As you may have noticed, I like to keep my posts short and sweet. Why?
- It’s my writing style. You’ll probably never see a novel from me. Maybe a collection of short stories.
- My attention span is short. Distractions come easy to me—SQUIRREL!
- I don’t have time. Between working, mommyhood, wifey-hood, I want to get my thoughts out in a concise yet HILARIOUS manner. I’m the “snapchat” of bloggers.
With only 24 hours in a day, 16 of which I am awake, I have to find ways to save time… and here’s how:
- Slow cooker meals are my godsend. Set it and forget it. Carving out a few hours on a Sunday to prepare meals for the rest of the week makes everyone happy. Use a slow cooker liner and you have “practically” no dishes to do!
- Laying out clothes. Check the weather report for the week. Include room for sweaters and jackets if needed. Iron on Sunday, and you save an extra 15 minutes of staring at your closet full of clothes, and going “what should I wear?” Have backup options just in case you have “I feel fat” day. Do this for your kids too.
- No technology for 15 minutes. Set aside 15 minutes a day when you get home where no technology is involved. That includes TV, Computer, Smartphone, etc. Use those 15 minutes to get something done: clean, cook, organize. You’d be surprised how productive you are without tech distractions.
- DVR/TIVO rocks! No need to waste time on commercials. An actual show length for an 30 minute show is about 20 minutes. Watch your recorded shows, and you can put those 10 minutes to something else.
- Waiting time? Take the wait out of waiting time. Bring small to-dos with you when you’re waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or at the bank, or filling up gas. Small to-dos are like writing birthday/thank you cards, responding to FB messages from Grandma, come up with ideas for future blog posts!
- Load the car the night before. Every work day, I have to remember to bring Junior’s diaper bag, his food, his projects, my breast pump and accessories, my purse, my lunch, and of course Junior. In an effort to not lose my mind, half of those items can be packed the night before.
- Double up. This is addition to the previous tip but it honestly helps to have double up on some items. For example, I have two breast pumps (one for work, one for home), two diaper bags (one for his day care, one for personal use), and two phone chargers (one for home, one for work). Imagine each place you go as a station, and think about what you will need at each “station”.
What do you moms do to save time?
