What Are Your Working Mom Priorities?
If I followed you around for the next week, would I be able to figure out your priorities?
Work (that's easy)
Family (of course)
What else? (is there anything else?)
Would I see that health, movement, sleep, friendships, your marriage, or a hobby is also a priority?
With so many things you could do and so little time, how do you choose? And then how do you make time?
Choosing can be especially hard when you're not in the practice of doing it because work and family have sort of been chosen for you. There's so much to do that comes with each of those priorities.
As a new mom, you probably chose things out of necessity.
You replaced going out with going to bed early. You replaced early morning workouts with nursing sessions. You replaced reading with soothing a crying baby. It's what you have to do. You have to prioritize parenting, sleeping, and the necessities.
But as your time slowly opens up, minute by minute with each phase, you start having options again.
And this is where you get stuck.
Because you want to do it all.
You want to "make the most" of the extra time.
But you want to choose correctly.
So, you think and research and think some more and end up doing nothing.
The pressure to spend your time on the "right" things leaves you paralyzed.
But what if I told you that the decision you make about your priorities isn't binding?
What if the priorities you choose today, are just for now?
And what if making that choice could be fun?
The way I coach on priorities is that they are just another tool that can help you be intentional with your time. In the same way that a planner or project management app can help you manage your time.
There is no A+ for "getting it right".
There's no consequence for choosing "incorrectly".
There is no time wasted experimenting as you figure out what's important to you. If anything, that's the best way to spend your time.
If you want to have fun with it, start by asking yourself a few simple questions:
What do you wish you had time for? We all have those activities, interests, or relationships that we remember fondly from a different stage of life. What are they? What do you miss? What do you wish you had time for?
How does it feel? When you think about some of those ideas, how does your body react? With excitement and nerves or with dread and overwhelm? Picture yourself practicing that priority and pay attention to how your body reacts. It can be a helpful indicator of what's worth pursuing.
Who do you want to be? As you think about who you are and who you're becoming, do any of these ideas support the vision you have for yourself? The person you want your kids to see?
What if there is no 'right' priority? What if the best choice is the one you start integrating into your life because that's the only way you'll know whether it's important or not? To do it.
Priorities can change. Scratch that... they're actually meant to change.
All I'm asking you to do right now is to choose your priorities so you have another tool to help you when you're deciding how to use your time.
In the same way that a supportive to-do list and planning process aid you in focusing on the most important things, choosing your priorities for this season will help you when you're unsure of where to focus your time and energy.
I love setting priorities because it's a decision I know my future self will thank me for. And it's an exercise I willingly revisit over and over again.
Ready for a to-do list that makes prioritizing easy?
The Working Mom’s Ultimate Guide to Getting It Done will walk you through my step-by-step process for keeping work and life organized so you feel confident that you’re prioritizing the most important things.