8 Ways Minimalist Moms Have the Whole Working Mother Thing Figured Out

8 Ways Minimalist Moms Have the Whole Working Motzu sich Thing Figured Out They dont do it all. They do whats important.Weve seen the tired old trope in articles, commercials and television shows so many times working moms just have too much to do. Theyre chauffeuring kids around to evening practices, making lunches after said kids go to bed and staying up till the wee hours of the morning catching up on their relentless and stressful jobs. The message is clearworking moms are tired and burnt out. They dont get enough time for themselves becausetheyre so busy giving it all to their families and their jobs. But does this really line up with the working motzu sichs you know?herbeies a secret many working mothers have figured out less really is mora. Theminimalist movementsimplifying your life and stuff to gain more timehas revolutionized life as a working mother. The minimalist mom gets a full night of sleep, has time with her kids and, importantly, has time for herself. Heres how1. Sh e says no.A minimalist mom knows her limits, her interests and what the tipping point is for herself and her family. So, she limits volunteering to what interests her and what she can reasonably fit into her life. She guards her Wednesday nightsthe night she always takes off from family duties to hit a yoga class or do something for herselffiercely. She also says no to her kids its one out-of-school activity at a time and Sunday mornings are always for family. Shes also mastered saying this at workNo, I cant take your work on. No, I wont be staying late to schliff your last-minute request.2. She knows where to spend her money for increased quality of life.She would rather hire a bi-weekly cleaner than buy a pair of designer jeans. Weeknight meals are easy and from theslow cookeror just a simple spread of crackers, cheese and fruit. Fast food and takeout is expensive, and shed rather spend that money on a babysitter and three courses at that new trattoria for date night. She is happy to buy the expensive snow boots for her oldest so they last through all three kidssaving not only money, but also time shopping. The kitchen renovation can wait until the youngest is out of daycare. Until then, shed rather use fun money to buy an extra week of vacation and road trip as a family. Her spending aligns with one of her biggest values having time for the things and people she loves.3. She doesnt care what other people think.Her workwear is five outfits for each season and no more. Its professional, flattering and easy. No one notices if youve worn the saatkorn outfit for seven Tuesdays in a row. She doesnt care what grandiose delicacies are brought for the school bake sale She brings the same delicious butter cookies (the ones that they can freeze a quadruple batch of dough for) to every event requiring a cookie or baked good. Keeping up with the Joneseswho are stressed out and brokeisnt her thing.4. Her kids do some things, not everything.The family lives by a shared Go ogle calendar and there are set rules around weekend playdates and kids activities. Their kids have a healthy mix of structured activities and unstructured play time. She is a part first chauffeur, playdate arranger and sideline soccer mom second.5. She delegates like the boss that she is.She hasnt done kid laundry since her oldest could reach the stacked washer dryer on his own. Her husband alternates meal planning and grocery shopping with her every week and makes all the kids dentist appointments (she does the doctor appointments). She only takes the dog for a walk when she wants to otherwise the kids do it. When an older kid forgets his or her lunch at home, they know that they have to figure it out for themselves raiding their stash of granola bars in their locker or borrowing money from a friend for lunch. She understands she cant do it all, but rather, she and her family can do the basics together.6. She knows what she and her family need (and want).Her non-negotiables are he r running group that has met every Saturday at 7 a.m. for a decade, a long weekend away with her spouse every fall and bedtime stories with the kids at least three nights a week. She knows what people and things fuel herthis makes it easy to say no to things that dont. She has a rule for friends that invite her to those kitchen gadget/jewelry/leggings parties if she knows the salesperson well, shell buy one item but wont attend the party. Every other invitation is a no.7. She has hard and fast rules around taking work home with her.Her gruppe knows that if they have something urgent after 6 p.m. they better call her. She doesnt check email once she has left the office until 6 a.m. the next morning. When she gets home from a week of work travel, she takes a four-day weekend. Her schedule is blocked out from 4 p.m. onwards. so she isnt scheduled into end-of-day meetings that could run long. She meditates for 10 minutes at the end of her shift so she can leave the work stress at work. She guards her personal time and mental space fiercely.8. She views work as a break from family time and family time as a break from work.Being mentally present and engaged at work and at home means no guilt over enjoying herbalance of work and family life. She cheerfully enjoys that theres no diapers to change for nine hours a day Monday to Friday, and when shes home she revels in being out of her office and untethered from her phone and laptop. Learning to quickly switch gears from work, family and personal time is a skill she has mastered to simplify her life.The minimalist working mother doesnt do it all she does the things that are important to her and to her family. Her list is unique to her and no one else. How she spends her time and her money directly aligns with what she values. This ethos of living her values makes it clear, fast and easy to make decisions. She knows that time is her most valuable resource and she spends it wisely at home and at work.This article original ly appeared on Working Mother.