I get asked a lot how I “do it all”. While I most certainly do NOT do it all, I do have a lot of balls juggling at any given moment. To keep those balls in the air and not shatter to the ground, I have a few daily habits that I totally swear by. Today, I am sharing four.
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Show Notes: Daily Habits
Hey, hey friend! Welcome to Episode #127 of The Secrets of Supermom Show and our last Monday Momentum for May. If you loved these Monday Momentum episodes, let me know by leaving a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Not only does it help busy moms just like you find the show, but it also lets me know that you are digging these.
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Four Daily Habits I Totally Swear By
I get asked a lot how I “do it all”. While I most certainly do NOT do it all, I do have a lot of balls juggling at any given moment. In order to keep those balls in the air and not shatter to the ground, I have a few habits that I totally swear by. Today, I am sharing four.
Habit #1: Weekly Planning
I have always used a planner. Often it was a 12- or 18-month planner because I absolutely rejected the idea of a digital calendar (for a long time). I would enter my appointments and tasks, but I did very little “looking ahead”.
Once I shifted to a digital calendar as our master family calendar about 10 years ago, the long-term planner became pretty unnecessary. I shifted to a quarterly planner and started actually looking ahead at goals I wanted to meet. When I added in a formal weekly review four or five years ago, that is when I really dialed in my schedule, got more done, and did a much better job setting real boundaries.
So what do I do during weekly planning? I teach detailed workshops on exactly what I do each Sunday, but essentially it is these things:
- Pull together my work, business, and personal calendars all into one hand-written planner.
- Review my entire schedule to determine what seems overwhelming, what needs to be moved or canceled, where I need help, and who else I might need to include in the schedule.
- Ensure I have buffer time in case tasks take longer than expected and white space to do whatever I want (even if it is just a small block of time).
- Review my long-term to-do list and decide if any of these long-term actions deserve time on the calendar that week.
- Create a dinner plan for our week based on our schedule and put all the items I need into an electronic grocery list.
That’s it! The whole process takes about 20-30 minutes and prepares me so much better for a week with a career, a business, and four busy kiddos.
This is obviously a weekly habit, but it is necessary to set me up for my daily habit which is part of my morning routine. Leading me to Habit #2.
Habit #2: A Morning Routine
My morning routine is super important to my life, so much so that I talked morning routines in way more detail in Episode #123.
Long ago, I realized that a quick routine in my morning allows me to level set for the day and prevents overwhelm. It also prevents me from immediately heading to my email or social media, neither of which have served me at all in the past. Lastly, it allows me time to focus on me before I focus on everyone else.
My morning routine is coffee, breakfast for my dogs, write down my gratitude and send it to a business bestie to stay accountable, review my plan for my day–now you see why weekly planning is so important, review my meal plan for the day, and decide on the top 1-3 things I need to focus on that day. Then, on some days I head to a workout, and some days I get to work.
Habit #3: The Easy Question
I didn’t consider this a habit for a long time, but it truly is something I do every day. I ask myself, “How can I make this easier? How can I make this more efficient?”
This may be the project manager in me. Maybe it’s the fact that I like to do so many things that if I can’t make it easier, I can’t do everything I want. Maybe it’s having a bucketload of kids. Whatever the reason, this automatic response to literally everything has become another of my daily habits.
Do you ever ask yourself this question? When you look at your weekly plan or your daily schedule or even a project coming up, do you think, “How can I make this easier?” I challenge you to try it!
Habit #4: The Happiness List
All the way back in Episode #9 of this podcast, I talked about a happiness list. It is part of the Secret of Happiness chapter in my book Secrets of Supermom, and I talk about how having a list of all the big and small things that make you happy can be a great way to incorporate something every single day.
My habit is making sure I have something in my day that makes me happy every single day. If you are not sure what to include, start with a happiness list. If you already have one, take a look at yesterday, today, this week. Do you have something scheduled that makes you totally happy or the white space to choose something?
Some days are hard. Some days are busy and overwhelming and the thought of adding one more thing makes you want to cry. But, if you keep going with days like this day after day and week after week, you will quickly and efficiently head toward burnout.
What daily habits do you swear by that make your daily life happier, easier, or just better? Shoot me a message and tell me!
Alright, friend, let’s make it a Monday!
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About the Host: Lori Oberbroeckling
Lori Whitney Oberbroeckling is a mom of four, corporate leader, podcaster, productivity expert, and author of the book Secrets of Supermom: How Extraordinary Moms Succeed at Work and Home & How You Can Too!
She is passionate about helping parents who want fulfilling careers–or side hustles or passion projects–while also wanting to feel present and connected to their families.
