You know those days when you just don’t have enough hours in the day? When 15 minutes feels like a luxury rather than a standard unit of measure? Well, those days are going to keep coming. No matter how many kids you have or what stage they are at in life, they’ll always demand more time and energy from you than you can give them. But as challenging as all this can be, it doesn’t mean that these moments can’t be productive and fulfilling ones. Here are 15 productive things to do in 15 minutes to help make the most of your time as a mom.
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15 Productive Things to Do as a Mom in 15 Minutes:
1. Connect with God
You might not have time for a full-blown prayer session, but even a quick mini ritual can be incredibly powerful for helping you to center, connect with your Higher Power, and get your day off to a good start. Some moms like to start their day with quiet reading of their favorite spiritual text while others prefer to do a quick visualization exercise or to simply pray or meditate. Try different approaches and see what works best for you. Your mornings are a great time to set the tone for the rest of your day. By connecting with God Almighty and setting positive intentions for the day ahead, it can help you to stay focused on your goals and make room for any extra challenges that arise.
2. Exercise
If possible, try to schedule your workout for before the rest of your day gets busy. It’s often easier to find the time to get some exercise done before the kids are out of bed and your day has gotten into full swing. It’s also a great way to start your day off on a positive note. Even if you only have time for a quick 10-minute workout, you will feel better for it, helps you clear your mind and more ready to tackle the rest of your day. This could be a few jumping jacks or push-ups or a quick round of planks.
3. Do a Quick Clean
It’s often easier to clean when the house is quiet and there are fewer people around to mess things up. So, try to sneak in a quick clean while the kids are still asleep or when they are otherwise occupied. This doesn’t have to be a major deep clean; just do a quick tidy of any spaces that are in need of attention—a quick wipe down of the kitchen counters (or breakfast bar), a quick tidy of the kids’ room, etc. If you have a lot of small children or you have a large house where you can’t do a quick clean, try to squeeze in 15-minute increments of tidying throughout the day. A quick tidy can help to keep your house from getting too out of control while also providing you with a few minutes of mental freedom from the demands of your day.
4. Read to Your Children
When your kids were younger, you likely read to them every day. Now that they are older, it’s easy for daily reading to fall by the wayside. Try to make time for reading to your children, even if it’s just for 15 minutes a day. This will help them to develop a lifelong love of reading and provide you with a few minutes of calm and quiet in your day. Select books that are interesting to both you and your children. You can also try to find new ways to approach reading. You could try recording yourself reading a classic children’s story and playing it back for your kids while they are doing something quiet, like coloring or building with their Legos.
5. Shop Online
If you have a few minutes to kill between the end of your morning routine and the start of your day, try to squeeze in a quick shop online for anything that you can order and receive quickly. Browse your favorite stores for clothing, toys, and household items, as well as groceries. This is one of those productive things to do and you can do it swiftly and easily while also sitting in a waiting room or while your kids are engaged with their various activities.
6. Organize a Small Space
If there is a small space in your house that is driving you crazy, try to quickly organize it. Kids’ rooms, playrooms, and small toy collections often drive parents crazy. When you are trying to organize a small space, avoid focusing on getting everything perfectly organized. Instead, try to focus on quickly getting the space as organized as possible with as little effort as you can. Your goal is to get the space under control, not to use this opportunity to practice for an upcoming organization competition.
7. Declutter Little by Little
You don’t have to do a big clean or sort out an entire room in just a few minutes instead use the time to declutter one small thing. Try to find something that has been avoided for quite some time, like a pile of papers on your desk or an overflowing basket in your kids’ room. Once you have tackled one small space, you can move on to the next. Quickly decluttering little things throughout the day can help you to maintain a sense of control and order in your life. It can also help you to feel less overwhelmed by all the things that you have to get done.
8. Write your To-Do List for the Day
You can do this on paper or go digital. Try to write down everything that you want to get done, even if it’s just small things. This can help to keep you from getting stressed by your to-do list and helps you to stay focused on what matters most to you. Try to try to avoid getting into too much detail with any tasks that you add to your list. Instead, keep your to-do list at a general level so that it doesn’t take up too much of your time or attention. You can also try to break larger tasks down into smaller ones.
9. Prepare an Activity for the Kids
This could be something like playing a board game or a quick game of backyard sports. You could also try to prepare a simple craft for your kids to do. This doesn’t have to be something elaborate or time-consuming. It can be something simple that helps to pass the time until your day gets going. This can be a good way to help your kids to transition from their morning activities to their afternoon activities while also helping you to transition into the rest of your day.
10. De-Stress
Consider de-stressing as one of the productive things to do as a mom too. Even if its just cherishing a few moments of silence, looking out at nature through your window or doing a hobby that you love, try to do something that’s soothing to help you de-stress from the demands of motherhood. According to Mayo Clinic website, stress when left unchecked can contribute to many health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, fatigue, anxiety and depression.
11. Read Motivational Articles/Books
Reading inspiring articles or books can help to boost your confidence, motivate you to keep going and have a positive outlook. This is especially helpful when you feel like your day is going downhill and not the way you envisioned.
12. Learn Something New
It could be a new recipe, cleaning and organization hacks, self-improvement or even arts and craft. By learning new things, it can help you learn faster over time, keeps your brain healthy and active, be relevant and adaptable and help you break out of the everyday mundane routines.
13. Do a Load of Laundry
Try to break up your laundry into one small manageable load each day throughout the week. In that way, you won’t feel like you are constantly doing laundry after laundry in a day. Try putting a load in the morning and then into the dryer in the afternoon. Come evening, you would just need to fold and put the clean clothes away.
14. Catch Up on Emails
Run through your emails and read and/or reply those that are urgent and important first. Put on a timer to ensure you do not go overboard with checking your emails. It is tempting to want to clear all your emails in one go. But this could result in delaying your routines and/or schedules of your children. You can always come back to it later on.
15. Take a Power Nap
Do not underestimate the power of a nap. Sleep deprived moms can benefit from an afternoon nap which can help improve their mood, alertness, concentration, and memory. So instead of trying to get it all done and feeling burnout and exhausted, try taking a nap!
Conclusion
Being a mother is one of the most rewarding and challenging things that you can do. It’s important to take time for yourself so that you can be the best that you can be for your family. That being said, you also shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t have as much time to devote to yourself as you’d like. That is where the above 15 productive things to do as a mom in 15 minutes comes in handy. They are achievable in a short period of time and leaves you feeling fulfilled and productive.
Have you tried any of these 15 productive things to do as a mom in 15 minutes? Be sure to share them on Pinterest!
Do you want to thrive as a stay-at-home mom and not just survive motherhood day by day? Read on these 10 ways to thrive as a stay-at-home mom and start implementing these tips.
