Three ways to reduce the mental load of motherhood

Is your brain full of nap schedules, parent hacks, and school admin?

So full that the idea of putting your mind to your career or taking an hour to speak to a coach feels impossible?

I have three ideas for you to try:

1. Automate it

What do you have to buy every week / month / quarter? Could you set up a subscription? I’ve set up a few: coffee, cat litter, kids vitamins, loo roll, toothbrushes – all things we use a fairly predictable quantity of.

Yes, sometimes it gets a little out of sync (I have a shelf full of Peppa Pig Vitamins – oops!), but not having to think about these things every month is a simple thing to take off my plate.

2. Outsource it

We often think of outsourcing as a cost – hiring a cleaner or nanny for example.

How can you outsource without a huge investment?

How about a childcare swap where you take it in turns with a fellow parent to pick the kids up from school and give them dinner?

Outsourcing is also really important at crunch times – like when looking after a new baby.

A meal train can be great for these life events. Everyone in the group only needs to make and drop off one meal, but the recipient gets a couple of weeks of dinners. This was a *huge* help when I had my baby, and I’m more than happy to pay it forward now.

3. Share it

While automating or outsourcing can reduce the mental load, they still need oversight.

What if you could completely shift some of the load?

With your partner, co-parent (or even your children) – sharing the mental load can be a game-changer.

How? I use the Fair Play Method. It’s a time and anxiety-saving system that offers a completely new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities.

Fair Play is made up of 4 easy-to-follow rules, 100 household cards, and a series of conversation starters for you and the people you live and parent with.

I love seeing the shift couples go through when using the Method:

“[Sam] got us on the road to home equity. After coaching my partner and I had a conversation that we should have had a while ago! It felt so refreshing to be able to talk so openly with each other. It’s a gradual process but we are going in the right direction and I’m excited for the future!”

Amy, Cardiac Technician & Little City business owner

To support you with getting started take a look at this free guide to Invite Your Partner To Fair Play.

What will you try first?