Making Space for Progress: The Amazing Power of Focused Effort

As we step into 2025, many Scholarly Mamas find themselves wrestling with an all-too-familiar challenge: how to make meaningful progress in their PhD journey while being present for their families. Whether you’re drowning in paper notes, struggling to find uninterrupted work time, or feeling constantly pulled between your academic and family responsibilities, there’s one fundamental truth that can transform your experience: the amazing power of focused effort.

By the way, if you would prefer to listen to this as a podcast, please feel free to tune into the Mrs Mummy PhD® Podcast wherever you get your podcasts or use the player below:

The Reality of the Scholarly Mama’s Schedule

Let’s be honest – as Scholarly Mamas, we don’t have the luxury of endless hours of uninterrupted time. PhD work for Mamas usually happens between nap times, school pickups, and family responsibilities. As a Scholarly Mama, you’re constantly juggling the monumental task of writing a PhD thesis with the daily demands of family life. This reality makes it crucial not to have to work more hours (because we simply don’t have them), but to make every minute of our available time count.

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The Game-Changing Power of Distraction-Free Spaces

One of the most transformative approaches to maximising our limited time is creating a truly distraction-free work environment. While technology often serves as both a blessing and a curse, the key lies in choosing tools that enhance rather than fragment our focus. For instance, using devices or methods that eliminate the constant ping of emails, news alerts, and social media notifications can dramatically improve our productivity. For me, the game-changer was joining the ReMarkable family in 2024 with the ReMarkable 2, and now the ReMarkable Pro family thanks to my husband who understood the assignment and blessed me with one last Christmas! This has saved me from the mountain of paper notes I was sinking under and created a distraction-free digital workspace that feels just like I’m writing on paper (by the way, this post is not sponsored by them, just something I have found very useful – any e-ink paper tablet will do the job!)

Think about it – how often have you sat down for a quick “email check” only to emerge an hour later, having accomplished nothing substantial? This is where the concept of a dedicated workspace becomes crucial, whether it’s physical or digital.

Three Essential Strategies for Cultivating Focused Effort

1. Creating Your Sacred WorkSpace

The concept of a sacred work space goes beyond just having a desk or a quiet corner, although this certainly helps. It’s about creating an environment where your brain immediately knows it’s time to focus. This could mean:

Setting up a dedicated corner in your home that’s solely for academic work
Using specific tools or devices that minimise distractions (for me that’s been my ReMarkable)
Establishing rituals that signal it’s time to enter “deep work” mode
Creating clear boundaries between your work space and family space (and I don’t mean physical)

The key is consistency – when you enter this space, your brain should automatically shift into focus mode, helping you achieve that coveted state of flow more quickly.

2. Embracing Micro-Progress Through Mini-Milestones

One of the biggest mindset shifts needed for Scholarly Mamas is embracing the power of micro-progress. This doesn’t mean lowering your standards or settling for less; rather, it’s about being strategic with the time you have. Here’s how to make it work:

Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks
Set realistic expectations for what can be accomplished in short time blocks
Celebrate small wins and progress, no matter how incremental
Focus on quality over quantity in your work sessions

Remember, those 30 to 60-minute pockets of time are golden when approached with intention and purpose. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in a focused burst when you’re not constantly switching between tasks.

3. Making Your Focus Time Visible and Respected

Perhaps one of the most crucial yet often overlooked aspects of creating focused effort is making it visible and understood by your family. This may mean:

Clearly communicating your work schedule to family members
Teaching children to respect work boundaries
Creating a family culture that values focused time for everyone
Planning dedicated family time to balance work periods

When your children see you engaging in focused work, it not only helps them respect your boundaries but also teaches them valuable lessons about concentration and dedicated effort. It’s beautiful to see them develop their own appreciation for focused time, whether it’s for reading, homework, or creative activities.

The Ripple Effect of Focused Effort

The impact of implementing these strategies goes far beyond just getting more work done. When we work with focused effort:

We experience less guilt because we’re fully present in whatever we’re doing
Our productivity increases, leading to more satisfying progress
We model healthy work habits for our children
The quality of both our academic work and family time improves
We feel more in control of our journey rather than being overwhelmed by it

Making Focused Effort Work in Practice

Here are some practical tips for implementing focused effort in your daily routine:

Start small – choose one aspect to focus on first, whether it’s creating a dedicated workspace or establishing clear work boundaries
Use verbal and visual cues to signal focus time to your family
Plan your focus sessions in advance, coordinating with your family’s schedule
Prepare everything you need before your focus time begins
Keep a progress journal to track your achievements, no matter how small

Moving Forward with Purpose

As we navigate through 2025, remember that success in both academia and motherhood isn’t about choosing one over the other – it’s about being intentional with how we approach both. By creating space for focused effort, we can make meaningful progress in our PhD journey while remaining present and engaged in our family life.

The key is not working more hours but making our work hours truly count. When we approach our limited time with intention and focused effort, we can achieve what might have seemed impossible – making substantial progress in our PhD while being the present, engaged parents we want to be.

Remember, every focused minute counts, every small step forward matters, and with the right approach, you can create a PhD journey that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. After all, these are our journeys of becoming, and with focused effort, we can make them both meaningful and manageable.

Until next time, I’m sending you lots of love and gratitude,