5 Steps to Manage Your Invisible Mental Load

As moms, no matter how much of our daily schedule we write down and track, there will be little things, tiny details still left in our minds.

It’s a running list of things that need to done sometime in the near future, and these floating to-dos form a constant buzzing in our heads.

It might be about restocking the sauces in the pantry, or checking if the kids need new shoes before soccer camp, or following up on the doctor’s appointment, and so on and on. 

This is our mental load.

It’s the cognitive and emotional labor of anticipating and meeting others’ needs – at work, in our relationships, for our kids and for the household. 

Mental load is invisible, unpaid, largely borne by women, and also one of the things we struggle with the most everyday. 

Here are 5 steps to manage your mental load, with MAMMA-MIYA

 

1. Acknowledge it

Some of us might have carrying this load for so long, it can feel difficult to separate it from who we are. 

The first step is to acknowledge all that you’re doing for others, and for the well-being of your family. 

Acknowledging it will help you become aware of what it feels like, so that you can learn to manage it. 

Managing your mental load will give it the time and attention it requires, without using up a disproportionate amount of our time, mindspace or energy everyday.

 

2. Put it down

The second step is to put it all down. 

The Brain Dump feature in MAMMA-MIYA lightens your mental load by holding everything everything on your mind for you –  lists, photos, even scanned notes. 

Putting everything down will give you a clearer idea of what’s on your plate, and make it easier for you to prioritize them. 

 

3. Schedule it

If you have a floating to-do – something that has to be done but not today, dump it in the Brain Dump.

Then add a reminder at a later date to look at it. 

Whenever you’re ready, you can pull the list or item from the Brain Dump into My Day with a long tap.

4. Delegate

Any time is a good time to check if you can delegate some things on your task-list.

As this article says, for every task, ask yourself two questions:

1) Does this work actually need to be done? 

2) Am I the only one that can do this work?

Ask your support system for help. You never know – they might just be waiting to be asked. 

5. Review & recalibrate 

One of our top supporters, Rachel, calls our daily and weekly insights “a life audit”. 

You can use these insights to recalibrate your days to include the things that matter the most to you. 

With the daily donut, you can see how you’re spending your time everyday.

The weekly insights shows you where you’ve spent your time in the past week, what Hats you’ve missed, and your Routines Streak.