Episode 12: The Top Habits Every Busy Mom Needs

If there is one thing that I could go back and learn earlier, it would be what we’re going to talk about in today’s episode. Today is going to be all about the daily 5 habits that every busy mom needs in their lives. Let’s get into it!

The Inspiration

I was first introduced to these ideas by Rachel Hollis at her Rise Conference in 2019. They were then later reiterated in her book, Girl, Stop Apologizing, which I highly recommend if you’re on a level 1 or level 2 of the personal growth triangle.

If you’re curious where you fall on the personal growth triangle, you can find out in 5 minutes or less, using this free assessment tool. 

Rachel Hollis refers to these top habits every busy mom needs as the Daily 5, which I will also adopt for this episode. 

So without further adieu, what are the top habits that every busy mom needs? 

What Are The Top Habits Every Busy Mom Needs?

These habits really are the foundation for the personal growth triangle. In order for any other type of growth to occur, these basic habits should be consistently met to create a strong basis of support.

The Daily 5 habits are: 

• Gratitude
• Early wake up
• Workout
• Water
• Food category (add or subtract)

Top Habits Every Busy Mom Needs: Gratitude

The first Daily 5 habit is practicing gratitude. This is definitely the habit that I was most skeptical about. Every personal growth book you come across emphasizes the importance of gratitude. And for good reason – it works! 

The trick? Consistency and specificity. 

Each morning, I include 5 bullet points of things that I am grateful for on my daily page of my MAP Book. Instead of writing general things like “I am grateful for my health” or “I am grateful for my husband”, I get super detailed. I write “I am grateful for my arms for being able to lift 30lbs in today’s workout” or “I am grateful that my husband cleaned the kitchen before bed last night.” See the difference?

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

I found that once I started to do this on a regular basis, I started to notice things that I appreciated more often. That, in turn, made me happier and it’s a win-win!

Early Wake Up

The next top habit every busy moms needs is an early wake-up. I’m going to do a whole episode about this in a few weeks, but trust me on this one. The best way to start your day on the offense instead of defense is to wake up before your kids.

I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help with this one. My wake-up times have fluctuated throughout the years, but a bedtime alarm has always helped me, as a reminder to go to bed at a decent time. Another helpful trick is to plan something to do in the morning that you REALLY want to do. I have coaching clients that try to start an early wakeup to workout. I’m sorry,  but you’re setting yourself up for failure – no one is going to leap out of bed to get their cardio on! But reading a book you’ve been dying to read? That just might work! Then do the workout after that.

Top Habits Every Busy Mom Needs: Workout

Speaking of workouts, this is the third top habit that every busy mom needs. The benefits of working out are endless. For me, working out gives me a sense of control over how I feel about my body. I don’t need to look the same as I did in high school, but I sure would like last year’s shorts to still fit! 

Again, I will have a whole episode in a few weeks about how to get consistent with your workouts, but I suggest finding a program that you can stick to. Even if you have to pay for it, it will be worth not having to plan or design your own workout routine. I use BeachBody on Demand ($100 a year and hubby and I both use it) and I have friends that swear by the Peloton app, even without the bike. Find something that is planned for you and has easy entry with accessible equipment and a reasonable time frame. For me, 40 minutes, 4x a week is my sweet spot.

Water

The fourth top habit every busy mom needs is to drink the dang water! It wasn’t until college that I realized my body needed a crazy amount of water to feel my absolute best. But once I figured it out, it was a game changer.

I now drink 96 oz. a day (½ my body weight didn’t cut it, trust me, I tried). My tip for getting consistent with this is to find a no-excuse water bottle that you love. My sweet brother-in-law got me a Yeti for Christmas and I’m obsessed. Once you have the water bottle, be sure to bring it with you EVERYWHERE. TMI, but If your urine isn’t clear mama, you need to drink more!

Top Habits Every Busy Mom Needs: Food Category

The final top habit that every mom needs is to add or subtract a food category. .This habit is probably the trickiest one to conquer consistently. I suggest choosing one food category that you want to ADD first, since adding is always easier than subtracting. For 30 days, add a salad or more green vegetables into your diet. After that, for the next 30 days, try subtracting meat, sugar, gluten, dairy or whatever food category (or item) you notice yourself hitting the pantry for a little too often.

Again, this is probably the most challenging one but it’s success can greatly affect the other four habits.

How To Track Your Top Habits Every Busy Mom Needs

This won’t surprise you at this point, but I track the top habits every busy mom needs in my MAP Book. On the corner of my daily page, I write the numbers 1-5 every morning. When I complete one of the habits, I cross it off. At the end of the night, I circle the number that I achieved that day. 

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

A second way that I keep on top of my Daily 5 habits is with an accountability group. Three other women and I created a Facebook Messenger group and every week night at 8pm, we quickly send our number to the group. For some reason, knowing that you’ll have to do that makes you drink the water or not hit snooze on the alarm clock. If there is another mama looking for accountability for the Daily 5, this is an easy way to make it happen in less than a minute a day!

Let’s Make a Plan!

In your MAP Book, write down the top habits every busy mom needs and decide what your 5 would be for the next month. This is the time to get specific. How much water will you drink? What food category will you add? What are you going to do for your workout? Decide how you’re going to track these habits and get to it! Remember, your only challenge is to be better than you were yesterday. 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Spotify or YouTube so you don’t miss next week’s episode: Episode 13: How to Create a Budget That Actually Works. Personal finance is my obsession so I am literally bursting at the seams to chat about this with you! 

If you want to connect between episodes, be sure to give me a follow over on Instagram – @sharonlegercoaching. On my stories this week, I am going to be sharing with you the behind-the-scenes of what the Daily 5 looks like for me in my life!

Finally, be sure to subscribe to my email list to get weekly personal growth delivered right to your inbox – and because I know you’re busy mama, I promise it will include a meaningful action step that will take you 2 minutes or less to implement! 

Thank you so much for being here, mama! Get back to doing your thing, rocking your world and remember – keep growing! Little eyes are watching. 

Did You Love This Episode?

If so, be sure to share it with a friend – this helps busy moms like you to find me!

And finally, you can also check out these related episodes that I think you’ll be obsessed with:

Consistency Over Intensity

5 Best Personal Growth Books for Busy Moms

How to Find Time for Personal Growth as a Busy Mom

How a 99¢ Notebook Saved My Life