How to be productive when mum life feels chaotic

Woman writing in journal - tips for how to be productive.

How to be productive as a busy mum is a question many of us try to answer on a daily basis. Between managing schedules, school runs, meal planning, chores, appointments, and the constant mental load of motherhood, it can feel impossible to get everything done.

Productivity for mums doesn’t mean doing more, filling every second of your day, or following unrealistic routines. It’s about simplifying mum life, managing your time intentionally, and creating productivity systems that help you feel less stressed.

In this guide you’ll learn practical productivity tips that fit around family life, from how to use planners and digital productivity tools, how to time block and batch tasks to save time, and how to create routines to help your days run more smoothly.

You’ll also discover daily habits, realistic goals, and simple mindset shifts that will help you feel more productive without adding pressure.

Whether you’re struggling to keep up with everything, constantly forgetting things, or trying to create more structure in your days, this guide will show you how to be productive in ways that suit your actual life.

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What productivity looks like for mums

Mums carry a huge mental load every day, from remembering appointments, managing schedules, planning meals, organising family life, and keeping on top of endless tasks, which makes it difficult to feel productive, even when you’re constantly busy.

Instead of focusing on doing more and constantly achieving, the goal for productivity as a busy mum needs to be about doing things that reduce stress, allow you to manage your time more intentionally, and that promote routines that support everyday life.

Here are some ways to be more productive when mum life feels chaotic, that are simple and easy, no matter how hectic daily life is.

Use a paper planner that works for you

There are many different types of planners, that it can quickly becoming confusing when deciding which one to use.

The goal of a paper planner is to keep all of your appointments, tasks, and reminders in one place, so you can stay on top of everything life throws at you.

Here are some different types of paper planners that you can choose from.

Paper planner

A paper planner is a physical notebook that you can use to organise tasks, appointments, and write to do lists.

My favourite paper planner is The Simplified Planner, which is great for planning in detail, and provides a clear overview of what you’ve scheduled over a month, week or day.

Some benefits of paper planners are:

You can plan for different time periods, for example daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly.
You can add meal planners, budget and habit trackers, grocery lists, goals, many other types of pages to help you plan other areas of your life.

Bullet journal

A bullet journal is a 100% customisable notebook that can be used to record appointments, set a word of the year, plan your day, write lists, make travel plans, or record anything else you want to have a written record of.

I’ve used bullet journals a lot in the past, and my favourite was the Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal because it folded flat so was easy to write in, and it contained information within it to help start bullet journaling.

Some of the benefits of bullet journals include:

As it’s 100% customisable, you’re in total control of how to set it up.
You can express your creativity by decorating your pages, or keeping them minimalist in design if that suits you better.

Notebooks

When thinking about how to be productive at home, sometimes the simplest productivity tips are the best, and there’s nothing simpler than using a plain notebook to help you get things done.

The benefits of using a plain notebook are:

It’s cost effective.
It’s undated, so you can use it whenever you like.
Chances are you already have one in your home, so you can use it straight away.

Digital productivity tools

Digital productivity tools are apps, software, or online platforms that help you be more productive using your phone, tablet, or computer.

This type of productivity tool helps you:

Keep track of family schedules
Manage multiple to do lists
Remind you of important events
Help you to meal plan and make grocery lists
Organise household tasks and routines
Store important information in one place

Some digital productivity tools that you can use are:

Google Calendar, which is the digital productivitytool I use every day to keep track of school events, appointments, activities, and reminders
Digital to do list apps like Todoist, your phone’s notes app, and Google Keep

Laptop, notebook, pen - tips for how to be productive.

Combining paper and digital tools

Many mums find it helpful to use paper and digital planning systems together, myself included, because it gives you total flexibility on how to plan your time.

The way that I use Google Calendar and a paper planner together is:

Using Google Calendar to remind me of date, time and location specific appointments, and to get an overview of what I have to get done over a certain month or year.
Using a paper planner to list my top 3 priorities for a day, write lists, and to break larger goals or tasks into more manageable pieces.

