Do you ever feel like being a mum is like running a circus? Like you are the main event in the juggling act? And you feel so overwhelmed by the pressure that you are in danger of dropping a ball or two? Here are 5 simple ways to juggle everything Mum life and OWN YOUR BUSY!
The following is a story of how I I set out to achieve a personal goal to learn to juggle (with real batons) and then used my knew knowledge and skill to completely transform the way I juggle everything in my Mum life now. And then I teach YOU the simple strategies of juggling Mum life too- without the overwhelm
Anyone can learn to juggle and OWN their busy!
The juggle struggle of Mum life is real. I get it.
As a Mum of 3 very busy children, our busy is constant. From morning routines, to school, to after school soccer practice, swimming lessons, netball, rugby games, homework, playdates, birthday parties ……. the busy never ends.
The truth is that this fast-paced modern world we live in today, means that as Mums we are juggling more balls than ever. And rushing furiously around to catch them.
And unless we can take control and OWN OUR BUSY, Mum life can get very overwhelming and exhausting.
Suddenly, it can feel like all the balls are in the air but you have no idea which one is going up, which one is coming down or which one has already dropped.
And, when we start to feel the stress and overwhelm of juggling too many balls, it’s hard to keep them all in the air and we are more likely to drop the ball on our most important needs.
Sometimes motherhood seems like a never ending ‘To Do’ list or spreadsheet of responsibilities. A perpetual struggle of trying to keep all of the balls in the air and under control.
BUT JUGGLING IS AN ART THAT CAN BE MASTERED
Like many busy Mums, not long ago I began to struggle with fatigue. Afternoon naps were a regular daily occurrence and I was struggling with our busy weekly schedule.
In my own quest to find time for myself and set some personal goals, I decided to tick off one of my bucket list items and learn to juggle. I already knew how to juggle juggling balls. So this new goal I had set was to juggle with batons.
I thought it would be easy since I already knew how to juggle balls.
IT’S NOT.
In the beginning, I could not even throw the batons in the air with control, let alone catch even one of them on the way down.
So, I practised every single day, for 10 mins in the morning and now, a few months later I can juggle them for more than a minute without dropping one.
So I took this new skill and applied the fundamentals of juggling to real life. Mum life.
And I realised that there is a better way to juggle everything and confidently Own Your Busy!
To prioritise the balls that need to be in the air, which one’s are better left on the ground and which ones can be given to someone else to juggle for you. And it all comes down to how we organise the juggle to be able to keep the act up and have the right balls in the air and under control.
Often we are unaware that we are the ones who actively choose to throw all of those balls in the air! There’s no denying that we are busier than ever before. But it’s what we choose to be busy about, that controls how truly busy we are.
So because Mum life has become one big juggling act, the trick is to master how to it juggle better.
Now anyone who knows how to juggle with real juggling balls, like a true circus performer, will tell you that it can be incredibly frustrating when you can’t do it. But once you have practiced, learnt the correct technique and mastered it, it becomes so simple that you almost don’t understand why you couldn’t always do it.
The best thing is, that anyone can learn how to juggle. Whether it be like a true circus pro or in real life! And the simple secret lies in how to break down complex moves (tasks) into simple more manageable chunks.
Just as a circus juggler improves his technique through practice and understanding of the process, so too can the juggle of Mum life be refined and systemised.
And simply requires commitment to the process to keep the balls steady in the air.
Now I get it. If YOU are in a place of overwhelm and feel like you are just so busy that it’s impossible to streamline and systemise your Mum life ……. remember that it only seems impossible until it’s done!
And I want to tell you that it is possible! Because I’ve done it!
The moment I sat down, planned and strategised to JUGGLE my Mum life more efficiently …… life just became so much simpler and I have more time to enjoy the juggling season I am in with my family.
It’s possible. And it’s easy. so if you are struggling with the juggle of everything in your busy Mum life …..
Here are 4 highly effective things YOU can do to take back control of the juggle &
– Own Your Busy –
#1 Have a plan
Being organised is the key to OWNING YOUR BUSY. Without an effective plan of attack, trying to juggling everything can feel like riding a bike with no chain. You pedal, pedal and pedal but you just seem to go nowhere fast.
So listen up ……. the trick is ……. YOU NEED TO MAKE TIME, TO MAKE TIME! Sit down at the beginning of every week or maybe at the end of last week and MAP IT OUT!
This was totally game changing for me. And yes, I felt resistance to doing this initially. I didn’t think I had time to do this. But now it is literally my favourite time of the week and actually creates more time for me because I’m so organised.
