Productivity hacks that can be flexed around kids

For the freelance mums. The entrepreneurs with young children (and very little childcare support). The women who are ambitious and driven but also in a caring role.

Back in 2016, when I had just one child, aged two, I wrote an article for the Guardian about how I like to rise at 5am and spend my early morning hours being productive.

It was in response to a book about how working women can find success and satisfaction through better work/life balance.

The author suggested that mothers shouldn’t pause their careers to have kids. Instead, they should keep a foot in the door to avoid becoming “bored and unfulfilled.”

That bit I fervently disagreed with. There should be no rules about how women navigate the workplace, after having a child, only support and encouragement.

However, I did agree that the early morning hours can be an opportunity to get some work done for parents of young kids, especially if you have no childcare.

People got annoyed with me.

Apparently, I sounded like one of those braggy smug entrepreneur-types, who rises early with their matcha-whatever and does a five-hour workout.

I never want to preach to anyone, particularly not parents, because we are all living in varied circumstances.

Some have help with childcare; others don’t.

Some have kids who sleep through the night and lie in in the mornings; others don’t.

Some have a partner who earns and supports them financially; others don’t.

And so many variables beyond.

But I do like sharing what’s working for me, finding solutions to the challenges many of us face and looking for ways that we can feel better, throughout the day.

I love a productivity hack if it works for women with kids.

Now, I have three children, one of whom rises at 6am, shortly after me, meaning there’s a cutoff to any morning writing I might be trying to do in the kitchen.

Some mornings are dominated by tears, because school is hard for one of my children.

I’m also not living with my husband in the week, so parts of my weekday routine have to be tweaked to fit in with being the only parent in the house.

Here are three ways I boost my energy and creativity in the week, which feeds into my productivity, and tweak when parenting needs to take precedence…