I recently saw a post on an Instagram running account that shared four moms’ daily schedules. The point of the post was to share how they make time for their training each day, amidst work and family obligations. They each started the day before 6am, with the earliest start being 3:45am! The caption said something along the lines of, “Let’s encourage moms to make time for themselves!”
Instead of being inspired, I thought, are you kidding me?
If I’m getting time to myself, it better not require me to wake at 3:45am. That’s not freedom, that’s punishment. I would have to consume a daily POT of coffee to function that way. The endorphins gained from that early workout session would immediately be canceled out by the afternoon crash I would experience. 
Anyways…
I get it. It feels like there are not enough hours in the day to just do life as a mom. We force ourselves to be extreme to fit it all in. But it still feels impossible to stay in shape, eat decent food, tend to our children’s needs, do the laundry, keep up the yard, drink water, call our friends, go to the dentist, pursue our passions, love our husbands, know what is going on in the world, prioritize self-care, stay trendy, explore a new hobby, read a book, volunteer at school, make our homes cozy, be good humans, and ALL the other things modern life demands of us.
It feels impossible, because it is impossible. We literally cannot do it all. And we shouldn’t!
First of all, we need to chill the heck out. It’s like we are all walking Gatorade advertisements from the ’90s, screaming, “Anything you can do, I can do better!” Even if it’s true, we don’t need to prove that to anyone. So, anything you are doing just because you think you should, or because of some made-up expectation you are trying to meet, just stop. You have nothing to prove. And no one really cares anyways.
I don’t have a ton of advice on how to get off the hamster wheel (because I’m still learning myself), but I know you have to remember the simple truth that you are a human being; human beings need rest to stay alive. You have to be honest with yourself about your capacity, and what you actually care about in the season you are in. Maybe now is not the time to volunteer at church, when you are running in late each week with half-dressed toddlers and wet hair (speaking from experience). Or maybe it’s not the time to pursue a big fitness goal, but you walk outside when you can. Maybe you focus less on an organized, aesthetic home, and just let life happen there. Maybe some friendships take a backseat in this season. Maybe you budget to outsource a household task, like yard work or deep cleaning. Maybe you don’t start your business or write that book. Maybe you live on less, in exchange for more time. Maybe you don’t take the family vacation that stresses you out every year. Maybe you call that person who has offered to help you a thousand times and finally take them up on it.
Whatever you do, DO LESS. 
I know the mom-runners’ post was well-meaning. Of course moms are humans that deserve time to themselves and to do things they enjoy. But the constant high-performance mentality in motherhood is exhausting.
Our culture is so goal-obsessed and outcome-oriented, we don’t know how to just live anymore. We have to track, document, and measure everything we do. You enjoy running? That’s not good enough. You have to train for something. You like to read? Make sure to rate your books on Goodreads. Oh, and start a book club! You barely have time to eat, but make sure to track those macros. Your baby is talking? Great! How many words? Meet those milestones!
I don’t know about you, but I’m done with the mantra, “Just Do It.” In this season with toddlers, I’m not chasing goals, forcing growth, or overcommitting. I’m just living life as it comes and trusting I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. And that’s enough.
Thank you for writing this!!! This needs to be shouted from the mountain tops. I’m tired of the race to try to fit everything in. I can’t. And we should stop glorifying it.