5 Daily Rhythms to Keep You Grounded as a Busy Mom

Here are five things that I (yes, a Type A Mom) started doing when I went back to work after maternity leave that help me keep my sanity.

Motherhood is full. Full of joy, full of chaos, full of schedules that rarely go as planned. I don’t do well when I feel like my life is not in order, and a lesson I’ve learned over and over again in the past 17 months of motherhood and business-building is that I have to learn to let go while also weaving rhythms into my daily life to help me tame the chaos.

Here are five daily practices that I (yes, a Type A Mom) started doing when I went back to work after maternity leave that I’ve incorporated as regular rhythms that I hope help you, too!

1. Run the dishwasher every night

It sounds simple, but it’s magical. I never want to do it, especially after I’m ready to crawl up the stairs and into bed, but my morning self always thanks me. It’s stressful to me to have a screaming toddler in my ear while I’m trying to find or wash clean bottles/cups for her to take to school when we were already supposed to be out the door. So waking up to a tidy kitchen with clean cups in the dishwasher I can throw directly in her daycare bag helps me keep the morning anxiety a bit lower.

2. Create a transition ritual after bathtime/bedtime

Once Iris is in her bed, I take a short evening walk. It marks the shift from “mom mode” to “me mode” and helps me breathe again. I found a route that’s a 1-mile loop from my doorstep and takes me about 22 minutes. This was especially helpful in the 13-15 month milestone when she was in full on toddler mode, fighting me every single step from bathtime to bedtime.

I usually pop in my headphones and catch up on email, talk to ChatGPT about a new idea, listen to an audio book, or sometimes just walk in silence. It’s been a helpful reset for my mind and body.

3. Use the “unread” text feature guilt-free

Like most moms, I don’t always have the capacity to respond to messages in the moment, but I’ve created a system for myself so I don’t have the lingering, “Did I get back to so and so?” in my head because I don’t have space for that.

When I get a text I don’t have the mental or physical bandwidth to reply to right away, I’ll mark it as unread. Then, usually before I turn off the light, I’ll click on “Unread Messages” in my messaging app in my phone so I only see those and knock through them. This helps me follow through and check responses off my list and out of my brain before I put my head on the pillow.

4. Throw toys in baskets, bins, and totes

Toys everywhere? Instead of fighting the chaos, I keep baskets, bins, and totes around the house. At the end of the day, everything gets tossed in—it doesn’t have to be pretty, just contained. It takes me about five minutes to throw everything in and makes me feel like my house isn’t a toy factory.

Here’s the part of my living room where I throw all the things in the bins and tent.

5. A daily treat that’s just for me

For me, it’s my morning coffee. For you, it might be a skincare routine, a favorite podcast, or five minutes in the sunshine. Whatever it is, protect it like gold and build a system around it. I make the coffeee while my daughter is eating her breakfast in the kitchen on her toddler tower. Our coffee station is all in one place by the sink in the kitchen which makes it a lot easier to dump out yesterday’s grounds and brew today’s pot without running around all over the kitchen.

Taking a minute to enjoy my morning coffee after dropping Iris off at daycare.

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None of these rituals are rocket science but are simple, doable rhythms that keep me sane, grounded, and a little more present in the middle of the mess.

What about you? What’s one rhythm or ritual that makes your day better?