I plan everything, from my schedule, to meal planning, to birthdays, car registrations etc. Everything I need to do gets written out and put into my weekly schedule and then I simply follow it.
#2 Process everything by breaking BIG tasks into smaller more manageable tasks.
Just as juggling can be broken down into maneuvers to make it easier, so too is it possible to break down everything you need to do in your everyday Mum life, into smaller more manageable tasks.
Daily Mum life, whether you work full time, part time or you are a stay at home Mum, can be completely processed and turned into a rhythmic routine so that your days run like clockwork.
To be fair, I was not completely convinced that this was possible when I set out to do this. But in one almighty meltdown, desperation led me down the path that has ultimately transformed my life and my family’s life too.
Keeping a household, 3 kids, a husband, a cat, a dog and a blogging career afloat is a HUGE task. But I knew the strategy to eating an elephant …. Is one bite at a time.
So, I sat down, and completely processed EVERYTHING. From washing, to dishes, to mapping out my schedule and meal planning, I broke down all the BIG things that I need to do as a Mum and split them into simple, easy and bite sized chunks!
I then allocated and spread all of those smaller tasks into a block on my weekly schedule. And I simply stick to it!
Just as those small 10 minutes of juggling added up to something bigger in the end, so too can you do the little things everyday to achieve BIG things. And keep on top of what is important.
Read these posts to see exactly how I have streamlined my weekly organisation!
Stress-free Meal Planning 101- For Busy Families- with FREE printables
How to keep a consistently tidy home- EVEN WITH KIDS. (Free cleaning schedule template)
The Ultimate Stress-Free Morning Routine That Actually Works- Free Chore Chart Printables!
#3 Prioritise your juggling balls
As I said, life is busier than it has ever been. There is no escaping some things that just have to be done. But, you do have freedom to choose which balls to juggle when and where and which ones need to be dropped altogether.
Learn to prioritise your juggling balls. Throw and catch the most important ones first and if you still have time and energy left, by all means throw any that are left over. But it is also important to recognise why you choose to throw each ball in the first place.
Perfectionism and people pleasing are 2 of the leading causes of juggling too many balls and effectively burning out.
It’s ok to say NO to any juggling balls that you simply can’t manage. It’s a skill that you need to practice but is essential if you are stuck in the juggle struggle.
#4 Throw some juggling balls to anyone else who can juggle them for you
I am of firm belief that as a Mum, I should NOT have to do it all! Regardless of whether I decide to stay at home with my kids or go to work full time, I expect everyone in our house to contribute in some way or another.
So DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE! How many balls can you pass off to others around you?
Kids are often more competent than you know and with a little training and routine everyone in the house can help out in their own way. I know many a husband that is keen to help out around the house these days.
Start small, delegate small simple tasks for the rest of your family to do and spread them throughout the week! You’ll be amazed at how those little things add up to helping you!
Turn it into a routine that will eventually become a habit. My kids get up every morning and go straight to their routine chore charts and get themselves ready for school . It took a bit of training but now our mornings and afternoons run like clockwork.
And here’s my favourite Mum hack: I made my husband a chore chart too …… and every morning he does the same!
You might like to start here: The Ultimate Stress-Free Morning Routine That Actually Works- Free Chore Chart Printables!
#5 Don’t forget to enjoy the circus act that you are in
Circus life can be busy but it’s not all crazy acts and chaos. It can be exhilarating, exciting and bring you loads of joy.
Once you have prioritised your juggle and thrown away any balls you no longer wish to keep in the air, recognise that you have now CHOSEN to juggle what is left.
It’s now time to accept your busy and OWN IT.
- Don’t forget to enjoy the moments of your everyday circus with your family!
- Don’t forget that you do all this busy …. because of them!
- Don’t forget to find joy and gratitude in your every day! You may not enjoy doing washing, but you can find gratitude in the fact that you have a family to do washing for.
Juggling doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as you have all the right balls in the air and you can consistently catch them on the way down, knowing where each ball is …….. then the system WORKS.
If you look at the bigger picture of the overall juggling system, it’s about focusing on one ball at a time so you therefore don’t drop the others. Know that a system only works when all parts are equally controlled.
Accept the unexpected, own that you have chosen to juggle everything you are juggling, be prepared to fail sometimes and be prepared to be comfortable with the fact that it’s ok that sometimes you don’t meet all your own expectations.
Systemise. Process. Bite off small chunks of the elephant. And learn to realise that you can have it all. Just not all at once.
Click the image below to learn more about the complete Mum Juggle System that has transformed the way we juggle our family life- without the overwhelm of the busy!