Time blocking

Time blocking is when you break your day up into blocks of time, and allocate certain tasks to each time block.

Once a time block is finished you move onto the next block of time, and start to work on the tasks assigned to the next block.

Time blocking is one of my favourite productivity tips, because it enables you to focus your time and energy on similar tasks, so you’re using your time and energy in a more focused way.

Here’s an example of how you could use time blocking over the course of a day, which includes some tasks you can do in the time block.

Morning time block 6–9

Get yourself ready before everyone else wakes up
Get ready for school
Do the school run

Mid-morning time block 9–11

Tackle your first 2 priorities for the day
Book appointments

Afternoon time block 11–2

Make and eat lunch
Do household chores
Start making dinner

Late afternoon time block 2– 6

Do the school run
Get kid’s to finish their homework
Eat dinner as a family
Start and finish your kid’s bedtime routine

The next section discusses how to group tasks together, so you can assign them to your time blocks.

Stationery, mouse, plant - tips for how to be productive.

Use task batching to save time

Task batching is when you group similar tasks together and complete them in one focused block of time, so instead of spreading tasks throughout the day, you batch them and tackle them all at once.

Some tasks that you can batch together based upon the similar levels of energy and time they use are:

Kitchen tasks

Wash, dry, and put dishes away
Load and run the dishwasher
Wipe countertops
Put leftover food away
Sweep or vacuum floors

Back to school tasks

Get PE kits ready
Wash water bottles
Make school lunches
Make sure homework is done and packed in school bags
Place school bags by the door

Laundry tasks

Wash and dry laundry
Fold laundry
Put laundry away

Create productive routines

Routines help with productivity because they provide you and your family with the steps they need to follow to get things done.

Here are two routines that help you and your family be productive.

Evening routines

A productive morning starts with being organised the night before.

Here are some things you can do each evening to ensure your mornings are productive, and less chaotic.

Put items back where they belong
Lay out school uniforms, including socks and underwear
Choose your outfit for the next day
Hang coats and school bags by the front door
Make school lunches and pack them in the fridge
Put water bottles on counters to fill the next morning
Check your planner and prepare for the next day’s events
Get breakfast items out (bowls, cereal, etc.)

Weekly planning routine

A weekly planning routine is when you make time each week to plan the upcoming week, so you can focus your time and energy on things that are important.

Here are some of the things that I include in my weekly planning routine:

Prepare for upcoming appointments
Write a weekly meal plan
Make sure I have ingredients needed for school lunches
Write lists for things I need to schedule before the school term ends

Create daily habits

As a busy mum it can feel impossible to have a productive day, even if you start the day with the best intentions.

However, with a few small daily habits you can end the day feeling productive.

Some simple daily habits you may like to start to help you when you’re thinking about how to be productive at home include:

Placing keys, school bags, coats, and school shoes by the front door each night
Cutting up fruit, getting cereal containers out, and setting the table for breakfast before going to bed
Clearing kitchen countertops of paperwork and clutter each night
Writing down 3 things you need to get done the next day after dinner

Write a brain dump

A brain dump is when you write down everything that’s in your brain, which helps clear your brain of clutter, as well as helping you to take action on all the things you need to do.

You can do a brain dump as part of your end of year planning, each day, each week, or any other timeframe that suits you.

Some things you can include in your brain dump are:

Bills to pay
Books to read
Date night ideas
Deep cleaning tasks
Gift ideas
Grocery list items
Places you want to visit
To do lists
TV shows to watch

Use journaling to clear your mind

Journaling is when you write down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences so you can process your feelings towards something.

It’s also a great way to practice self-care, and helps to reduce the mental load of motherhood.

Journaling can take many forms including diary entries, brainstorming, list making, and randomly writing down your thoughts.

If you’d like to get a feel for what journaling is like, here are 5 questions that you can write answers to in a notebook, that are designed to get you thinking about any productivity challenges you may have.

