Motherhood, Mental Load, and Multipotentiality

When you have Lots of Ideas… but No Time to think

Apr 22, 2025

Here’s that follow-up I promised.

Multipotentiality Meets Motherhood

If you read my last post about discovering the word multipotentialite, you know how much it resonated with me.

But there’s more to this story. Being a mum, adds a whole other layer to how this identity plays out, in ways I didn’t expect.

It’s easy to feel stuck as a multipotential person, while generating and juggling so many ideas, interests, and ambitions at the same time, and not knowing what to focus on first.

Spoiler: it’s not the ideas that are missing. It’s the space to hold them all.

When Ideas Don’t Fit into a Schedule

Starting, or even just deciding to focus on a new project, can be hard as a parent.

We don’t have time. We’re exhausted. We’re often distracted and interrupted.
And (especially for new mums) we got that lovely brain fog, the kind we don’t know how long is going to last (YAY). Add to that, the general state of being in constant alert mode to attend to our child whenever they need us.

You know that cause-effect magic: when you finally sit down for one second, notebook in hand, ready to think, and immediately hear: "Muuuummy?" 😅

The Multipassionate FOMO Spiral

Do you ever experience FOMO? Like you want to do too much or too little, and constantly fear missing out?

Sounds familiar?
You’re not alone.

How this applies to being a mum, a parent, or carer of a young child?

Your job is to care for them, yet you may still feel the need to create something yours. A new project, a new level of fulfilment.

Maybe that need was always there.
Maybe it sparked from becoming a parent, and wanting to carve out a new role for yourself with that new sense of responsibility.

Or maybe something simply changed in you, and now you want to figure it out, give a better life to your little ones, and still not take time away from them.

You’re scared of missing out on time with them if you follow your projects.

Or have FOMO between:
your own projects,
the ones you want to do,
and the ones you feel you should do.

And all of this takes time.

Time to brainstorm.
Time to filter.
Time to analyse.
Time to try out what works for who you are now, and with your family situation.

How can you do that when all you have is a couple of hours a day and an endless list of chores in between?

I feel you. I know. I am this.

And I think it’s hard to talk about it without feeling like we’re being ungrateful for our blessed life as parents.

The Multipotential Parent’s Dilemma

Let’s be clear.
I wouldn’t trade this role for anything in the world.

But... am I allowed to also pursue something else?
HECK, YES.

Motherhood made me stronger and more intentional.
Now, finally out of the postpartum fog, I know it didn’t erase all other parts of me: some priorities shifted, sure, but I didn’t stop being a woman with needs, ambitions, and ideas of my own.

This isn’t just about being multipassionate. It’s about being a busy, committed, caring parent, and human being. And being multipassionate adds a whole extra layer of challenge to it.

Supersaiyan mode unlocked ✔️

In those couple of available hours, we need to fit in the brainstorming, trial, and filtering of ideas.

We want to make it work, but not everyone can hire a personal career coach who truly understands what’s going on inside us, and help us through it.

So it can become quite a mental workout!

But again:

We’re not confused.
We’re just overwhelmed with thoughts, and stuck in such a tiny time window.

And for those with other full-time jobs, it’s another layer on top. You may also have a small window of time to think about any other side project you’re dreaming of.

Shhh… I’m Working

Here’s what I found to be an essential part of my realisation as a multipotentialite:

You need time to nurture your brain and your whole self.
To get rest.
To think.

So if you see me thinking: I’m working.

Yes. That moment where it looks like I’m “just sitting” might actually be a full mental sprint.

Sorry guys. I’m not writing this to complain.

I’m just writing it to say it out loud. So we can stop pretending it’s easy.

When you see us talking about extra projects outside of motherhood,
or when our ideas feel scattered and we change our minds every other day
(while also changing nappies or preparing our toddler’s blueberries),
we would love for you to remember: we are allowed to change our minds.

As long as it’s not causing harm to the situation, and it’s within reason, why can’t I be confused?

And maybe it’s not confusion at all. Maybe it’s active brainstorming.

It just doesn’t always look like it does in a typical coworking space.

It might happen while I’m loading the dishwasher or narrating a Gruffalo story.

And sometimes, it’ll be trial and error.

And that’s okay.

Let’s Make This Normal

I started this space with a main focus on mums, but realistically, some of what I write can apply to busy multipotential parents or carers too. Regardless of their role.

I hope to help normalise choosing more than one path, and embracing directions that deviate from the typical one-track narrative. Especially for mums, carers, and creatives who’ve been told they need to just “pick one thing”.

So even if I focus mostly on the audience that reflects my own experience, as a multipassionate, confused, busy mum, living abroad; I hope my content brings some value to others too.

How do you find space to think in your day? I’d love to hear.