Saving Time
One of the things I dislike about being a working mom is that I spend so much time just preparing for the next day - I feel like I'm just I'm wasting away the day I have, to be ready for tomorrow. Also - I'm not a morning person, and I need a solid 7+ hours to feel good the next day - so I sleep in, in the mornings as late as possible. So, here are some little short-cuts I take to save myself time in the evening that I can spend relaxing and enjoying my family:
1. Pick out all work outfits for the week on Sunday. I pick them out, including jewelry and scarves, and hang them together in my closet, once I've checked the weather forecast of course. (Hmmm, maybe I should try this when packing my kids clothes for the week too...)
2. Don't pack a lunch every day. Making a balanced lunch takes a ridiculous amount of time! So, instead I buy groceries that I keep at school - little packages of carrots, apples, bananas, yogurt cups, cheese sticks, granola bars, oatmeal, guacamole packets, a container of hummus, crackers, some Laughing Cow cheeses, almonds - and keep them at school in the fridge or in my cupboards, and eat whatever I feel like at lunch time.
3. Wash and style hair every other day. I only sort of recently learned that this is normal hair etiquette! This probably only works for me because my hair is long right now, but it's nice to wash my hair Sunday night, curl it and have that last for Monday and Tuesday - the second day hair usually ends up being a braid or a bun-type deal, but it's getting better, and I'm working my way up to 3 day hair!
4. Plan meals weeks in advance. Instead of just buying random groceries and then having to come up with an idea on the spot. You've seen my meal plans!
5. Laundry every day. Maybe this doesn't sound like it saves time, and maybe it doesn't in the long run - but it feels like it. Wash and dry a load one day, fold and put it away the next, repeat. Yes, laundry has to be done that often in this house.
1. Pick out all work outfits for the week on Sunday. I pick them out, including jewelry and scarves, and hang them together in my closet, once I've checked the weather forecast of course. (Hmmm, maybe I should try this when packing my kids clothes for the week too...)
2. Don't pack a lunch every day. Making a balanced lunch takes a ridiculous amount of time! So, instead I buy groceries that I keep at school - little packages of carrots, apples, bananas, yogurt cups, cheese sticks, granola bars, oatmeal, guacamole packets, a container of hummus, crackers, some Laughing Cow cheeses, almonds - and keep them at school in the fridge or in my cupboards, and eat whatever I feel like at lunch time.
3. Wash and style hair every other day. I only sort of recently learned that this is normal hair etiquette! This probably only works for me because my hair is long right now, but it's nice to wash my hair Sunday night, curl it and have that last for Monday and Tuesday - the second day hair usually ends up being a braid or a bun-type deal, but it's getting better, and I'm working my way up to 3 day hair!
4. Plan meals weeks in advance. Instead of just buying random groceries and then having to come up with an idea on the spot. You've seen my meal plans!
5. Laundry every day. Maybe this doesn't sound like it saves time, and maybe it doesn't in the long run - but it feels like it. Wash and dry a load one day, fold and put it away the next, repeat. Yes, laundry has to be done that often in this house.
Great ideas! You are so smart! Momma
ReplyDeleteyou and me. we should start a business. life organization coaches! i eat hot lunch 2x a month, half a can of soup with cheese and saltines the other days, chase eats leftovers or a sandwich. i wash my hair every night- i can't not. I am a bit neurotic. kate's clothes get packed by outfits for the week (shirt is tucked into the folded pants crease with a pair of socks), Claire picks hers out the night before and lays them out. meals- same. but the laundry--ahhh I CAN NOT figure out a good plan!! (1 load girls, 1 load baby, 1 load darks, 1 load lights, 1 load work pants, 1 load kid towels, 1 load our towels) this does not include sheets/blankets. hmm...guess 7 loads=7 days, right?
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