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By Kelly from Don Mills Diva
I am a pretty typical working mom balancing a pretty demanding job and a really demanding pre-schooler and you know what I don’t need?
I don’t need one more article telling me that if I just treat myself to a nightly bubble bath, my time-crunched schedule will magically seem manageable.
I agree that leisurely bubble baths are relaxing and perhaps even necessary once in a while, but encouraging working moms to indulge does not constitute useful advice about how to successfully make the most of our time.
If you’re like me, what you would really appreciate are a few practical tips that can help shave minutes off your daily routine.
Here are a few that work for me:
* Plan your outfits for the week in advance.
It takes a bit of thought on the weekend, but knowing what laundry must be done by Monday and what can wait helps avoid a midnight rendez-vous with the washer and dryer mid-week.
* Always lay out your clothes, jewelry, hose and shoes the night before.
It took me a few weeks to develop this habit, but now I can’t sleep if I haven’t done it. I save tons of time by not rushing around in the morning and I start the day feeling polished and focused, which increases my overall efficiency.
* Take utility bills to work and pay them on-line on your break or lunch hour.
It’s just one less thing you have to do when you get home. Just make sure that you never save any of your banking passwords on a work computer.
* Grocery shop on your lunch hour.
I do all my shopping at lunch. I squeeze the perishables in the office fridge and the non-perishables in bags under my desk. I get a few strange looks from my co-workers, but it’s quicker and less irritating than dragging a three-year-old to the supermarket after work or spending my precious time on the weekends stalking the aisles of the grocery store. An added bonus: it forces me to get away from my desk and moving at least twice a week.
Do you have any survival tips to share?
* Make friends with a crockpot.
I regularly stalk this site - http://www.a-crock-cook.com/ - for meal ideas that I can make in the crockpot. I do all the prep at night, refrigerate the goods right in the pot, plug in and leave for 9-10 hours while I work. There are lots of options that are dead simple, delicious and economical. (This method of cooking often features tougher, cheaper cuts of meat). My favorites are lamb curry and chicken thighs with red peppers, both served over rice. An added bonus: minimal clean-up afterwards.
I won’t lie to you, even with these tips my life is still hectic. But by utilizing them I do save enough time that I actually have the time to indulge in the occasional bubble bath.
How about you? Do you have any practical tips to shave minutes or seconds off your daily routine? Please share in the comments – I’d love to try them.
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I don’t believe I’ll plan a whole week ahead on outfits but I do try to just get all the laundry done on Sunday so I don’t have to worry about it.
I’ve tried laying it all out the night before but invariably something goes wrong.
I prefer to spend lunch hour cramming in social networking time
but for shopping I try to think a few meals ahead as well as have quick meals (fish sticks, frozen veggies) that the sitter could prepare when I can’t make it home in time for dinner.
Mich | August 14th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I do my grocery shopping on my lunch break and store it in our frige and I also pay my bills online at work. Those are two I definitely have been doing and it helps a lot. Funny how no one else in the office understands that I cannot grocery shop with a two year old. I’d rather stick needles in my eyes!
Oceans Mom | August 14th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Those are great tips!
I wrote a post called “A Working Mom Seeks Balance.” I’m not sure that they are necessarily tips on how to save time, but more how to balance the different areas of my life:
http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/10/05/a-working-mom-seeks-balance/
Annie @ PhD in Parenting | August 15th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Great ideas Kelly, I do all of those as well, except for the lay out my clothing thing. But then I work in IT and jeans are standard wear for me.
I bookmarked that crockpot cooking site. With baby #3 on the way I see a lot of crock pot in my future.
Chantal | August 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
My life saver has been Dinner By Design. (www.dinnerbydesignkitchen.com) They’re not all over the country, but there may be something similar in your area. Taking one night a week and preparing 9-12 meals to store in the freezer is an absolute godsend! I take a few out on Sunday an thaw them in the refrigerator….with the directions easily printed on the front, my husband can start dinner before I get home! I also love the crock pot idea, and have done that too. Just not worrying about what to make for dinner takes a lot of stress out of my day.
I don’t plan a weeks worth of outfits, I’m not that organized, but I often do plan a night ahead. It really does help in the morning to already have an idea of what to wear.
Sarah | August 20th, 2009 at 1:25 am