Being a busy mom means juggling a million things at once. We are constantly changing and adjusting as life changes. When things feel super chaotic, it can be easy to fall into bad habits that do nothing but hold you back. Here are 10 bad habits to leave behind as a busy mom so that you can improve your well being and reach those ambitious goals you’ve set for yourself.

Listen Below For The Entire Episode On The Systemize Your Life Podcast

The Importance Of Habits

I honestly picked up on this whole idea of habit building from Atomic Habits by James Clear quite a few years ago.

I really care about these topics because I want to accomplish a lot and have really big goals for myself. If you care a lot about productivity and what you want to do with your time, you have to peel back another layer of the onion and look at the micro, which are your habits.

A lot of what I do to stay so productive is yes, sticking to my time blocks and my systems, but it is also about routines and making those things habitual.

Unhealthy Habits To Leave Behind

At the same time, I am no different than you. I also fall prey to the leisure, the relaxing, the lazy, the addictive—all the distractions and things in life that are comfortable. In order to get to the place in your life where you really want to be, whether it be in the next month, the next year or big dreams for 5-10 years from now, you have got to get uncomfortable. You have to be willing to break bad habits that are taking up too much time and giving you nothing in return.

“In order to get to the place in your life where you really want to be…you have to get uncomfortable. You have to be willing to break bad habits.”

You are guaranteed to stay the same if you never change and those thoughts and ideas. Those dreams that you have for what you want to accomplish as a mom and a wife, even if it is just to change the way you do laundry, find the time to cook healthy meals or just be more present with your family, those things require change. They’re not who you are right now.

To replace those bad habits with healthy ones, you have to do something that might feel different awkward, hard and weird at first.

Life Is Always Changing

I will never forget the day when that light bulb went off and I realized, oh wow, the only thing that always remains the same is that things are constantly changing. Change is constant.

I have realized that habits and the things that I do everyday, the groove that I have created for myself, even if it’s a great groove, is going to change.

Your morning routine will not suit you forever. Neither will the clothes that you wear and the way that you do your hair. At some point, you will change the way that you do your makeup, the food that you eat or the friends that you have.

I can’t tell you how many times I have had to reinvent when I do my work block. Things are constantly changing. We have to stay consistent and focus on the habits that move us forward in life. It’s also vital to use self-awareness to recognize the unhealthy habits to leave behind.

10 Bad Habits Busy Moms Need To Leave Behind

Here are 10 very common unhealthy habits that I myself have struggled with and know that many other moms struggle with as well.

I’m not going to talk too much about what positive behavior you should replace these unhealthy habits with. Instead, I am going to list 10 bad habits to leave behind and let you choose which one of these speaks to you.

Maybe all 10 of them will but you’re going to hear one or two that stand out as negative habits you want to break right now. Those should be the ones that you focus on. That is going to tell you where to start, which unhealthy habits to break first.

Bad Habit #1: Staying Up Too Late

You shouldn’t be going to bed late. I’ll be honest, this one is on the list because I struggle with it too. I was just talking with my husband about this. It is so hard because we have our time together in the evening and we love that time. It’s so fun and we look forward to it but we also love getting up early to get things done in the morning.

Our time together at night puts us at like a 7-hour sleep day and both of us need a solid 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night. So, for us, it is about finding balance between the two.

Those quiet hours after the kids go to bed feel like pure bliss but cutting into your sleep is one of those unhealthy habits that comes with a big cost. Sleep-deprived mornings and low energy levels are definitely not going to improve your focus or help you get closer to your goals.

Bad Habit #2: Oversleeping

Hitting snooze might seem like an innocent delay, but science shows it literally restarts your sleep cycle and leaves you feeling even groggier when you do finally get up. Mornings are hard enough—don’t make them harder by oversleeping.

Maybe you’re just like me and are absolutely against alarm clocks. I hate them. When I was younger, I used to make my mom get me up. If I want to wake up without an alarm though, I obviously have to go to bed on time to get enough sleep.

Bad Habit #3: Not Getting Dressed In The Morning

This is a hard one for so many women. Especially if all you have to do is drop the kids off and pick up them up at the end of the day. A lot of times you don’t want to get ready and do a whole morning routine.

Even though it feels hard, this is a really good habit to get into. Pick out an outfit the night before. I don’t care if it’s cute sneakers and some kind of t-shirt. I live in the athletic-leisure ware. That is different the sloppy, slouchy pants.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with those things but what you get out of actually getting up and getting ready in the morning is worth the small amount of time you put into it.

No, you don’t have to put full makeup on. You don’t have to do your hair. Messy buns are amazing but at least brush your hair and put it up in the messy bun. You can throw mascara on or just wash your face, it’s up to you. Do whatever makes you feel like you are somewhat well-kept.

Getting reading in the morning means you’re taking care of yourself. You’re getting ready to meet the day. That is a really great habit. Not taking care of yourself is one of those habits to leave behind right away.

Bad Habit #4: Neglecting Skincare

You need a skincare routine. Taking care of your skin is self-care.

