I was so excited for summer to start this year so I could be home with Mac. I had all of these ideas to get things done around the house and on the blog while also having a great, fun summer with Mac. Of course that all went by the wayside when summer actually came and frustration set in. My house was still a mess and my to-do list never got shorter. Finally, I had to stop myself and ask why in the world I was getting nothing done when I had tons of time. After some soul (and Pinterest) searching, I finally came up with five secrets to stay at home mom productivity.

P.S. I have updated my tips! Make sure you check out the 8 easy tips I now have to be a productive stay at home mom.

P.P.S. I moved into a larger house now and I’ve come up with a newer, better cleaning system that only takes 15 minutes a day! Make sure to check it out.

First off, I pinpointed my problems. I was disorganized, overwhelmed, and not seeing enough progress to feel that I was actually getting anywhere. So I implemented five things that have been a life saver (and my clean house will show you it is working!)

Bullet Journal

I am a list maker. I love to write things down and check them off when I am done with them. It is just so satisfying to have a physical reminder of all of the things I have done. It is also a good way to organize what I still have to do. A few months ago, I stumbled onto the idea of a bullet journal. I love the fact that I can write whatever I want, not just my appointments or a to-do list.

I did struggle at first with the idea of having to make it look picture-perfect and beautiful, but once I let go of that, my stay at home mom productivity skyrocketed.

If you want to learn more about bullet journaling, make sure you watch the video at bulletjournal.com. Make sure to search for bullet journals on Pinterest to get some inspiration and ideas on pages to add.

Time Blocking

Instead of just writing a big long to do list, I have started to time block. That means I break my day up into chunks of time. Usually I have early morning (before Mac gets up), late morning, naptime, afternoon, and evening (after Mac goes to bed.) Besides the early morning chunk, all of the chunks are at least 2 hours long. (The early morning one is only an hour because my child hates to sleep.)

When I get up, I try to immediately get my bullet journal and break up the tasks I want to get done for the day over my cup of morning coffee. I try to save any blogging tasks for over naptime or after Mac is in bed for the night. Cleaning is usually done in the late morning unless we are out and about. Afternoon is saved for lighter housework and perhaps a trip to the park or a splash in the baby pool.

When it seems like there isn’t enough time in a day, that is when I tend to get overwhelmed and end up doing nothing. Just knowing that there are specific times in my day to get everything done that I need to do helps my motivation.

Put That Phone Down!

Sometimes, I think smart phones are the devil. The allure of the electric screen is so strong. I find myself endlessly scrolling through Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat until I realize I’ve been sitting on the couch staring at my phone for 20 minutes. That is definitely not something I need to be doing.

It has been so hard, but there is a direct correlation between me putting my phone down and my stay at home mom productivity. I try to give myself times during the day where phone breaks are okay. But it is good for both Mac and I if my phone is somewhere else.

I would actually like to implement the idea of a charging station. Not that my phone needs to be charged frequently, but I need a drop zone where my phone “lives” until I actually need it instead of it always being within arms reach.

No Yoga Pants

I love yoga pants. When I was pregnant with Mac, I was excited to be able to wear yoga pants to work. They are so comfortable! And that is precisely the problem. Yoga pants are great for relaxing and when I wear them, that is what I tend to do.

So instead, I have been actually getting dressed every day. I don’t put on my Sunday best or spend an hour fixing my hair. For me it means at least jeans or a maxi skirt. I find I take things more seriously. It is like I’m getting dressed for my job, except right now my job is in my own house.

One Touch Rule

I came across this amazing idea on Pinterest one day. This rule has totally changed the way I tidy up my house. The basic idea is that you put items away where they go, the first time you touch them. Just today I stopped myself from putting the dirty blender in the sink after I made a smoothie. The dishwasher had dirty dishes in it, so why not put it right in there? So I did. And my kitchen looks much cleaner.

Read more about the one touch rule at Mother’s Niche.

The only hard part of this rule for me is that I live in a three level townhouse and I have to keep an eye on my mischievous toddler. So I can’t necessarily put away things on a different level. I have solved this problem by grouping items that need to go up or downstairs and making it a habit to grab them on my way by.

Do you have any other secrets? Let me know, I’m dying to try them!