the tick of micromanaging grew louder and louder. So, what do you do when your little helper is dropping the ball on their household responsibilities?
The first step is to make sure that you spent enough time in teaching the task. Did you spend at least a week or 2 training your little helpers (this includes your “not so little” partners and spouses)? Did you tap into their personal motivation? And lastly, did you create a schedule for them around this task that could potentially make this task a habit rather than a chore? The biggest impact of making something a habit rather than a chore is that at a point the habit becomes an unconscious behavior. Without even thinking about it, they are cleaning or cutting grass because this is what they do every day (or week) at this time and in this location. It’s a win-win for everyone.
EXAMINE YOUR HABITS
Speaking of habits, are yours solid? What are the things you do automatically on a daily basis without thinking, and what doesn’t come so effortlessly? For me, every morning I make up my bed. Earlier in my life this wasn’t the case, but after examining my daily habits I wanted to be a “bed maker”. I made it a requirement for leaving my bedroom in the morning. After several months of making my bed before exiting the room it became a habit. Now, I don’t even think about. Most days I don’t even remember making my bed, but there it is…made and beautiful.
In order to implement a new healthy habit you must establish these 3 things:
- What is the action?
- When does it happen?
- Where does it happen?
From there, go deeper by establishing triggers. For example, after my wake up alarm is turned off I get out of my bed and immediately remove all the sheets to make the bed. The alarm is my trigger. I know the very next thing to do after turning off the alarm is making the bed. No interruptions between the two. They are connected in my daily life. Give these habit formation skills a try in order to remove the stress from your day by creating unconscious, automatic behaviors.
THE REWARD
We are super moms, but that doesn’t mean we are super humans. Who really wants to be that? We are realistically human beings, and naturally need some sort of reward to feel balanced. Define what that reward is for you. Define how often you need to receive it. Then implement it into your schedule, nonnegotiable.
I’m ready to face my busy weekend and upcoming week. Continue to tune into yourself and give yourself the tools you need to succeed. Comment and share your experiences below.
