The Therapy Edit - One Thing with Emily Norris on a few mum hacks you're going to LOVE!

Episode Date: April 12, 2024

In this Friday guest episode of The Therapy Edit, Anna chats to the queen of the mum hack, Emily Norris who shares a couple of her go-to motherhood hacks that are guaranteed to make your life as a mum that bit easier.Emily is a mum to 3 gorgeous boys who started her YouTube channel in 2014 as a way of recording her children growing up and sharing my experiences of motherhood. On Emily's channel you will find pregnancy videos, a birth video, ‘Day in the life of vlogs’, cleaning, hacks, organisation, renovation and lots of tips based on her experiences of motherhood.Emily's brand new book, Things I Wish I’d Known: My hacks for a tidy home, happy kids and a calmer you is out now - get your copy here.You can also follow Emily on Instagram.We hope you love the listen, don't forget to share with all the mums who will also benefit from these time saving hacks.

Hello and welcome to The Therapy Edit with me, psychotherapist's mum of three and author Anna Martha. Every Friday, I invite one guest to tell me the one thing they would most like to share with mums everywhere. So join with me as we hear this dose of wisdom. I hope you enjoy it. Hello, everyone. Welcome to today's guest episode of the Therapy Edit. I have with me today the mom hat. queen, absolute queen of mum hacks, Emily Norris. Now, I have followed Emily for years, so I feel like I'm meeting a friend in that funny social media way when it's, you just feel

like you know someone. But I have benefited so many times from Emily's mum hacks across her YouTube and her Instagram and some of the things that she shares. And even just like wrapping presents and like where you put things in your house that just make you think, oh my gosh, Why did I not think about that? So I'm really excited to have her on. She is the undisputed queen of the Mum Hackspace. She is a mum to three boys, Fraser, Caleb and Jackson. And she has been creating positive, upbeat and sanity-saving content for mothers with young families around the world for the last 10 years.

She's one of the OGs of Instagram and YouTube. And her book, Things I'd Wish I'd known, is the go-to guide for easy original mum hacks and habits. And I've been so privileged to have a look. And every single page you will find something that will just change something about the day or the routine just to make it that little bit easier. I know I talk a lot about trying to get more rest where you can. Well, Emily's book, Things I Wish I've known is the practical guide to earn yourself a little bit more time, a little bit more headspace. And it's pat with honest, gimmick-free, relatable advice to create a more harmonious family life. So yeah, it's just wonderful to have you here today, Emily.

Thanks for joining me. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I feel like I know you as well, although I've not met you. Yeah, I feel like I've just followed you. And you're actually a bit of a celebrity in our house. Oh, gosh. This is funny because I actually told the boys I was coming on your podcast and they were like,

oh my gosh, because years and years ago you shared a tip that I keep in my head and I say, all the time to the kids. So I think, yeah, you said, rather than saying, like, I've got to say, I get to, right? Did you share that? I did. And honestly, it's changed, it changed my life, I would say. Yeah, and I say it to myself every single day. If I'm like, I've got to do a school run, it's like, no, I get to do a school run.

And anyway, so I sort of passed it on to the kids. So I'm like, you know, not I've got to put my laundry away. I get to put my laundry away. And now they're getting older, they just really take the mick out of me so at dinner. They're like, I get to eat my broccoli and I get to do it. Amen to that. Absolutely. It's a game changer.

And how great to pass it on to the kids, because it is one of those. Yeah, it's kid friendly as well, isn't it? And they'll always find things like it doesn't work for this. And I'm like, we can make it work. Taking the bins out. I get to take the bins out. Look at my strong arms. Look at this food waste.

It would be privileged. I can make it work for anything. Exactly. So I was like, oh my gosh. So exciting. But yeah, no, I literally say that all the time. It's a brilliant one. Love it. It's good, isn't it? Those things to be grateful for those little privileges. And, you know, I'm like verbal hacker. That sounds really like I'm doing some dodgy things on the internet. But you, you are absolutely skilled at just those little tweaks in life that we think, oh my gosh, why didn't I think of that before? Like a big game changing one, us was keeping the toothbrushes downstairs. Oh my gosh. I love that. Yes, such a brilliant one. Actually, everything to do with hygiene in the morning, downstairs, hair, everything. Like, if you don't have a downstairs loo, like, we can keep a box in your kitchen. Like, just have it downstairs. So this is too hard to get them back up, isn't it? When you're trying to get out of the

