Working Moms, How do you Battle Fatigue and Chronic busyness?

Question

I swear if one more person tells me that I can't do it all I'm going to explode. There has got to be a way to do my job, spend time with my daughter, take care of my house and be a good wife without killing myself and I'd dearly LOVE to know how other people do it. I freely admit to wanting to be able to do it all and do it all PERFECTLY! I want to be the best at my job, I want to be the BEST mom ever! I want to cook dinner every night and I want to spend time with my hubby. Lately I do it all but feel like I'm about to break before Friday even gets here. How do you do everything you love and still keep your health?

Answer 1

You cannot meet all of your goals. You are a perfectionist and "it don't work". The sooner you accept this and learn that everything cannot be perfect, including yourself, you will be able to do the necessities and live with the rest. Doing a job perfect for the most part is seldom accomplished. Doing jobs good or very good can be done most of the time. Honestly, from what you have said here, you need to start prioritizing things and you will be able to manage your time. This will take time but think about some things that you can change a little at a time. You are human not Super Human. Good luck.

Answer 2

perfect is impossible. just take one day at a time. since having my second child which is 19 months now, i've learned to be more laid back with letting some of the smaller stuff around the house go longer without constantly keeping it spotless. otherwise, i would go absolutely berserk. the vacuuming i do on the weekends, the kitchen i keep tidy daily. keep up with laundry throughout the week. you get the general idea. just clean as you go. i'm a full-time career mom as well. i'm up at 4:15 am. my work week schedule consists of this pattern: i get up, brush my teeth, do my hair, make coffee, get my lunch ready, get the kids daycare bags ready. wake them up around 5:50 am. we're out the door by 6:30. by the time i leave daycare it's around 6:50 am, then i'm on my way to work. work hours are 7:30-4:00. pick up the kids at 4:35 pm, then we're arriving at home at 4:55. they have a snack, play together while i start dinner before hubby gets home, which is at 6:00. we have dinner, clean up, then the kids have baths. we play a little with them. i know. not much time after the hustle and bustle, but that's what it's like unless you're a stay-at-home mom. the kids are in bed by 8:30 at the latest. aaaaand we do it all over again.

now, i would like to say i do it all by myself, but my husband is a real winner when it comes to shared housework chores. he changes diapers, cooks, cleans up and does laundry. including folding the laundry. wrinkle free at that. he's been trained well :) not to mention that he pretty much takes care of all the outdoor maintenance - mowing, weedwacking, etc. and on the other hand i clean the bathrooms, do most of the vacuuming, mopping, dusting, clean the windows, mirrors, etc. on top of that we bought our house 4 years ago and it was a fixer-upper. the entire time we've lived there it's been undergoing constant renovations. tons of improvements at that! my husband is a construction foreman. hence, he has been doing all of the home improvements on his own. no hired contractors.

that's my schedule, in a nutshell. i hope it helps. it can be chaotic. i also forgot to mention that i do see a therapist once a week.

it really can be done if you're willing to let some things go a little longer. good luck!

Answer 3

have a routine. i did it all...worked, did everything at the house and raised THREE kids as a single mom. i drank a lot of coffee and didn't sleep much. i really miss those days.