Being a mother is a full-time job. You’re constantly switched on. Until your child is 18, you’re not really going to have much time for a break. Things get harder if you need to add a paying job into the mix. Many mothers struggle with the work/motherhood balance. We don’t blame them. You’ll be constantly tired, and there may be times when you feel as if you’re close to the edge of a complete breakdown.

Now, we aren’t going to tell you that this page will make striking the work/motherhood balance easy. It won’t. No matter what you do, being a mother and working will always be hard. However, this collection of mom tips should make things a little bit easier for you, and sometimes all you need is things to be slightly easier.

Save Time Where Possible

As we said – balancing the two jobs can be tough. So, you’ll need to save time wherever you can.

Ordering groceries online, for example, is a fantastic way to save time when you’re trying to get the balance just right. When you order groceries online, you don’t have to worry about wandering around a packed grocery store with screaming kids in tow (kids rarely ever enjoy the grocery store), and you can probably accomplish in 30-40 minutes which would normally be hours at the store.

Got the kid's clothing/schoolbooks to get ready? Want to plan your outfits? Sort them out the night before, preferably once the kids are asleep. It’ll stop the mad rush in the morning when everybody is running around, whining they need to go to school.

You might even want to chat with your boss to see whether there are some work-related roles you can perform at home. Cut your commute out, and you could save a good chunk of time.

Find a Good Childcare Provider

Many moms won’t say it, but it is true – sometimes you need a break from your kids. It could be because you need to spend some time with your partner (just a few hours), or you’ve got to head to work, and the kids aren’t at school. In all cases, you’ll need a good childcare provider. Some people are lucky enough to have family members who can lend a hand every so often. However, we highly recommend you get a professional, if you can. They’ll help with the development of your child.

Once you’ve found a good childcare provider (you might need to test a few), stick with them. They’re hard to find.

Schedule Time with Your Children

We’ve all seen those classic 90s movies where the parents dedicate themselves to work, often leaving their kids to fend for themselves, right? (or, at least, get very upset their parent isn’t around for them). Don’t become a classic 90s movie parent. Schedule some time for your children.

Each week, try to carve out at least a couple of hours for your children where you can do something with them. Keep to the plan. It doesn’t have to be anything too extreme. Watching a movie, playing a game, helping them with their homework, etc. can work wonders. This is one of the best mom tips, to be honest. If you spend time with your children, they’ll remember it for the rest of their lives.

Home is For Children & Partner, not Work

We know that, invariably, there will be times when you need to take your work home with you. A stressful day at the office can easily be shown at home. However, try to keep it to a minimum. Try to separate yourself from work when you’re at home. No answering emails or phone calls. Nothing. Spend time with your partner and children. Be there for them.

In our opinion, this is one of the trickier things for moms, particularly professional moms, to accomplish. However, if you want a true work/motherhood balance, you must work out how to do it. It’ll be tough, but we promise you’ll get there.

You Need Time for Yourself Too

You can’t always be running around helping other people. You need to help yourself as well. So, schedule an hour a week for some ‘you’ time. If you have more than an hour, it is even better. Use this time to unwind from the stresses of balancing work and motherhood. Do whatever you want. Stress-busting things such as meditation and reading work a treat. But, if you want to spend some time on a hobby, do that too. It is all too common for people to forget about themselves when their life changes drastically. You won’t have the same amount of time you had to yourself pre-motherhood, but just a small amount of time can really help.

Learn to Say No

Finally, and this is the top of the mom tips – learn to say no.

Life is stressful enough when you’re a working mother. You don’t want to add more stress by committing to things you don’t have the time to do. So, learn to say no. If you’re asked to do something at work (e.g. work extra hours) that you possibly can’t do, say no. If your child asks you to commit to something when work commitments clearly get in the way, learn to say no.

It is hard to say no, but your life will be all the better for it.