How to Stop Tying Your Worth to Your Productivity (Especially as a Mum)
LollyWilliams-Gibbs Williams-Gibbs 
Stop measuring your worth by your to-do list. Learn how to reconnect with your value beyond productivity—especially in motherhood.
Hello, hello, hello my lovelies!
Let’s be honest—how often do you feel like your day only ‘counts’ if you’ve ticked off enough boxes, cleared the laundry pile, replied to all the messages, and somehow managed to keep everyone alive and relatively happy?
We live in a world that praises busyness. That celebrates output. That subtly tells us, “You’re only valuable if you’re getting things done.” But here’s the truth, and I want you to really hear it:
Your worth is not tied to your productivity.
In fact, constantly chasing that to-do list as a way to feel ‘enough’ is a fast track to burnout, resentment, and emotional exhaustion—especially as a mum.
This blog is your gentle reminder (and permission slip) to stop measuring your value by how much you do, and start reconnecting with who you are.
The Productivity Trap We Fall Into
From the moment we become mums, there’s this unspoken pressure to do it all. Keep the house running, raise emotionally healthy children, maybe work or run a business, stay present in relationships, and if there’s time—throw in some self-care for good measure.
But here’s the thing… That “never enough” feeling? That’s not because you’re not doing enough. It’s because your worth has been tied to your output.
You feel guilty when you rest. You beat yourself up for needing help. You see downtime as wasted time.
Sound familiar? It’s not you—it’s the story we’ve been conditioned to believe.
Why Your Worth Has Nothing to Do With Your To-Do List
Let’s flip the script.
Your value doesn’t live in a clean kitchen. It doesn’t come from how many tasks you’ve ticked off. It’s not about how much you’ve achieved today.
Your worth is inherent. It’s in your presence, your love, your intention, your growth, and your truth.
Even on the days when everything feels messy, unproductive, or unfinished—you’re still worthy. Full stop.
We don’t want our children growing up believing they only matter when they’re achieving, right? So let’s model something different.
How to Shift This in Real Life (Without Guilt)
So what do you actually do when you notice you’re spiralling into the “I haven’t done enough today” headspace?
Here are three gentle shifts to start breaking the productivity = worth cycle:
1. Create a ‘Being List’ Not Just a To-Do List Alongside your tasks, write down how you want to feel today.
Do you want to feel calm? Connected? Creative? Grounded?
When you shift your focus to how you want to be—you give yourself permission to live with intention rather than performance.
2. Celebrate What You DID Do—Even the Small Stuff Did you comfort a child through a meltdown?
Make time to breathe?
Hold a boundary?
Those things matter. More than we give them credit for. Start noticing and celebrating the micro-wins.
3. Practice Saying This Out Loud:
“I didn’t get everything done today, and I’m still enough.”
Say it in the mirror. Say it to your child. Say it to your partner.
Because the more you speak it, the more you start to believe it.
What This Teaches Our Kids
Here’s the beautiful ripple effect of doing this work—it doesn’t just change you, it changes what your children absorb about self-worth.
When you:
Rest without guilt
Talk kindly to yourself
Honour your energy
Set boundaries without apology
you’re modelling something powerful: “I am enough as I am.”
That’s the legacy that lasts. And it starts with you.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re exhausted from chasing validation through doing, I want you to know—it’s safe to step off that hamster wheel.
You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to slow down.
You are allowed to be proud of yourself even when the house is a mess and the to-do list is untouched.
Because the truth is… your children won’t remember how productive you were.
But they will remember how present, loving, and emotionally available you were.
And that version of you? She’s already enough.
So take the break. Release the guilt. And come home to yourself.
You’re doing beautifully—even when it doesn’t feel like it. 💛
Categories: : Actionable Strategies