door in the morning. Yeah, so tricky. So yeah, I love that. The toothbrush and they just never come down again. Yeah, exactly. It's just going to take more longer. I have like a box with toothbrushes, a box with vitamins that are box with the hair stuff, and I just get them all out in the morning. And then systematically shove them back under the sink. It makes it different. I know. When they were really little, I even had like my makeup in there because I just knew I couldn't leave them, you know, like just have it all. So yeah, I'm obsessed with finding hacks and ways to make life a little bit easier. And I think that as you go along in motherhood, you do just like learn things from other people or you

just pick them up at like a play group and you obviously learn stuff yourself. So it's nice to have fun and like put it all together in like one place. Um, so handy. Because when I was pregnant, I remember reading and planning so much just for the birth. But I didn't actually plan that much for like what comes after that, which I probably should have. But um, so I feel like this is that kind of book. Yes. And it does. You know, you kind of say, little things and in many ways they are just little differences, little tweaks, but actually these things really massively add up to make life flow that little bit smoother where we can make it flow that little bit smoother because there is so much in motherhood, isn't there,

that is totally out of control. But if we can just do some things, make a massive difference to our day-to-day routine. Yeah, and it's almost like getting those boring day-to-day things like bedtime, meal times. If you can get those right, you just feel like you're completely winning, don't you? If you, like, forget all the other stuff. Like, if we can just get the basics done well, then it's amazing. And then you're more freed up to pay attention to those little moments, you know, the little special moments of connection when you're not kind of frantically tearing around. I put a slow cooker on this morning. And quite frankly, Emily, I feel like I'm bossing life. I feel so smug. Dinner is literally cooking itself.

And then tonight, in the chaos, it'll be done. We'll be ready. Yeah. Yeah. And what a relief. I love that. What a relief. Yeah.

So thank you for all that you do. And I am so excited to hear from you of everything that you know and all the different hacks and the 10 years of mothering. Is that how long have you been mothering now? Oh, yeah. Actually, my eldest is 13. 13 years. You've got a teenager now. But have been sharing.

yeah you've been sharing for 10 years yeah parenting for 13 you're just the teenage era so what is the one thing that you would love to share well do you know this is so hard because I have a book full of things I want to share but if I actually shared something recently on Instagram and it went a bit viral people just loved it so I thought that might be quite a good one to share and it is the one touch method so it's a great way to like avoid procrastinating, I guess, and just get things done. And it works so beautifully when you're in like the full flow with it. So it is literally what it sounds like doing things with just one touch. So, you know, you walk in the door and you take your shoes off and you chuck your coat on the couch. Rather than doing that just with one touch, you take it off, you're still holding it, you hang it up where it's supposed to go. And same with shoes or, you know, you brush your hair, you put the brush down rather than putting it in the drawer. You just little things like that. It sounds so silly even saying it, but it does, like we were saying, it kind of adds up

throughout the day to make your life so much easier and your house so much tidier. So, you know, it drives me nuts when people leave the cup right above the dishwasher. You're like, you just, you made it so close, like just with one touch, put it in. And on Instagram, a few people said, oh, like you can also call it the Ohio method, which is only handle it once. And I thought that was quite nice as well. Yeah, I love that. But yeah, I think having, like doing things with one touch was kind of my tip or I like to also to avoid because I think sometimes people see my content and think I'm super organized, but actually I'm not. It's something I really have to work at. So I am prone to procrastinating. So I like to have systems like that or I also love

to set a timer and speed clean or even when I'm working, I find if I can set a timer for 10 minutes and I'm like, I'm not going to check my phone, I'm not going to get up, I'm not going to do anything for just 10 minutes. It's actually amazing how much you can get done in that time and how much a timer can speed you up as well. Gosh. This is, it's so true. I recently, I don't know why I started it, but I started coming downstairs in the morning, setting a five minute time on my phone, this sounds ridiculous, but actually makes so much sense in the context of what you're saying. And then I challenge myself, empty the dishwasher, get all the toothbrushes, the vitamins, all of that out, get breakfast kind of, you know, just those jobs done before I can

even start on breakfast. And just having the timer makes me be more intentional about what I'm doing and less likely to be like sidetracked by, oh, just go and shove a washing. And these things so helpful because I think we've kind of been taught that to be to multitask is like the way forward and that's how you buy time and it's super productive when actually what you're saying here is wait a minute actually just do one thing to completion just if you've got something in your hand if you've got that washing you're going to put it in don't feed the cat on the way don't put it down on the stairs and then go and do that just take that washing put it in the washing and then crack on with the other things because you're so right yeah because if you're just

