Multitasking Survival Skills

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We all have lots to accomplish in a day, people needing us, projects we want to create, time we need to spend on too many things. This week has been so good for me to explore what I spend my time on and how that affects me and my family. There are lots of times we have to multitask. There are parts of life that are routine and habit. Those habits we tend to tune out and do in our sleep.

A new challenge arises when we are doing things out of our routine. So, be confidant in  multitasking when it is routine. When you are unloading the dishwasher, cooking dinner and playing with the dog at the same time. When you are folding laundry and playing charades with your kids (oh, just me?). We all handle things differently and can take on more or less than others and that is the beauty of being created as an individual.

If you are creating new habits that need attention and focus here are some of my mom survival skills


Survival Tips

11. Have your kids pick a puzzle, book or playdough to play with at the kitchen table while you are cooking dinner. When our kids were 2 and 3 this was scissor time and gave them something to look forward to and more desire to stay put! Our favorites are… 




22. Getting everything ready to leave the house is typically a scramble. Get your kids ready and then give them a consistent waiting spot with a task. Ours choice is they pick a book and sit on the couch “reading” until we are ready (less than 10 minutes).


33. Work together. I often feel that I don’t have time to clean the house because I don’t want to put my kids in front of a movie to clean for an hour. I have found small tasks that they can do without me (wipe down a bathroom sink, dump trashcans into a larger bag, put small items back where they go) and bigger tasks to do together (vacuum, dust, unload dishwasher). We talk about how we are going to all work together and then we are all going to stop and play together!

44. Don’t underestimate their ability to sit still for a short period of time. While I vacuum their bedroom they all sit on the bed (less than 2 minutes).



55. TV shows also have a place for this. You pick the show and make it an educational one like Wild Kratts, Octonauts or Leapfrog. This helps me stay focused also because it gives me a time limit to complete the shower, cooking, or cleaning and then I know I need to be done.

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