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Hello and welcome to another episode of The Mom-entum Podcast, the show dedicated to inspiring, uplifting and empowering women on their journey through motherhood. I’m your host, Tanya Valentine, and I am so grateful you are here!

So listen we have been on the topic of time lately, and talking about how we think about time, and how our perspective on time shapes what we do with it.  If we think that there’s never enough time that is what we will create.  We will create an experience for ourselves of time scarcity and we will feel that.  Rather than shifting our focus on the fact that not everything is urgent.  Not everything requires your attention right away, not everything has to be done.  We often overstretch ourselves. So shifting our mindset to we have plenty of time for the things that matter and then planning our time by focusing on what matters most.

So now I want to talk about something that is real and that is MOM BRAIN.

Moms often struggle with productivity and focus because our brains are constantly managing multiple priorities, interruptions, and emotional demands. In today’s episode we will talk about why it happens and then how we can work with our brain instead of against it.

1.  One of the contributing factors of mom brain is interruptions: Kids’ needs are unpredictable, making it hard to stay focused on one task.  You’re in the middle of making one kid chocolate milk and another one is demanding that she get her chocolate milk first, while another one is hollering at you from the bathroom that he needs his but wiped.  Meanwhile your going what was I doing before? Oh yeah that’s right I was emptying the dishwasher.  We are constantly having to shift our focus, and this burns a lot of cognitive energy when we are relentlessly shifting from one thing to another. 

2. The next thing that contributes to mom brain is our mental load: Moms carry the invisible weight of remembering everything—schedules, appointments, meals, emotions—which can lead to overwhelm and mental fatigue.  I remember one of my co-workers at the hospital, she was one of the social workers, and she would wear a badge that said “chaos coordinator” and that’s what we should wear.  That’s essentially what moms are, right?  We are coordinating the chaos.  Making sure everything flows and that everyone has their needs met.

3.  Next up is Sleep Deprivation: Lack of sleep impacts cognitive function, memory, and the ability to concentrate.  Not to mention, it can increase our bodies production of hormones like ghrelin, which is the hunger hormone, which causes us to eat more than is necessary which then makes us feel sluggish and perpetuates this inability to concentrate.

4. Then there is the Multitasking Pressure: We are trying to juggle multiple tasks at once and this can reduce the brain’s efficiency and lead to mistakes or burnout.  We think doing everything at once will help us save time, however it often can end up costing us time. For instance, have you ever forgot where you put something because you were too busy multitasking?  I know I have.  You forget where you left the keys because you were too busy emptying the car of groceries, shoes, coats, backpacks, all while you were talking on the phone.  Now when it’s time to go somewhere and you are wasting time scurrying around frantically looking for your keys. 

5. And finally there’s the Guilt and Emotional Overload: We feel guilty for focusing on tasks other than our kids and this can lead to distraction and less productive work.  We don’t need to feel guilty for cleaning the house.  And we don’t need to feel guilty when we are playing with our kids thinking we have so much work to do.  The problem solve for this is being present.  Just whatever you are doing, pouring your focus into that one thing.  Not thinking that you should be doing something else.  Believing this is what I’m supposed to be doing simply because this is what I’m doing.

So now, this is how we can work with our MOM Brain:

1. Leverage the Power of Micro-Tasks: Break down big tasks into small, manageable steps that can be done in short bursts. This works with the brain’s natural attention span and the realities of motherhood.

Example: Instead of tackling the entire task of cleaning the kitchen, break it down into micro-tasks like:

1. Unload the dishwasher (5 minutes)

2. Wipe down the counters (3 minutes)

3. Sweep the floor (5 minutes)

This way, even if you only have a few minutes between tending to your kids, you can make progress. It works with your brain’s natural attention span and helps you feel accomplished, reducing overwhelm and keeping momentum going.

2. Embrace the 5-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than 5 minutes, do it immediately. It reduces mental clutter and builds momentum.

3. Use Visual Cues: The brain responds well to visual reminders. Sticky notes, checklists, or visual schedules can help moms stay on track.  Another excellent visual cue that I use that works so well is using alarms.  Setting alarms so I don’t get so caught up in doing something that I lose track of time.  For instance, I have an alarm for picking up my kids from school, to let me know when it’s time to move on to the next task, to remind myself to make a phone call.

4. Plan for Flexibility: Instead of rigid schedules, try block scheduling or setting “priority pockets” of time where key tasks can happen, leaving room for interruptions. This could look like, if you use a digital calendar like I do, making sure to leave white space, that is extra time when nothing is planned to leave room for unexpected things that happen or when things take longer than anticipated.

5.Instead of switching between different tasks all day, try batching similar ones together:

• Meal Prep Batch: Chop all the veggies for the week’s dinners at once while the kids are napping or watching a show. Then, portion out snacks like fruits or crackers for easy grab-and-go during the week.

• Communication Batch: Set a timer for 15 minutes to respond to texts, emails, and school messages all at once, instead of replying throughout the day.

• Cleaning Batch: Pick one room or type of task (like wiping surfaces or vacuuming) and focus only on that during a free window.

Batching helps you stay in the same mental zone, reduces the time it takes to refocus, and makes the most of those small pockets of time in motherhood.

6. Practice Mindfulness: Even one minute of deep breathing or focusing on the present moment can reset the brain, calm stress, and improve focus.  This is something you could actually set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to do.  So maybe everyday at 1 o clock you set an alarm and it can be your mindfulness alarm..then set a timer for one minute and just focus on your breathing, inhaling and exhaling.

As Eckhart Tolle says, focusing on one conscious breath, even for a minute, can create space, stillness, and presence, pulling you out of the mind and into the present moment.

7. Give Yourself Credit: Celebrate small wins. The brain thrives on accomplishment, and recognizing even the smallest progress boosts motivation and focus. So what is one small win you can celebrate today?  Think about it.  Say it out loud.  I know there’s got to be at least one thing worth celebrating!  Maybe it’s that you stayed calm when your daughter had a melt down at the grocery store.  Or maybe it’s that you didn’t hit the snooze button this morning.  Congratulate yourself.  Providing yourself with a healthy reward of acknowledgment will give you the motivation and momentum for positive forward movement.  Your brain will go oh that felt good now what else can I do to create more of that feeling? And then suddenly one morning of getting up with the alarm leads to 2 mornings in a row, then 3, then a whole week and then suddenly you are that person who never hits the snooze button, you know it doesn’t give you any extra quality sleep you know. 

8. Now moving onto the last tip and that is to Simplify your To-Do List: Focus on 1-3 priorities a day. This helps the brain stay focused and avoid overwhelm.

Working with your brain means honoring how it naturally functions—through small, consistent actions, flexible structures, and realistic expectations. It’s about progress, not perfection.

Alright, mama, I hope today’s episode gave you some helpful insights and practical tips to work with your mom brain instead of against it. Remember, it’s not about being perfect—it’s about finding small, realistic ways to make life feel a little lighter and a little more doable. You’ve got this!

And hey, if you loved this episode, I would be so grateful if you’d take a quick moment to leave a rating and review. It helps the show reach more moms who need this kind of encouragement.

And don’t forget to snag your free 5-Minute Reset at Tanyavalentinecoaching.com/reset. It’s a simple, powerful tool to help you reset and refocus in just five minutes—because we all know that’s sometimes all we get!

Thanks for hanging out with me today. I want you to know I am rooting for you and I promise you are doing so much better than you give yourself credit for! I’ll catch you in the next episode!