you know running around like headless chicken putting everything down then after a few days of that what you need is a full day of like cleaning and organizing you know because you always think oh do that later but you absolutely won't like you won't you won't get around to it because life's so crazy and so for me setting a timer doing the one touch method or even doing things like you know you open a drawer and you're like, oh, it's just awful. Sometimes I think if it's only going to take me five minutes, then I'm just going to do it right now. And I tried to like push myself. You know, it's a bit like Mel Robbins says that five, four, three, two, one. Like, let's go. Yeah. And sometimes you just think, you think things are going to be worse than they are. And actually, I see that a lot

in motherhood and with the messages that I get on Instagram, like if we have ever been on a holiday, people will message me and say, I'm taking my kids on a plane, but I'm dreading it. It's going to be awful. I always message back and say, like, the thought of it is so much worse than the doing it, you know, like, unless your child's very ill, it's going to be great. My kid, you know, so much to look at, so much to do. People get worked up about things that just, they don't need to. And actually with the kids and their homework, we tried to do the, actually got this, looks like a dice, and you throw it. And on each side of the dice, it's like five minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes. It's got different amounts of time. And so you throw it and then whatever it

lands on, that's how long they have to focus on their homework for. And then a little alarm goes off. So I even do it for them. It's just a great way to think, okay, you know, focus on something. Yeah. And it makes you accountable, doesn't it? And there is so much to be said for doing things to completion. And I think we get a bit of a hit. I mean, I don't know about you, but when I've done something, even if I've just put something where it needs to be, and I know I'll save myself a job later or I've got everything sorted in the kitchen before I crack on with breakfast. I feel good. Yes. I feel good. Yes. Or even I used to be terrible for, you know, when a friend texts you and you think, I'll reply to that in a bit. Like, I'm just

terrible for completely forgetting and then looking like this terrible friend or, you know, opening an email and then not getting back to people. So I think even now, actually, if I'm going to open the text, I'm going to have to be ready to reply or an email. I need to be able to, like, you know, deal with it straight away or I just won't. So again, asking yourself, if I do this now, if I start this now, can I complete it? Can I do it in effect, you know, in one touch? Can I pick up my phone, click on to that email, reply and be done with it in one touch? And if not, maybe the answer is to designate some time later, to sitting down at your laptop and smashing through five emails instead of letting those five

kind of interrupt you at different points of your day and you lose focus and that's it or sometimes like you can overthink it as well like say if you were to get an invite you think I don't really want to go I don't want to say like just say I can't make it like just you know just do it go for it like tear off a last turn away and then it's done yeah yeah and it's just like being kind to your future self, you know, so you don't have to worry about it later on. So, yeah, that was the sort of one thing. I think that's amazing. And it's, again, it's just one of those simple things that you may well have been

doing for a long time, but I haven't, and I haven't heard of it before I spied it on your Instagram. And I just think it's fantastic because it makes us a little bit more accountable to ourselves and just to finish that thing in that moment and be done with it. and get on with the day rather than, you know, in our house it's often then 10 half done things, half done jobs and I just get so distracted and I end up going to put the washing in and then feeding the cat and re-hanging a picture and then sorting a drawer out and thinking washing never gets put on.

Yeah, yeah, why? So I start finishing and then putting it down. I think as mums, we always have 100 things running through our minds, you know, I need to look that allergy test I need to take them to the doctors the dog needs a wash there's just so much going on that actually to be able to write a list

and just you know crack on or get things done is so helpful and like you say you then you feel like you're smashing it at life and something as silly as like I used to do what you do I used to come down put the kettle on and while the kettle was boiling I tried to empty the whole dishwasher in the time

so I'd like it definitely would speed me up and make it a bit of challenge It's fun. I love it. I've got ADHD. I've flippin love turning anything into a game because then it keeps me, it keeps me accountable. Otherwise, you know, I'm like the kid that's like, oh, look, a bird. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think just making these mundane things that we have to do day in, day out, just fun. And the things we don't like doing, they're over with quicker. Yes. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Thank you so much. And how are you feeling? then. How are you feeling about your book being out, your first book being out into the world? Yeah. It's funny because also I normally make that YouTube videos, Instagram videos, so that's a quite quick process. So it's been so different to write a book and for it to take a long time and it's finally coming out. So I'm so excited. Like I feel like it's a bit of like

my legacy, like everything I've learned. I wish someone had handed this book to me when I became a new mom. It would have been so useful. And yeah, I'm at that funny place in motherhood where my kids are getting older. Obviously, my eldest is a teenager. And my youngest is seven now. I've got 10 year old as well. But I feel like I'm kind of, I'm coming out of that baby stage. And then I'm almost waiting for this storm of like the teenage stage. So I feel like I'm in like limbo at the moment. I'm like, is it going to be horrendous? What's going to happen? so I'm at this like funny stage in motherhood but it's exciting and I don't know it feels like life feels quite nice and easy at the moment yeah so I'm just a lot of people like you just wait

