As a mom, do you find yourself struggling with being productive? I do, but I’ve discovered some things that motivate me to get things done. See if they work for you, too!

I normally get up and make my husband’s breakfast and lunch while he is getting ready for work. Because he works mornings and I work evenings, I love this little bit of extra time we can spend together.

After he leaves, I have two choices: go back to bed and get a little more sleep, or stay up and get some things done before our son wakes up.

If I go back to bed, I am grateful for the extra sleep, but I usually regret it later because I could have checked a few things off my to-do list. However, I never regret choosing to stay up and get going with my day.

Here are some tips for helping you have a productive day:

Get dressed and put your hair up

Sure, it can be nice to stay in my pajamas for a while. But when I do, it makes me feel lazy and like I haven’t really started my day. When I get dressed, I feel ready to get started on something instead of just getting back in bed.

I also like to put my hair up, whether it’s a pony tail, messy bun, or a side braid. Doesn’t have to be fancy – just something quick. I do this because when my hair is out of the way, I feel ready to take on the world.

Make your bed

Have you seen the video of the Navy Seal Admiral who talks about making his bed every day when he was in basic shield training? I love it and since I heard it almost a year ago, I think there have only been two days that I haven’t made my bed.

In the video, he says, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another…”

The rest of his reasons for making your bed every day are powerful, so I’d encourage you to watch the full clip below. It’s not even two minutes, and it’s definitely worth it.

Read God’s Word

Spending time in the Bible is critical. As the Bible says, it is our spiritual food. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). When we connect with God and read His Word, we are being “nourished with the words of faith” (1 Timothy 4:6).

I also love that the Holy Spirit always speaks to me when I read the Bible, even if it’s through something I’ve already read before. There are things that might not stick out to me at one point, but then it really relates to me when I read it again later. If you think about it as being blessed every time you spend time in the Word, then when we don’t spend time in it, we are missing out on all those things He could have blessed us with.

There are also days when I feel so busy that I don’t have time to read the Bible. But it’s amazing how I usually feel like I have more time in my day when I give some of my time back to Him.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills –
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1-2

Make a list

It’s always said that making a list helps, but there’s something I add to my lists that helps even more. I add an amount of time next to every item on my list. If washing dishes is on my list and I think it will take me about 20 minutes, I write “20 min” next to it.

Don’t spend too much time trying to figure out how long something will take. Guesses are okay. Be generous, but don’t say something will only take 5 minutes when it will really take you a half an hour. I love it when I get something done faster than I thought I would, but it will also sometimes be the other way around and will take longer than I expected.

By doing this, it helps me plan my day better and see just what else I can cram into my son’s hour and a half nap time.

Monitor your time on social media

I am always amazed at how fast time flies when I’m on my phone. If I get on Facebook “for a few minutes,” it can easily turn into an hour before I know it. Pinterest also likes to suck up a lot of my time. Getting on to look up one recipe has turned into pinning about sewing projects I want to try, or the next haircut I will get.

There are several apps out there that actually monitor the time you spend on your phone and on social media apps. I use the SPACE – Break Free app for my Android. It tells me how many minutes I spend on social media and even how many times I unlock my phone that day. I try to make it a game of how low I can get those numbers!

Tell your husband

Sometimes I will tell my husband in the morning the things I want to do that day. It acts as accountability. Yes, there are plenty of days when I don’t get everything done, or even just the one thing I told him about. But it does help because I like being able to tell him later that I did get it done!

Whether you try one of these tips or all of them, I’m sure you will benefit because the most important step is already taken: that you are being intentional about making a difference.

I am always looking for new ideas, so if you have any suggestions of how you stay productive, please comment! I’d love to hear it!