I’ll be honest, I struggle with this one too just because it’s at night time. I need to get back to doing it in the time when I know it works. I know that when my kids are getting ready for bed, I should come up and get ready for bed too. If I wait until my husband and I have hung out and wrapped up our evening then I don’t want to do it.

At the same time, I’ve had like a major uptick and how often I am doing my night time like skincare routine I have never felt better in my life. When I go to bed and when I wake up the next day it is an incredible feeling. Even if it’s something simple like taking off my makeup. I have a full skincare routine and then I have like a quick little ditty that I do when I am short on time. Both have been amazing. I love it so much.

Bad Habit #5: Consuming Sugary Drinks

Number five is truly a terrible habit that you need to break like yesterday. If you don’t know where to start, start here. If you are drinking soda, energy drinks, or really sugary coffee, swap that baby right now with something else. Start with water or lemon water, you don’t need anything fancy. Just start making those swaps right away. Here are a few of my favorite drink swaps to give you ideas.

Bad Habit #6: Too Much Screen Time

Number six also super high on the list of habits that absolutely should be ditched for busy moms—screen time. If you are constantly feeling like you don’t have enough time or you are always feeling guilty about wasted time spent scrolling, you might want to delete your social apps off of your phone.

It’s the easiest habit to break in the whole world. Just delete the apps off of your phone. Give yourself a couple of days a week where you can do a hard detox. Then, give yourself a few days a week were you can check them. It’s super easy and will create so much more time and space in your day. 

It might also help if you struggling with social comparison, those negative thoughts that come from constantly comparing your life to what you see on the screen. Taking a break from screens and social media can improve both your physical and mental health in so many ways.

Bad Habit #7: Leaving Everything to the Last Minute

Procrastination leads to rushing, stress, and a that constant feeling of being behind.

I will say that this is something I have really had to work on. I have a severe problem with wanting to get as much done possible in every minute of my life. That ends up meaning I rush to the next thing. I don’t really mind that much but it’s a bad habit.

If you are busy, the last thing that you want to feel is like you have to rush from one thing to the next. So, don’t wait till the last minute. Find a way to break that habit. Buffering in transition time from one time block to the next has helped me a lot in this area. I feel less stress when I have the ability to stay ahead of my schedule.

Bad Habit #8: Not Making Your Bed

Number 8 is one of my favorites—making your bed in the morning. There are so many lessons that you can apply to your entire day just by making your bed after you get up. You experience such a sense of accomplishment when you do that one thing first thing in the morning. You’re setting the tone for an incredible rest of the day.

Bad Habit #9: Keeping To-Do Lists in Your Head

Number nine might be hard to hear. You might have to have to chew on this one for a while. One of the old habits that I really want you to consider breaking is keeping all of your to-do lists in your head.

Everything that has to be done should not be in your head. You shouldn’t be thinking about all the things you need to get done all day, everyday. If you are thinking about what needs to be done and it’s all in your head, that habit has got to go. It is impacting your mental health, causing you stress and making you feel chaotic.

I promise, by getting your to-do list out of your head you will be able to save time and better focus on what actually needs to get done.

To learn what to do with your giant task list instead, check out my brain dump system.

Bad Habit #10: Over Consuming And Under Doing

Last but certainly not least on the list is one of the most detrimental habits that any busy mom could have—-over consuming and under doing. If you are living off of inspiration instead of the high you get when you work hard to accomplish something, that truly is a missed superpower and a missed opportunity.

Create habits of doing more than you consume. Create more than you consume. Take an inventory of how much you’re consuming in comparison to how often you are taking action.

I’m a huge consumer. I will research and read until my eyes are bloody, like all hours of the day and the night when I’m really hungry for something. But then, once I have the information, I take serious action. If you’re going to consume it needs to be for a reason. Take notes, create a plan, set small goals with deadlines and take action.

Start Creating Positive Habits Today

Breaking bad habits doesn’t happen overnight. Habits form by making small, consistent changes over time. Choose 1 or 2 things from this list and start taking small steps toward changing that behavior. Even little shifts are progress in the right direction. Don’t just be a consumer. Set yourself up for success and start taking action today! Which habit will you start with? Share in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I start replacing unhealthy habits with healthier habits?

First, go through this list and choose 1 or 2 old habits that you want to break. Then, do what I did when I was trying to figure out why my skincare routine was falling by the wayside. Observe what isn’t working and why and then make changes.

Here is a great podcast episode about the power of observation in building new systems and routines: 3 Tips To Help Busy Moms Get Out Of Survival Mode By Next Week

Why are bad habits so hard to leave behind?

Anytime we are making a change, it feels hard. Remember, this isn’t about perfection, it is about progress. Focus on the things you can control, learn from mistakes along the way and make an effort to stay consistent. The more you focus on the behavior you want in your life instead of the old habits that are holding you back, the easier it will be.

Where can I find accountability to help me build new habits?

If you join my coaching program, Systemize to Scale, my team and I will work with you personally to build new systems, habits and routines in both your home and business. We will hold you accountable and help you grow so that you can accomplish your big goals and dreams no matter how busy life feels.