Overwhelmed by your day-to-day mompreneur life?

How many days this week have you reached the end of your reserves, looked at your to-do list, and kept right on going?

Probably most days. Am I right?

There’s a way to quit running on fumes – to make sure you get what you need, too – and it doesn’t involve pushing through empty.

Here are three tips you can put into practice right now to say goodbye to exhaustion, forever.

Number one

Your first task: pay attention to your normal energy flow. 

(And guess what – you probably know most of this already. We’re just going to lay it all out so that you reach those “aha” moments.)

• When are you energetic during the day?
• When are you so-so?
• And when are you just downright tired?

Now, go beyond “in the morning” and “close to lunch” or “at naptime” here. We want a good, granular view of your day.

Think about:

• Early morning vs. mid-morning.
• Pre-lunch and post-lunch.
• Early vs. late afternoon. Pre- and post-supper.
• Early evening, mid evening, late at night.

What are you like at each of these times?

Number two

Now that you’ve gotten your data, take a look. Analyze for patterns.

You aren’t mysteriously losing patience with the kids one day and not another, for no reason at all.

If you look closer, I bet you’ll find that every day right before naptime is one of your low energy spots. Or early morning as you’re trying to rush everyone out the door – on time, bellies full, teeth brushed, socks matching, hair done.

See what I mean?

You’re not snapping at the kids because you just couldn’t hack it that day. You’re genuinely, consistently, low on energy at that point in your day – all week.

Let that take a load off. Just shuck that guilt right now.

Number three

And now that you see your own patterns, we’re going to play offense. We’re going to take back some of that energy before you melt down.

Because pre-planning is proactive planning. 

And I want you to be ahead of the game.

So. Let’s go!

Where can you tweak little things about your day to avoid those breaking points before they happen?

Think of things like:

• a 15 minute “everyone go outside” break while you prep lunch – in quiet
• a mid-morning “mommy only” snack to keep you going through lunch
• hitting your biggest tasks of the day before late morning, so you don’t get frustrated with your lack of progress and let that spill over to the kids
• announce an extra “room quiet time” or “outside recess” when you’re helping your daughter with the math homework she’s getting frustrated about
• ask your partner to play with the kids – out of earshot – while you clean up from supper (if he isn’t on cleanup duty)

Just answer the question, “What would make this not a big deal for me?” and see what comes up! The answers might surprise you.

Pulling it all together

There you go. You know how to pull yourself out of mommy exhaustion mode now.

So what are you going to try today? 

Will you tackle the mid-morning breakdown, the post-lunch stress point, or the naptime nadir?

Just pick one thing for today, and try it.

Tomorrow, evaluate how that went for you and try something else.

You’ll soon see a pattern of what works for you (and your family), and what isn’t quite right.

And one day soon, those days of running and running while your gas tank hovers on empty? Those will be over. Gone. Bye bye.

A receding memory that you’re glad to leave behind.

So tell me, what are you changing today?