Busy is the new rich.

Slow down. Breathe. And gain more perspective on your life and embrace your chaos.

Navigating through chaotic times can be a daunting task, to say the least. From getting the kiddos ready for school, making it to work on time, doing laundry, cooking dinner, and everything else in between.

If you indulged in reading my first blog post, Introducing Girl, You Write, I confessed that I was a neat freak. My self-proclaimed diagnosis concludes symptoms of anxiety & frustration when my home isn’t organized, and if things around me are overwhelming and out of my control.

(But with a 3-year-old life gets messy!)

Before I had my daughter, no one could have prepared me for the changes that were going to occur in our lives. Being a full-time working mom, wife, freelance writer, blogger, and a new entrepreneur are my greatest joys. But there’s also a caveat to this — it’s super busy!

This summer my daughter took swimming lessons for the first time, and in addition to that, we decided to keep her actively involved in her regular extracurricular activities, soccer, and gymnastics. I’m sure you can imagine my level of stress.

My husband, who’s my biggest supporter and the person I lean on the most, alleviates A LOT of my stress. I never want to do life without you, babe.

But at times, stress tries to creep into my life and convince me that I can’t handle what is in my control.

For the past several months, I’ve been intentional about learning tips and tricks that reduce my levels of anxiety and stress. Though I’m still a work in progress, I’m learning how to let go of control and the notion that everything has to be perfect.

I’m thankful that I’m learning practical ways to navigate through my chaos.

Here are three mantras that I’ve adopted to calm the chaos in my life. Hopefully, you find these practical tips useful too.

Related Reading: 5 Essentials for Goal Setting

Navigate your day with a plan and let that plan reflect what you value most for the day. Before I incorporated this into my life, I was flying by the seat of my pants and free-styling my day. I was a new mom, and I was in survival mode. But that was a huge mistake. Huge. Borderline insanity! In hindsight, my free spirit approach led to unproductively because I wasn’t focusing on particular tasks at hand. Needless to say, I became much happier when I chose to actively pursue meaningful goals with a plan.

Focus on your energy more and your time less. It can be challenging to do this, but it’s possible. Yes, time management is important. And it’s taught me how to maneuver through a limited schedule. It’s also taught me the rigor it puts on my physical health if I don’t allow my body to rest.

Know your limitations and manage accordingly. I realize that I become overwhelmed with too many tasks at once. It’s not good for me. Establishing boundaries that revolve around my tasks keeps me on track, and I’m more productive.

Believe it or not, a messy life is a full life.

We’re all busy. And we have those feelings of inadequacy now and again. But don’t let your mess give you stress. There’s no magic pill for chaos. But, there are methods to incorporate into your life that could simplify it.

I hope that these three methods will give you the confidence and clarity you need to take charge of your chaos too.