Motherhood + Multitasking

Under the Weather

It's day 5 of “back to school” and my 8th grader is home sick for the second day. Having him home this soon again wasn't in my plan. In 2020, his appendix burst the day before school started – so this isn't nearly as bad as that, but still, it's an unexpected wrinkle.

Overtired

As I write this, my 12th grader is falling asleep on the couch, laptop balanced on her chest. There is unfinished summer work, and new homework, piling up. Sports practice after school is leaving her exhausted and running short of time.

The college counselor is wondering about the personal statement, her room is a mess, she needs a shower. She’ll find her way, but I wish all the things could be easier.

Overflow

On the first day of school, the main toilet overflowed - right after my kids left. I spent over an hour cleaning up, plunging, and eventually gave up, calling the plumber. There were work calls to make, tasks piling up, I couldn’t spend all day wrestling with the toilet.

The plumber never came.

Over it

We are back to making lunches, grabbing midweek groceries, carpooling, and serving hot dinners - the food prep and cleanup tasks never seem to end.

With September comes more added pressure—football team, fundraiser tickets to sell, crew team breakfasts and meetings, stage crew forms, supply runs and back-to-school nights. Tonight is the college fair.

Too much, too many things. School lunches are the last straw.

Error Code

This morning, the washing machine stopped, gave an error code, and locked my favorite pants inside. I put on a different pair and got the kids off to school. My husband had just left for a trip so I called the repair company. No one could come until Friday, so I tackled the machine myself. Two hours later, my pants were free.

The washer still isn’t fixed, but that’s a project for the repairman. I have other things to do – I've no more appetite for these “special projects”.

Time Crunch

I have a bunch of financial reports and tax filings to review for work. These are non-preferred tasks for me, and I tend to avoid them until I can’t anymore.

Today, there’s a 96-page document waiting for me.

I only have 20 minutes between meetings so I print the pages, (all 96) to review after the kids have gone to bed. 😴. I fall asleep early and review them with the morning coffee.

Tech Tangle

I’m getting ready for my daughter’s 504 meeting, and I try to download her class syllabi. I click and scroll, click and scroll, through the labyrinth of Canvas.

After 45 minutes, I’ve only found two out of the six syllabi. How much time should finding a syllabus take? Why isn't every teacher using the same page format? Why isn’t Canvas calendar integrated with Google calendar? Why is everything I need always buried in a forest of links, apps, and menus?

Frustrated, I shut my laptop. No one has time for this nonsense.

Notification Nuisance

A parent texts me, trying to arrange an after-school pickup. My phone pings one reply sentence at a time all afternoon. I just want one conversation to settle it, but they are not answering the phone.

The constant pinging of these texts pulls me away from everything else I’m trying to focus on. My brain is buzzing.

Form Frenzy

The school photo fundraiser is a popular activity, but they only offer 50 timeslots! The signup form opened at 9 a.m. sharp - it’s first come first served.

While I was waiting at the ready, the plumber arrived, about the toilet.

And suddenly, it was 9:05 a.m. and (darn it!) I had missed the signup genius. I logged in and quickly reserved one of the two remaining spots, and hit submit. By 9:08, the signup was full.

The plumber didn’t do anything except pour a bucket of water into the toilet and declare it “all clear”. The bill was $185.

September demands more than it gives.

The constant role-switching—mother, professional, handyman, scheduler, driver, problem-solver—is exhausting. It’s not just the big tasks but the invisible ones, the little things that slip into every free moment —like remembering to sign a form while answering work emails— that pile up and drain us.

I share these stories because they’re a glimpse into the juggling act that so many of us face. It’s only the second week of September, and I’m already running low on focus, patience, and energy. You might be too. The weight of these invisible tasks builds up faster than we realize.

This weekend, I’ll carve out time to recharge and adjust my calendar to ensure next week runs smoother. With a little luck and strategic planning, I might just make it to October with my sanity intact!

What about you? How do you navigate this relentless season?

I’d love to hear your strategies for staying balanced—beyond just coffee (though that helps too!). ☕️☕️☕️

Send me your best tips at karin@resourceful-leaders.com, or better yet, join my free newsletter (sign up below) for more stories, survival strategies, and insights on balancing work, life, and everything in between.