Creating systems and staying organized has been my lifeline since becoming a mom! I think sometimes we think of ‘systems’ as robotic or stiff, but for me, these are little graceful additions to my everyday routine that keep me sane, focused and calm as both a mom and entrepreneur!

There is nothing that makes me more productive than knowing that my ‘work’ hours are extremely limited as a mom! I know that I have to work ‘smarter not harder!’

The more organized I’ve become, the more effective I’ve been…all with even more limited time!

The goal of systems is to help you do less and accomplish more. As a mom our time (aaaaand brain power) is often pulled in a million different directions. What if when you did have a chunk of time, you were organized, prepared and focused to DO the work? This is where systems allow YOU to shine!

Start here first —> How I Balance Work and Being a Mom

Here’s a few ways I stay organized as a mom + entrepreneur…

This is a long post, but hopefully it gives you plenty of tangible ways you can impact your business and family!

‘Brain dump’ // My best advice is to start with a ‘brain dump’—if you are feeling overwhelmed don’t keep staying in that status quo, you HAVE to get that out! Make a list of everything you need and want to do…write down what IS working and what is NOT working. Write down everything from the littlest details to the big projects. Getting it out on paper will give you clarity and a starting point! I do this little ‘brain dump’ activity about once a month!

15 minute power clean up // I have to start with a non-business specific task because it will help your business SO much, especially if you work from home. An organized space = an organized mind. Clearing the clutter will make you that much more productive and focused all day long! This is something your littles can help you with too—even at 2, Remington helps put her toys and books away. Turn on your favorite song and make it fun!

Focus on rituals // Rituals are the glue that hold everything else together. Rituals keep me grounded, provide stability and calm not just for me, but for the whole family. Rituals I focus on daily—my morning routine, quality one-on-one time with my daughter twice a day, 10 minutes of self care, rest time as soon as Remington goes to bed at night and planning out my week every Sunday. I guard these rituals as sacred because I’ve seen the impact.

Digital + written calendar // I always say, if it’s not on my calendar it won’t happen. Especially as a mom, my brain power is constantly pulled in a million different directions, so I make sure that I have direction and lots of reminders to help me accomplish much!

Digital calendar: I use this for any events that happen at a specific time—so phone calls, trainings, anything that launches on a specific day/time, etc. I always make sure to program the event immediately so I don’t forget and always include any relevant info like phone number, Zoom link, etc. Make sure you set an alert to be reminded of the event either 5 minutes prior or at the time of the event.

Digital reminders: Also a huge lifesaver! I use the reminder app on my phone for anything that repeats weekly or simple things I remember in the moment but don’t have time to complete like email this person Monday morning or order this item.

Written calendar: I am totally a written person and love the act of writing down tasks AND the satisfaction that comes with crossing them off. I always write down 3 things I need to accomplish daily as well as other smaller little tasks or reminders. I LOVE my Golden Coil planner as it is totally customizable and has plenty of space for daily tasks and to journal out big projects, ’to-dos’ and even meal planning!

Keep a list of things you can accomplish with your little // I am the type that needs quiet and deep work time to focus and be creative. When I have a chunk of time to focus, I’m always amazed at how much I can accomplish in a short amount of time! However as a mom, having a chunk of time to do deep work is often not reality. For my personality, I have a ‘list’ in my head of things I can do with a little in tow and tasks I save for when I have quiet time. This totally ties in with batch working, which I talk about below.

You might be surprised by how much ‘fluff’ you can accomplish with noise in the background or a little begging for your attention! Now, let me be clear—I rarely am on my phone or computer with my daughter around, but sometimes that’s jut a reality of life and business. Whenever I go to do something, I always think in my head, can I do this now or do I need alone time? I try to get all the ‘fluff’ tasks out of the way and save the important tasks for nap time or when I have help!

Task to accomplish with a little:

• cleaning, laundry
• working out
• bath or shower (yes this is on my list!)
• checking Voxer or Instagram messages
• quick check in phone calls, not training or more focused calls
• podcast listening
• taking photos for social media and blog posts
• emails that only need a quick reply

Asana // This is a lifesaver—I’d be lost without Asana. It’s a task management program that comes in so handy whether you are an individual or have a team. My team can assign me tasks and I can assign them tasks. We have it broken down by months as well as general ongoing tasks like social media and graphics design. This way everyone knows clearly what they need to be doing and when it is due. It also gives you a flying unicorn when you complete more than one task!

Batch working // I talk about the why and how of batch working in THIS post, but pretty much it groups your tasks together so that you fully complete a task then move on to the next rather than wasting time and brain power switching between tasks.

For example, on Tuesdays I focus primarily on Beautycounter and supporting my team—I have a checklist of things that have to happen every Tuesday. And on Thursdays for example, I always proof everything for social media for the next week and hand it over to my social media manager Megan (I still do Instagram myself!). By having set routines and checklists of things I know I need to accomplish each day, this saves me time but also makes me feel good about fully accomplishing a task! This is my TOP productivity hack!!!

Marketing team calls // We have a standing Monday morning phone call as a team (usually about 20 minutes)—this is how we connect, encourage each other and make sure we all are focused on the same goals and tasks for the week. Thankfully, my amazing team usually takes some of the load off of me, and other weeks they give me lots to do! If you don’t quite have a team yet, I encourage you to set a timer for 15 minutes and do a Monday check in with yourself!

Quarterly content planning // I like to say, “a goal without a plan is just a wish.” Especially as a mom, it’s SO easy to keep putting aside your big plans, launches or dreams. You have to plan and schedule these goals to make them happen! I like to break the year into quarters—this way it’s bite sized and practical! Annual plans are honestly too overwhelming for me at this stage of motherhood. I typically spend a few hours doing this—first I brain dump all my ideas, then chat with my team about what supporting content we need for big launches and then we plug it into the calendar to make it happen!

^^ If you want my exact annual and quarterly planning routine, check out my Content Calendar Planner! You can get the exact digital, google docs and written way we plan for success + impact!

How do you stay organized, productive and calm as a mama boss lady?!