Do You Ever Audit Your Motherhood?
You’re probably thinking...”What in the world? Why would I audit my motherhood?”
Now if you’re a working mom you understand an audit, especially if you work for a larger corporation. What’s the point of an audit? Well if we’re talking IRS (eeee! scary kind of audit) then it’s to make sure you’re paying enough taxes. Not fun! But an independent audit many companies will do to either look at their books or their systems to uncover problems and make sure things are efficient. In essence, it’s a break in the day-to-day to examine and make sure things are going in the direction you want them to!
I recently did some research and asked working moms in different groups on facebook what their biggest struggles were. I was shocked! I was totally expecting something like marketing or creating content or goal setting. NOPE! You know what almost everyone said. Chores, meal planning and not having enough time. WHAT?!?! Why as women do we put so much stress on ourselves over this stuff? Trust me! I do it too, I will sacrifice my business because there are dirty dishes or get distracted by a train set that I really should put away...oh wait the girl’s closet should be gone through. WHY do we do it? Well for one working at home adds to this challenge because I’m surrounded by #allthethingsthatneedtobedone all day long. It’s hard to shut that stuff out fo sho!!
Firstly I want to tell y’all that I don’t believe we can “fail” at housework. It’s something that has to be done and we all have different gauges for what “clean” looks like, but we will be cleaning, cooking and doing laundry probably until the day we die. So we shouldn’t be stressed by it! It’s a part of life. And I believe it’s one that if we simplify and systemize it can be made easier! Which in turn gives us more time!
The first step in combating this housework related stress is our mindset. How we view these responsibilities can make a huge impact on how we respond to the stress of them. Looking at chores as a way that you bless your family. You are the reason they are fed, clean and clothed. There should be a pride in that, but also not the need for perfection. If you’re like me and criticize yourself for the fact your 5 year old never matches ‘cause that’s just the way she rolls or that your 2 year old only eats mac and cheese because he’s just not that into veggies. Take a deep breath and know you’re not alone. Stay firm, but pick those battles girl!!
So we’ve changed our mindset, now we’re ready to audit!
Here are some statements I want you to read out loud.
I have systems/routines for my daily chores and meals
My systems and routines serve me well
At the end of the day I feel accomplished and proud of myself
I always have time for the most important things because I’m not overwhelmed by the small tasks.
If you read those and feel a little uneasy...like “WOAH, stop the train...that’s not me! I am overwhelmed, I don’t feel accomplished and I’m so behind on all those chores”.
Then it’s time for that audit.
We should be on offense, not defense when it comes to chores. That’s what routines can do for you.
If you’re like me, I love lists and systems. I have no idea why, but I thrive when I know exactly what needs to be done and when I can cross things off my list. You might not work that way, so a part of this is knowing how you work best and tailoring your system to that. One thing that you can’t do is say to yourself, “Well I could never do that, like that.” Because until you implement a system you really won’t be certain it won’t work for you. There’s a little just to get started here. No need for perfection, just do SOMETHING!
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