The other day, I was sitting around talking with my fellow mom friends, about Go Mom posts they’d like to see. As they rambled off ideas from cooking to crafting to child discipline, one of my friends Aubrey said half-jokingly, “And if you could also write a post telling us how to actually make time to do all of these things, that’d be great too.” We all laughed and nodded our heads in agreement knowing that moms need to squeeze out as many extra minutes in a day, as possible.
I responded, “That’s actually a great idea for a post!” And with the holidays upon us, more time seems like a luxury. The truth is, moms really can plan ahead and steal a few more minutes out of each day. These tricks for creating extra time in a day are just some of the ideas that have worked for me and I hope they can help all of us moms be even more amazing and productive.
- Get Organized. I am not naturally an organized person. I have to work to stay organized, but not searching for clothes, keys, or scrambling at dinner time or on busy mornings saves me hours a week. I create stations around my house–backpacks, shoes, breakfast, bedtime stations. I also de-clutter on the regular to help keep my sanity.
- Write a To-Do List. I’m notorious for writing a list and then never looking at it again. What good is that? Lists help calm our minds, especially before bed, so that we can visually see what needs to be tackled. Oh, and checking off that list always feels sooo good.
- Embrace the Morning. This is also tough for me, as I am a night owl, but I know that waking up one hour earlier in the morning gives me the equivalent of 3 hours of productivity, so 6 a.m. (minus a few “snooze” buttons) it is!
- Find Your Sweet Spot. What time of day are you most productive? While waking up early gives you more time, you may find that the afternoon or evening is when you really feel your best. Capitalize on that and schedule pressing or must-do’s in that time.
- Plan Ahead. We are often surprised by the things that happen again and again, like dinnertime, kids outgrowing their clothes, and our family getting the sniffles. Planning ahead for the expected can save us time and stress. Meal planning, a week to clothes shop and organize clothing, or a monthly household checklist can all help.
- Ditch the Time Wasters. Facebook, Pinterest, email, and all the rest are huge time wasters. I like to set limits for myself on these minute munching monsters.
- Play Double Duty. If you know you’re going to spend an hour at your child’s dance or karate class, bring your laptop. Or maybe your child can read to you while you braid her hair. Wherever there is time spent, see what else you can squeeze in.
- Cleaning Plan. I created a cleaning routine for myself and my kids to make sure that I cut down on wasted cleaning time and to help ensure that all the areas that need to be cleaned each week actually are. Pinterest is a great resource for these (but pay heed to #6).
- Lessen Your Load. Laundry is the never-ending-story in my house and a real time stealer. The solution? I got rid of half of our clothes by donating them, then committed to doing one load of laundry a day. It’s like a whole new world. Some friends of mine have “laundry day” where they schedule a play date for kids and laundry for the moms. Folding and girl talk? Don’t mind if I do!
- Say No! Sometimes it feels so much easier to say “yes”– yes to the extra kid in the carpool, the committee meeting, the brownies for the bake sale, but really, a “no” from time to time frees up, well, more time. Boundaries are just as important for us moms as they are for our toddlers.
There you have it–my top 10 time saving tips. So, what about you? What are some of the tricks and tips you use to steal some extra minutes and get more done?
