Moms: You Can't Do It All Perfectly – But Here's the Next Best Thing! by Cynthia Miller

Let's face it: it's impossible to be a 150 percent perfect mother, spouse, parent and full-time worker. It just is. Impossible, that is. It's just not realistic. Accepting that fact is giving me relief – there's nothing worse than being set up to constantly fail because you expect the impossible, right?

And I'm using this strategy, too: wherever I am, I am fully present. Work is over, and I'm at home with the kids? Cell phone and laptop are put away. I'm at work? Worries about my fourth grader's social studies project are put on hold. Family walk after dinner? No cell phones, and we talk and look in each other's eyes. Driving kids to school? I'm talking to the kids, not juggling work calls.

I used to do a lot more multi-tasking – or maybe "chaos generating tasking" is more appropriate – like driving my kids to school and answering work emails at the same time. This new strategy of being 100 percent present in the various spaces I occupy is making me more efficient, less stressed and better at each of the areas I'm engaged in. Try it! Let me know if it works for you!