Setting Yourself Up for a Successful Week as a Busy or an Overwhelmed Mum

There are a few things, we as parents, can do to make our week feel a little more manageable. If you work, commute, do school drop-offs, chase little human in rooms covered with toys, and try to function like a normal-ish person in the middle of it all, then keep on reading.

Now, I’m a project manager by profession, so you’d think I’d have this stuff figured out. You’d think I could plan like a pro and my life would be better organised, like some of those influencers who nail it.

But alas.

Or even worse - I plan like a pro at work. When I am at home, I struggle to stay organised (probably because I want my work and my private life to feel different). So I forget things. I get distracted by shiny things and overwhelmed by a sheer volume of messages that are coming at me faster than race cars.

And then one day in the middle of a meltdown (not kids, yours truly) I reminded myself that preparation for my week could be treated like a project.

What do projects have?

Projects have pre-agreed plans, timelines and budgets. They also have well-researched tools that could help to get over the line, as well as constraints noted down, and contingency plans drafted.

I sat down and thought of my week as if I was writing a draft plan for my client. What sort of timeline and budget am I working with? What are the constraints? (holidays, single parenting, sick days, etc.)

What do I, as a mum of this family, need to have in place to succeed this week?

(You see what I did here? My question has a limited life span - just like any project would. I am only planning it one week at a time, no more, no less. Because it’s easier and more sustainable this way.) Creating a plan for the client is a lengthy process, so I decided to only concentrate on all the tools that could help me.

But life is known for throwing curveballs at us. So I divided my tools (or tips) into easy, medium and hard to set up or complete. Below you will find my 6 tools that might make your life much easier (no promises, as we all are different and what works for me might not work for you, but I hope it does).

🌱Easy

1. Do “two-minute” tasks straight away

Some tasks are better to be tackled straight away. That WhatsApp about a playdate? Check your calendar and reply. That school email about dress-up day? Add it to your calendar. Don’t save these micro-tasks for a mythical “admin hour.” If it takes under two minutes, just do it. It’s like decluttering or closing your Gestalt. Your mind stops thinking about it the minute you do this simple task.

2. Skim your calendar(s)

Spend five minutes once a week (Sunday night or Monday morning is perfect) to skim all your calendars—personal or main calendar, work, school, nursery. I have a wall calendar where I add extracts or a summary of everything I am bombarded with during the week. Make sure there is nothing lurking that has not been added to your main calendar.

🏋️‍♀️Medium

3. Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier

And I am not talking about very popular tips like “get up at 5am to build your empire” here. I mean, if you need to be up at 6 am, put your alarm for 5:50 am. It’s 10 minutes only, but it might give you enough time to ground yourself, sip tea, or simply breathe before the house wakes up. It makes everything feel a bit more… comfortable. Especially if you are a chronic procrastinator, like me.

4. Use Sunday to prep

On Sunday, prep outfits for the week, pack kids’ bags, plan lunches, and make sure everything you’ll need is in one place (at least roughly). It’s a little more effort upfront, but the calm it brings to weekday mornings is priceless. Also, you will have more energy on Sunday as it’s a weekend and you don’t need to rush anywhere. So use your energy levels to help your future self.

💪🏼Harder (But Worth It)

5. Create a shared family calendar

Whether it’s digital or on paper, get all your school dates, events, appointments, and recurring chaos in one place. It takes a sit-down session to set it up (especially if you’re importing newsletters, emails, and PDFs), but it reduces weekday overwhelm. As I mentioned above, I use a simple monthly wall calendar/planner that is designed for families (there are 4 columns for 4 family members). It hangs in the kitchen and everyone can see it - and all the fun activities this month has in store for us.

I also have a shared digital calendar where my partner and I can see anything I add to it. It’s basically a duplication of the wall planner, but I find it useful as you can check/add things when on the go. I also write about it in this blog post about trying to control everything.

6. Use the ‘fake alarm’ trick

My secret weapon: I set our “leave-the-house” alarm 10 minutes early. When it goes off, everyone knows it’s time to go. But only I know that we still have a little time for lost shoes and emergency toilet breaks. And magically, we often leave on time, which means we can actually enjoy-ish the school run.

✨ Final Thought

Success isn’t about doing it right all the time—it’s about feeling more in control about things that are in your control. You don’t need a new system or a fancy planner. Sometimes it’s the smallest tweaks that change everything.

Pick one tip. Try it and see if it works for your family.

And remember: we all will have those chaotic days and mornings when everything goes wrong. And funnily enough, sometimes chaos adds a bit of spice and excitement to our lives. But I’d rather portion that sort of excitement and have it occasionally. I mostly prefer to enjoy my week chilled, not stirred.