Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, or just home with the kids on the weekends, it can be extremely difficult to get anything done. Let’s face it, in today’s society, no one can really afford to just sit at home all day and play. You have to find a way to get work or laundry or cleaning or anything done! Here is my list of the best ways to get stuff done and be productive when you’re kids are around.

1. Take Advantage of Every Opportunity

It may sound obvious, but you really have to learn how to take advantage of every opportunity you can when it comes to trying to be productive. This can mean anything from utilizing your time wisely when your kids are napping or even using every few minutes you can when they are distracted by their toys or a TV program. I know this can be difficult, especially if you have kids that don’t like to nap or sit still or are especially clingy, but you have to teach them that there is a separate time you need to get your things done.

This also includes having your tasks ready to go when you get the chance to work on something. It can be extremely tempting to just take a nap yourself if you get the chance, or sit and watch your favorite TV program, but if you truly want to get stuff done, you have to take advantage of the time you get. I start every day with a list of things I want to get done and as soon as I get a spare moment, I check the list for the next thing that needs done, or depending on the time, I scan the list to find something I think I can finish in the time I anticipate I have.

You can also learn to create opportunities. In other words, if you have kids that are particularly clingy, they probably need to learn to play by themselves. Remember, this is also an important skill for them to learn. If you bend at every cry or plea to play or give them attention, they will start to learn that they can control you and will use that to their advantage. You have to show them you’re the boss sometimes and teach them patience and independence.

 

2. Get Your Kids On A Schedule

This point is so important for setting expectations. Every relationship is made up of expectations. Whether or not you know it, your attitude and mood are most often affected on a daily basis by the expectations you have for everything in your environment, and how well those expectations are met. This can relate to something as simple as expecting to have cereal for breakfast, only to find that all of the cereal is gone. Regardless of how much of a deal it actually is that the cereal is gone, you are disappointed on some level and your attitude going forward can reflect your ability to cope with that disappointment.

When it comes to your kids, the same applies. When you set up a set up a schedule for the day and routinely follow it, your kids will have a better expectation of when they are supposed to nap, when they can play, when you’re available to play and when you have to work. If you follow that schedule every day, you can help them manage their expectations and learn to enjoy knowing what’s going on. Believe it or not, they will start to nap better and eat better when they know they are supposed to.

And this helps you find your moments of opportunity to get stuff done as well. If you know from 2-3pm your kids will be napping, you can plan to get some work done at that time, and so on.

 

3. Make Early Mornings Your New Best Friend

If you’re not a morning person, I suggest you learn how. I get a solid two hours of work done before my son even wakes up and that can make a huge difference in your to do list every day. Get your cup of coffee in and get going because the more you can accomplish before they get up, the better prepared you will be for the rest of the day, no matter what mood they wake up in.

I also love working in the early morning because it is typically when I am the most motivated to get stuff done and my creativity and thought processes are running in high gear. You can get so much more done when it’s quiet and calm in the house than you can when you have screaming kids running around or other distractions.

 

4. Learn How to Multitask

Let’s face it, if you’re a mom, or sometimes a dad, sorry dear…you most likely already have this one mastered. As parents, we have to multitask pretty much every moment of every day just to function. Whether it’s working and playing or exercising and studying, there just simply aren’t enough hours in the day to devote as much time as you need to on everything individually.

There is also an aspect to multitasking that involves being prepared. If you’ve read my article, Mom Hacks: Surviving Mealtime, you know how much time you can save by preparing your kids’ meals ahead of time. This can come in handy when you’re trying to feed your kids and get work done at the same time. I will often take my laptop to the kitchen table and type notes in between bites or cut up some food my son can feed himself and work while he eats, supervising of course.

This may depend on how old your kids are and how independent they are when eating, playing, etc. but you can always find ways to multitask and get more done.

 

5. Enlist Help When You Can

If you’re lucky like me, you have relatives that love to help you out. Some people will be too prideful with the mentality that “I can do it all myself.” Well let me tell you, you can get so much more done if you get some help even a few days a week. Let people help you! Let them watch your kids while you work or let grandparents take your kids to spend time with them while you get stuff done.

If you don’t have relatives that can help you, enlist neighbors or church family members that you trust. There are a ton of older couples especially who those who are retired and love spending time with kids. And kids love the extra attention they get from new faces. If you have to send your kids to daycare a few days a week to just get some stuff done, go for it! It’s a matter of you keeping your sanity and it’s worth it!

 

Important Note!

Now even though it is important to get stuff done and be productive, the ultimate way to make this system work is to set aside time to spend with your kids. No distractions, not on your phone, just playing and interacting and being involved. A simple trip to the park can mean a world of difference in showing your kids how much you love them and love spending time with them.

It’s also a major factor that affects their behavior. Most kids are ill-mannered and don’t behave because they are attention starved. If children have a schedule and set expectations that are consistently met and get special time to spend with the ones they love, they will enjoy your time much more and will cooperate much more when you ask them to do things. It’s about building a relationship of trust and even though your kids may only be a year or two old, trust me, the same philosophy applies. My one-year-old acts completely different depending on how our day goes. And there are times when all of these “fundamental behavioral rules” will go out the window, but that shouldn’t be the norm. The more you and your kids respect each other, the better your relationship will be, and in the end, that’s what really matters.

 

If you have any tips or tricks to getting stuff done with small kids around, let me know. I’d love to hear them!