Meghan Kerns is the owner and chief media director of MOKup Media, a digital strategy company specializing in social and brand marketing for small to mid-sized businesses. Alongside her passions for speaking and creating, Meg also writes for her blog, The Mother of Chaos, which helps parents know that they’re not alone in the crazy ride called parenting (and how to better balance their lives with kids).

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(0:00) Welcome to Episode 80!

(0:35) What to expect from today’s episode

(1:44) Meet your host | GATLUW House | AmyTV | goodmorninggoodlife.com

(2:16) Check out detailtherapy.online for ALL Detail Therapy show notes!

(2:30) Thanks to our sponsor — our friends at Get.Online!

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(5:32) Why do you do what you do?

“So that I can give both myself and the family that my husband and I have created a life we can look back on full of memories.”

(6:42) Meg’s journey, and Meg & Amy’s history!

(9:20) Meg’s turning point, and how Amy’s channel helped her

(12:07) Meg’s family

5 Tips for Parent Productivity

1. Have a morning routine just for YOU (12:39)

Meg’s morning routine helped her find the balance she needed to avoid waking up stressed, even with 3 children. Make time to write what you’re grateful for, read, learn a language — anything that’s just your time. Pro tip: Meg even has a special chair she sits in for her routine, so the fam knows to let her have her time!

Help your children to grow up mindful of respect, empathy, and consideration for other people’s time. Show them what it looks like to start your day on your terms, and allow them to have time for themselves as well. You’re never too young for healthy habits!

2. Build a family schedule (16:45)

Meg’s family focuses on time management routines that work for everyone. At night, Meg will prepare breakfast and set it out on the table for her children to eat when they wake up in the morning. Then when the next day begins, they can eat and use their devices, giving them something to do while Meg has time for her own morning routine.

Remaining consistent allows your children to know what’s coming next, cutting down on tantrums and stress. Don’t be afraid of being ‘too structured’ — kids thrive under the boundaries of daily routines.

3. Use your smart devices (20:05)

Meg’s family leverages their smart devices to send them alerts and reminders. They get reminders about snack time, quiet time, and anything that needs to happen during the day. This habit has come in handy for Meg, because her children will not argue with a device! Use your smart devices to help your kids stay on schedule, and teach them to respect it as its own kind of authority figure.

You can also send announcements through Alexa. For example, if Meg is on a phone call downstairs but hears some thunderous footsteps running through the upstairs hallway, she can send an announcement through Alexa alerting her children to stop running while mom works (without ever raising her voice!).

Bonus tip: practice manners with Alexa! Have your children start saying “please” and “thank you” when they get notifications, and she will acknowledge them and respond.

4. Institute a ‘kid quiet time’ (25:46) 

As Meg’s children aged out of nap time, she began introducing their designated quiet time. They have specific toys and activities in their individual rooms that they use within the quiet time space, and they can choose if their devices will be part of this time or not.

As a parent, it is not your job to entertain your child every single second of every day. Children must be able to entertain themselves, even if just for an hour or two a day. An independent play time allows them to develop the internal monologue, keep themselves occupied, and nurture their more creative sides.

5. Be flexible and expect distraction (29:30)

When Meg transitioned from having daily childcare to caring for her children by herself, she expected to achieve the same level of productivity as usual. But she found herself frustrated when she didn’t have the amount of time she used to have, since she was now caring for her children at home.

If you’re caring for children and balancing a work schedule, be flexible. Evaluate where you can find time, even if it’s outside of a normal work schedule. Life does not look the same for everybody, so find a set of habits that work for you and your family.

(33:22) Tip recap

(33:47) Meg’s final thoughts — find out what you’re capable of!

(34:17) Meg’s downloadable infographic

(35:31) Follow Meg:

• Meg’s Instagram
• Meg’s TikTok: @themotherofchaos3
• Meg’s Twitter
• Mother of Chaos

(36:40) What does it mean to you to go after the life you want?

(37:14) Catch the Details

• Productivity looks different for different stages of life. Adjust to your circumstances accordingly, and be flexible and lean into the changes!
• Make your smart devices work to your advantage! Look for the shortcuts that can level up your life.
• Plan for interruptions and become the queen of the backup plan. Whether you have kids or not, things don’t always go the way we expect them to.

(39:13) Don’t forget to check out get.online! Check out detailtherapy.online and gatluw.store, and don’t forget to use my code ‘AMY’ for 90% off your own domain!

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