Today I want to speak to all the busy moms out there. As a busy mom myself I am always on the hunt for ways to save time, to be more productive, to get more things done.
There are days I wish I could clone myself, but unfortunately that is just not possible, so leveraging some of these time savings tips always helps me stay on track without burning out. Here are 10 of my top time saving tips for busy moms (and non-moms too) :
1. Establish Routines
It took me a while to value routines and realize how much of a time saver they are. But think about it. Anything that you can do on autopilot usually ends up saving you time, right? Because you don’t need to stop and think about how to do it or what to do, you just do it.
My morning routine is one of those things that makes my whole day more productive! I do that routine without even thinking twice- it’s just habit and helps me cruise through my morning.
2. Wake up a little early
No, I am not encouraging you to get less sleep. You need to get a healthy amount of sleep every day. That is typically anywhere around 7-8 hours, even though we are all different. Even though as I said I am not suggesting you to sleep less, you should try to wake up a bit earlier than your kids. Many of us are going full speed from the second we wake up until the second we go to sleep. By waking up even just 15 to 20 minutes before your kids, you’ll be assured a little peace and quiet time before kicking off the day. For me, I wake up 1-2 hours before my kids wake up and that gives me some quiet "me" time for my morning routine.
3. Take advantage of your commute
Are you stuck in traffic for 30-45 minutes every day on the way to work? Take advantage of this time! Listen to a podcast or an audio book, leverage this time to get some personal development time. You can also use a voice recorder and make your to-do list or record an audio journal.
4. Prepare the night before
Getting your kids (and yourself) out the door in the morning can be a struggle. Do as much as you can the night before to get prepared. Lay out your and your kid's clothes for the next day. Backpacks and briefcases can be loaded up, lunches can be packed and the table can be set for breakfast. By doing a little extra the night before, you can cut down on the chaos in the morning.
5. Learn to say no
These days, most families are overscheduled. Moms, well we try to be everything to everybody, and it’s just not possible. You don’t need to join every group, volunteer for every committee, sign your kids up for every activity or attend every event. Decide the things that are truly important to you and your family and make them a priority. Remember that every thing you say "yes" to you are saying "no" to something else.
6. Set Bills to Auto Pay
We used to dutifully log into each account for every bill when it was time to pay it each month. Eventually, we got smart and realized how much time we were wasting, not to mention that it’s rather annoying to go through all the hoops that you need to go through just to log into your account anymore. Now we have all of our bills on auto-pay and use those extra minutes for more useful things!
7. Keep an Ongoing Shopping List
My mom taught me well on this one. She always had a shopping list somewhere in the kitchen and as soon as someone opened the last bar of soap or emptied the mayo, she would write it down on the shopping list. It’s such an effective way to eliminate that last minute grocery trip to the store because you ran out of something that you need. And it will save you time when you are ready to grocery shop too because your list is already mostly made up for you.
Talking about grocery shopping, if you have to run to the grocery store with little ones in tow several times a week, it can take a toll on you. Designate one day a week as grocery shopping day and stick to it. By making one big trip instead of a half a dozen smaller trips, you’ll find you save more time and money.
8. Meal Prep
I hated meal prepping. Spending all day Sunday meal prepping is not necessarily my ideal plan on how to spend my weekend. That being said here are a few thigs that can be very helpful, save you timer and help you reduce the stress during the week without taking a lot of your time on weekends:
Buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store (love to get mine at Costco or Sam's Club), clean it, cut it and store it. It takes a little over 5 minutes and you have chicken ready for your salads or kids meals during the week.
Buy ready to eat veggies like baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or baby bell peppers and make prepare some zip log snack bags. Takes less than 5 minutes and you will have healthy snacks that you can just grab and go during the week.
Order pre-made meals. It took me years to try these. Always thought they were a waste of money, that I could made healthier, tastier, fresher and cheaper meals myself. But let me tell you that it has been the biggest discovery of the year for me. I don't eat these every day but having them on my fridge or freezer has been a life saver. On days that you don't have time to prepare lunch or dinner you can just heat them up on the microwave and it's faster, easier and cheaper than eating out or ordering take out. I personally love Factor meals. You can try them and save $40 using this link.
9. Keep an Easy Snack in Your Purse
I can’t tell you how many times having a simple granola or protein bar (these are my favorite) in my purse has saved me from needing to swing through the drive-thru to get me or the kids a bite to eat. Even if it’s not enough to fill them up if they are really hungry, it’s typically enough to hold them over until we get home. Not only I have something for my kids, but many times I just have something for me. It helps me stay on track with my healthy goals, saves me time and it obviously is a whole lot cheaper than a drive-thru run too!
10. Take time for yourself
Last, but absolutely not least, you need to take time for yourself, as contradictory as it might sound. You aren’t going to be able to keep up with work and your mom duties if you don’t take care of yourself. “Me” time is very important for busy moms. Even if it’s only 15 to 20 minutes a day, you need to make time for yourself. "Me" time can look very different for everyone, I recommend though that you schedule some every day. Yes, block time on your calendar! and use that time to recharge. As to what to do during this time, think of what helps you recharge. You can relax in a bubble bath, do Pilates or yoga, read a book, or just seat down and relax. Whatever you do, make it all about you. Moms on the go are always taking care of everyone around them — it’s also important that you take care of yourself.