How can I start being more intentional with my time?
How do I procrastinate, and how can I stop?
How can I slow down and enjoy life more?
What are my top 3 priorities for the following day, and how will I achieve them?
What can I do differently today that I didn’t do yesterday?

Blanket, notebook, pencils - tips for how to be productive.

Set realistic goals

As mums we juggle a lot, which means that sometimes finding time to work on our goals feels impossible.

This is why setting smaller, more manageable goals that you can actually achieve is important.

Here are some smaller, more manageable goals that you may like to set for yourself or your family:

Do a 5 minute daily reset

Each evening you could set a timer for 5 minutes and put bags, dishes, laundry, toys, and mail away.

Quick daily home resets help keep clutter under control, and reduce the amount of time you spend doing larger cleans each week.

Tackle one life admin task per week

One of my most consuming tasks is life admin, it’s amazing how quickly small tasks can build up.

Tackling one life admin task a week is a great way to keep on top of this part of mum life, and can include:

Booking appointments
Paying bills
Renewing library books
Returning or sending parcels

Create a drop zone

Choose a spot in your home where you can store items that you use on a daily basis, such as keys, backpacks, coats, and shoes, so you spend less time each morning searching for items you need.

Learn from productivity books

Reading books about productivity can teach you new ways to better manage your time, reduce decision fatigue, and help you to find time to spend on the things you love.

Here are 3 of my favourite productivity books that have helped me think about productivity in a different way.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown, covers how to manage your time by eliminating activities that aren’t necessary.
Fair Play by Eve Rodsky, talks about how you can divide household responsibilities more fairly.
Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, provides simple strategies to help you make small daily changes, instead of big life overhauls that aren’t realistic.

Open book - tips for how to be productive.

How to stay productive

One of the biggest challenges with productivity is maintaining your productivity habits when life gets busy.

Here are some things you can do to keep your new productivity habits going for the long term.

Keep things simple

Choose a productivity system that’s easy for you to maintain.

For example, use a paper planner that only allows you to plan your days, instead of one that has a daily planner, meal planner, habit tracker or any other addition. If you use a planner that has too many components to it, it will feel overwhelming to use it, you may never actually use it.

Another way to keep things simple is when starting an evening routine. Start by adding a couple of steps to it, and then when you feel comfortable add a few more.

Keep things flexible

There will be some weeks when school holidays, sickness, or busy seasons will prevent you from getting things done.

Being flexible and changing your focus, or putting things off for another time, is a great way to not let a non-productive week put you off being productive in the future.

Adjust your systems regularly

One of the best ways to maintain your productivity habits is to regularly adjust the systems and routines you’re using.

Family life constantly changes, and something that worked well during one season may stop working in another.

Instead of trying to force yourself to stick to productivity systems that no longer fit your stage of life, adjust what you’re doing so you’re doing things that work for your current stage of life.

This could look like:

Removing steps from a routine when life is busy
Choosing a planning system your whole family can use
Outsourcing household chores that you no longer have the time or energy to do
Creating new habits that better support your current stage of life

Spending some time each week or month to look at what’s working and what’s not, will help you to choose systems that work better.

How to be productive – a recap

Learning how to be productive as a mum isn’t about doing more, filling every minute of your day, or trying to keep up with unrealistic expectations.

It’s about creating simple productivity systems that help make you more productive at home, and in life.

Flexible routines, realistic goals, simple planning systems, and small daily habits will be easier to maintain than complicated systems that add pressure to your already busy schedule.

Productivity isn’t about perfection. It’s about reducing overwhelm, making intentional use of your time, and creating routines that support your family and your wellbeing.

Lastly, give yourself permission to adjust your productivity choices when life changes. Productivity should support your life; not make you feel like you’re constantly falling behind.

Which productivity tool from this guide could you try today?

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How to be productive when mum life feels chaotic

What productivity looks like for mums