Combat Mommy Brain Drain and Tackle Your To Do List

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Take Your To Do ListI’m typing this post at 9:30 p.m. I was up at 3:30 a.m. because my two-year-old wanted to party. I couldn’t get back to sleep after that. I went to work just after 8 a.m. I plugged away at work. I took my daughter to her well visit at the doctor. We went for ice cream. Then we swam and played outside. I followed up on some work emails. I made her dinner. I gave her a bath. My husband did bedtime. And, for the last hour and a half, I’ve been packing up items in our kitchen as we work on getting our house read to sell. Phew!

This is a typical day for me (other than the 3:30 a.m. wake-up call), and it’s probably typical for you, too – maybe even busier if you have multiple kids and activities, or if you’re a single parent, etc. At this point in the day, my… brain… is… DONE! Are you with me?

There are a million things on my To Do List right now, but quite frankly, after my kiddo goes to bed, my neurons throw in the towel. Am I alone? I get what I’ve been calling “Mommy Brain Drain.” I know I have things to get done, but I’m too exhausted both physically and mentally to focus on them. I’m not complaining at all, but along with the joys of having an amazing family and a job I love comes a bit of exhaustion at the end of the day.

I’m not sure what to do about this, but here are some things I’m going to try out in order to combat it:

  • Don’t sit/lay down on the couch until after I’ve crossed some items off the list. I find that once I hit that comfy couch, there’s no turning back. That also applies to what I’m wearing. If I stay in my work clothes, I’m more likely to keep moving.
  • Write down 2-3 specific things I want to accomplish for the evening. Sometimes I find that I think of tasks while I’m at work and then I forget what they are by the time I have down time. Writing them down could help with that.
  • Turn off the TV and put down the cell phone! This is huge for both me and my husband. We’ve been in serious discussions about our dependence upon those bright little screens in our hands. This is such a time-suck. I really don’t need to say more about it. You know it’s true!
  • Be more organized in general. It is my hope that once we get into our new house, I can start from scratch and set us up for success with a great organizational system. If done right, it should alleviate a lot of chores that are caused by our excessive clutter. For example, we spend way too much time looking for keys and trying to find missing shoes, etc.
  • It’s okay to relax! Sometimes I’m too hard on myself. I tend to push myself too hard and feel guilty when I don’t get things done. So, while I want to combat my Mommy Brain Drain, I also want to be able to let myself have those nights where it’s okay to veg out and have a glass of wine after my daughter’s bedtime, even if I didn’t accomplish a darn thing.

So, there you have it. That’s my confession that I don’t have it all together. I get overwhelmed. My house gets messy. We wear mismatching socks from time to time. And, I haven’t printed a picture since my little girl was a month old.

But, even though we live in a life of disarray at times, we still have real, quality family time every day! And, that’s what matters most. I can work on the other stuff. Maybe I should even become a morning person and get stuff done then? Nah!

Is it just me, or are there other mamas out there who hit a plateau where they just can’t get one more thing done in a given day? Or, maybe you’ve found the secret to get it ALL done? Tell me, tell me!

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