Nivedita Ramesh

According to research, an adult makes 35,000 decisions a day. There is no doubt that as moms, we make many, many more decisions every single day.

Juggling work, kids, family, home and our personal aspirations means that we are constantly deciding what to do, executing it and even planning ahead.

From whether to change daycares, to what to make for dinner, we are at it from the time we wake up in the morning.

So it’s not surprising that we experience decision fatigue every day.

Claudia Goldin, an economic historian at Harvard, won the Nobel prize in economics last year for her work on women’s role in labor markets.
Her work showed that historically, economic growth was linked to more women in paid work. So if countries want to grow, they should engage as many women as possible in paid labor.
Her work also showed that in the labor market, the parenthood gap is mostly felt by mothers.

We have identities and lives outside of motherhood, but all of that took a backseat when we became moms.
Now we’re so busy everyday that keeping these parts of us alive – our hobbies, interests, causes that we’re passionate about – can feel like yet another to-do rather than a fulfilling journey of self-discovery.
One of the ways to live with purpose is to spend your life on activities that matter to you.
Identifying our values, and the things that matter to us will get us closer to our life’s purpose, and help us build the life we want.

It wasn’t like we weren’t doing any work before we became moms – we were busy enough.
Yet, motherhood can feel like the extra weight that toppled the cart simply because none of our other responsibilities – around work, family and home – reduced.

A 2018 study found that working moms clock an average of 98 hours per week. That’s the equivalent of 2.5 jobs.

As mothers, we know that we’re doing more than ever. We feel it in our tired bones, exhausted bodies and overloaded minds.

But, we might also think, we have technology to help us today! It’s true – machines have reduced much of our effort and time, particularly on housework. Today we can also get many things done online, saving us hours of commuting and standing in lines.

We might be...

For many of us, our young children helped us rediscover the simple joys of daily living. From squealing at poop shaped clouds, to insisting that Sam the Snail wants to go along to school too, the world seemed filled with beautiful surprises and new ideas, everyday. For them, each day was a blank canvas; a wide, open expanse of nothing on which to begin to play.
As moms, we have a never ending list of to-dos and responsibilities. Is it practically possible to look at each day as a new day?
You...

As busy moms, schedules are how we keep our home and work lives running. We balance our multiple responsibilities by setting aside exclusive time for each of our hats.
Having a preset schedule also has multiple health benefits, from lower stress levels to improved concentration and energy.
Routines are straight paths to good habits, because they help us organize our time and structure our days.
While we might have mastered the art of routines as moms, we rarely manage to schedule time for our...

In the experience of life, motherhood is the giant step forward into a world that has some familiar elements, but in which most of it is new. It takes all of us time to understand, accept and settle into this newness, while finding the will and the space for ourselves.
When any regular day is a rush to finish tasks that seem to be piling up faster than you can do them, just stopping and focussing on how far you have come, and relishing the present moment can be a relief and a joy.
Intentional...

Vacations are best described as a mixed blessing. Family time without the daily routine can feel light and carefree, but managing kids, especially young ones, while balancing work, Christmas prep and the usual household chores needs a whole new level of juggling.
Child care, especially of little ones, is a full time job in itself. Even if you’re not working through the break, you might have Christmas prep, vacation planning in case you’re traveling or if family or friends are visiting, and th...

A mom’s mind rarely has clear spaces. Our heads are filled with thoughts, reminders, questions and ideas from the time we open our eyes in the morning. Some of us struggle to shut off this mental noise in the night too, getting up to check if the back door was closed after letting the dog in, or wondering if a bill is overdue.
This mental load, relating to home and family, is mostly borne by women. Because it’s cognitive and emotional labor, done in the mind and with the ...

For kids, December is a fun, special month. Not so much for adults, who are busy creating the fun behind the scenes! Still, it’s a happy type of busy, with the spirit of hope and the anticipation of the holiday carrying us along.
It’s also the time of the year when everyone slows down enough to enjoy, celebrate and be together. Given the relentless pace of our lives, this breather is a much needed, much deserved pause.
As always, MAMMA-MIYA can help you pace out your to-dos, while grabbing ti...

Dear Mom,
If life was a circus, you would be the juggler that keeps work, children, home and family, moving and in the air.
We know that being there for everyone else means that self-care ends up in the ‘later’ bin most of the time. We were faced with a similar choice while building MAMMA-MIYA. We were advised to choose between productivity and well-being because a narrow focus will translate into a sharper product. But when moms worldwide are looking for balance in their lives, how can our a...

It’s not the end of the year yet, but long weekends that are closer to December can feel like the briefest pauses before daily life speeds up again. Thanksgiving usually means meeting family or sitting down together for a leisurely meal. Family time, travel and long weekends bring with them their own shopping, prepping and to-do lists. It’s a different kind of busy, and not necessarily for the better.
If you’re prepping for the long weekend with one hand and juggling holiday planning with the...

Beauty and personal care brand Plum completes a decade of growth, and its founder Shankar Prasad explains the philosophy that shaped its trajectory.

You’ll see pretty much the same black and brown generic-looking luggage and backpacks in Indian airports. If you spot a smart-looking bag that stands out from the crowd, chances are that it is Mokobara.
Mokobara aims to fill a gap in the market that has homegrown budget players like Safari and VIP on one end, and multinational brands like Samsonite on the other. Its product portfolio includes luggage, backpacks, totes, travel accessories and women’s handbags, with prices ranging from Rs. 5,00...