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I’ve got 7 practical time savings tips every exhausted parent needs!
Whether you’re a career driven, corporate badass or running a side hustle or business, being a mom is already such a time consuming job.
Hands up if you’re a “flop down on the couch and avoid any further housework and responsibilities for the rest of the evening” kind of mom.
That’s ok if you are, I use to be the biggest culprit and to be honest with you, some nights I still am.
Luckily, there are ways to manage your time more effectively so that you can find that perfect balance between work, life, family, AND chill time.
It doesn’t have to be all work and no play, you just have to put certain rules and procedures in place to ensure that you’re running your household as smooth and effectively as can be.
I swear by routines and structure and I can tell you from first hand experience that the minute I neglect my normal routine, I sabotage weeks worth of progress.
So make sure that you can work out a time saving routine that works for you without putting too much pressure on yourself and lapsing a few weeks down the line.
Sometimes the smallest changes and adjustments can make the biggest difference.
So without further ado, here are 7 practical time saving tips for working (exhausted) moms:
1. Time your daily tasks
I find that I would often avoid doing a household task because I would assume that it would take too long and that I don’t have enough time when in reality, we underestimate how quickly we can get things done.
The next time you go to do the dishes or vacuum the living spaces, put a timer on your phone and keep a mental checklist of how long these things take.
Understanding the time that you have available to do a certain task is vital when managing your time effectively. This is the same whether you’re at work or at home with the kids so make sure that you spend time on mastering this key life skill.
2. Don’t load up on laundry!
I know so many moms who take a day out of their week to catch up with laundry and it’s absolutely unnecessary.
Get into the habit of doing one load every day and this includes packing it away!
Seeing piles of clothes laying in the spare bedroom creates stress that you don’t need so be consistent with daily loads, folding, and packing away.
If you insist on ironing your clothes (my worst nightmare), pair it with a relaxing activity such as watching TV or listening to music and podcasts.
3. Keep a cleaning schedule and stick to it
Trying to tackle all of your cleaning tasks in one day is unnecessary and time consuming.
Instead follow a daily and weekly cleaning schedule and make sure to stick to it so that the work doesn’t pile on.
This is a very simple one that we follow at home, but everyone may have different priorities depending on the size of your home (and your family)
Daily:
- Hoover busy areas
- Laundry – wash and pack away
- Tidy counters and clean the kitchen and dishes
- Declutter and pack away toys
Weekly:
- Change bedding sheets
- Tackle bedrooms
- Bathroom deep clean
- Declutter
- Empty all the bins and recycling
Monthly:
- Wash the windows
- Clean household appliances
- Empty out the fridge
- Wash pet bedding
- Cut the grass and tiday the garden
- Wash the cars
4. Plan your meals and groceries
If you fail to plan, you fail to plan! We’ve all heard it but we seldom take it seriously enough.
Make sure that you have two weekly meal plans that you can rotate so that you don’t get tired of the food.
This will save you the mental load of deciding what to eat every evening and you’ll be better prepared for your weekly shopping.
Keep a grocery list on your fridge and write down any items that you’ve run out of or that you think you’ll need for the following week.
Then book your groceries in for collection or delivery at the same time every week which will not only free up at least an hour of your time but it also means that you don’t have to take the kids into the shop with you and get bombarded with tantrums.
It’s a win-win!
5. Batch up your cooking
You can batch up on cooking without having to meal prep a week ahead. Some people love doing this but I have never had the time to spend 2 hours cooking on a Sunday.
Batch cooking can be as simple as doubling or tripling your week night meal recipes and then saving the rest for later in the week. Even better if they can be frozen!
Here’s an extra time saving tip: Clean while you cook! Don’t stand around waiting for the potatoes to soften, instead get started in the dishes or packing away cooking utensils that you’re done using.
6. Get yourself a Clutter Bucket!
This is something that I started when we moved into our new home and having to deal with keeping the upstairs and downstairs de-cluttered.
Rather than running up and down 20 times a day, I started a clutter bucket for anything and everything that’s out of place.
At the end of every day we empty the bucket (which is actually just a small weaved basket) and put everything where it belongs.
Be sure to empty it every night though! I once used the clutter bucket for a week without putting the stuff away and eventually just stuck it in a corner where it wouldn’t mock me.
Remember, being organised and making sure that everything has a home will not only save you time, but also help with your mental well-being.
A cluttered space is good for no one.
7. Double up on cleaning products (if you’re able to)
Cleaning products often come in multiple savers deals so the next time you see a 2 for 1 or 50% off, make sure you pick up at least 2 of each.
Having a ready to go cleaning kit both upstairs and downstairs saves you from having to lug everything around with you.
Our downstairs kit includes everything that we need for the living areas and kitchen, while the upstairs one has the bathroom essentials.
Unfortunately you’re still going to have to carry the vacuum up and down, but hey, you can’t win at everything, right?
I hope that these 7 practical time saving tips has helped simplify your daily mental and physical load and that you’ll be able to work them into your day to day routine.
Being working moms means working 2 jobs and if we don’t take the time to establish a routine that will benefit us, we’re sure to suffer with burnout.
Check out one of my recent posts on Simple Stress Management Tools for Moms