I know the you just wait is but I think I'm trying to think who I've had on here I've had a couple of people and I don't want to I think Lorraine Candy and I think Helen I think her name's Helen Perry. And she was both talking about teenage mothering as a really lovely time. And I got my nails done second time in the last year. And I sat next to this woman who had a 13 year old, just like you. And she was saying how much she loved the conversation and the quality time they spent together and how different it was. And I was just like, this is, we need more of this. We need more of this to balance out the just you wait. Yeah. So yeah, hopefully there will be some wonderful things coming and what a wonderful gift to us and I often think you know as an author

myself that we tend to write the books that we needed that we wish we'd had for all the other moms that definitely that's so true because in a way like the content I made as a new mom it really was what I needed as well you know if my kids were going through teething I thought I'll research everything and I'll try all the products and then I'll talk about it. So it's almost like I personally need this. So I'm going to share it. And yeah, it's exactly the same with the book. So hopefully it's like your hindsight, isn't it? Yes. Yes. And just passing it on like a baton, being like these are all the things that were helpful. These are the things that I found out along the way. So you don't have to. They're all here. And I think it would be an amazing gift.

I was saying to Emily before we click record. It's just a brilliant gift for a new mom or a not so new mom just for all of those oh my goodness why didn't I think about this it's a it's a game changer yeah oh thank you so much well thank you for joining us I'd love to ask you a quick fire question before I let you go um besides hacks what what's something that makes you feel good something you enjoy doing that's a good question to be honest this is going to sound really really sad. But one of my favorite, yeah, one of my favorite things to do is I actually I quite like cleaning. I don't know what it is. I like that it's like something messy. It's like transformative. Then it looks really good at the end. But whenever I clean,

I like to listen to an audiobook or a podcast that I love, like say this podcast. Because then I feel like it is a bit of me time. I personally really get bad mum guilt. And I feel like I feel if I can never sit down and actually read a book. I struggle to allow myself that. This will also be an audio book. So if anybody else is like that, you can listen to it. But yeah, so I love to think, oh, you know, I'm getting something done, but I'm also listening to something and I'm learning something new.

And I don't know. And then you get like new nuggets of information. And then when you're having an adult conversation, you know, you've got things that you can talk about. So I absolutely love to relax. doing that. Yeah. That sounds really sad, doesn't it? No, it doesn't. Because do you know what? I'm really excited because after my own therapy at 3 o'clock this afternoon, I'm going to clean the inside of my car. And now, yeah, I'm also going to listen to a podcast whilst I do that. So I totally

get it. But I need to send you one of my books because I would love to know that you were relaxing and resting more and knowing that you totally deserved it. Didn't feel guilty. I know. I know. I know. I know. Like, I've always been the kind of person that's just struggles to relax. Yeah. And I always remember my mama and grandma being quite, you know, always like buzzing around and like even on holiday, now my kids are older. I struggle to sit on a sandwich. I'm like, do you need anything? I'm like, just sit down. But you're so deserving. You're deserving of rest and needing of rest because you do a million things. And, you know, you, yeah, you deserve to have that slowness. And maybe the teenage years will bring you a little

bit more of that because I hear that they can be a little bit slow to get out of bed sometimes. So maybe this is the next challenge for you is to find some amazing ways to rest with the extra kind of little moments that you get with these brilliant hacks. Yeah, hopefully. But thank you for all that you that you bring to us. I'm so grateful to have you on. Oh, thank you so much. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of The Therapy.

If you have enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe and review for me. Also, if you need any resources at all, I have lots of videos and courses and everything from health anxiety to driving anxiety and people pleasing. They are all on my website, anamatha.com. And also, don't forget my brand new book, Raising a Happier Mother is out now for you to enjoy and benefit from. It's all about how to find balance, feel good and see your children flourish as a result. Speak to you soon. Thank you.