Tips on ways to streamline your life and make things easier as a working parent to help manage the juggle of work and running a home and family.
Over the years, in my parenting journey, I have been a stay at home mum, a work from home mum and a work at the office mum. They all have their advantages and challenges. But the juggle of being a working parent and juggling family and home life is stressful at times and it can feel like there is just not enough time in the day. Trying to get everything done can feel like an endless game of “Wack a Mole” as fast as you get on top of some things, new things pop up. This period of life of balancing your family and work is always going to be busy, but you can find some ways to simplify and streamline things and take back a bit of extra time in your week.
Get help, delegate or outsource
Whether you are a single parent or a working couple running a family, there is only so much time in the day, and if your plate is overflowing then look at ways to take some things off your plate. Is everyone in the family pitching in with the daily routine? Do the kids have designated chores? If not, it may be time to give more responsibility to your spouse and children. If you have the means, you can hire a cleaner once a week, shop once a week and do one big shop instead of going to the supermarket multiple times a week. You can also use a meal delivery service to make meal times easier.
Meal plan
I talk about meal planning a lot, but honestly, it is one of the biggest time savers in a week for me. It takes about five minutes to do and it means no wondering what to cook for dinner each night. I know what ingredients I need for meals and can add them to my grocery list to order for the week. This means no having to stop at the shops some days after work for dinner items. Factor in what is happening in your life in your meal plan, and on days the kids have sports practice, or you work later, plan to have an easy meal that night. If you hate the idea of pre-setting what to eat for dinner each night, simply plan seven meals, you don’t have to lock them to a specific day, then make whatever of the seven you feel like that night. The Magnetic Meal Planner can make this easy.
Order your groceries online for delivery or pick-up
I don’t enjoy having to go to shops get groceries after work or on the weekend. It feels like it is a waste of my free time which should be for fun and family. If only there was a magical fairy that restocked the fridge and cupboards for me! Ordering my groceries online and having them delivered is pretty close to a magical kitchen fairy. I have been ordering my groceries online for a while and have created fortnightly and monthly grocery lists for the items I need to purchase periodically, so it’s very quick to add to cart the products I need. I find I stick to my grocery budget more easily as I just get what I need and nothing more.
Prep the night before
I find mornings are busy for my family so prepping the night before saves a lot of stress. If I lay out my clothes the night before, it saves me precious time in the morning when I can’t decide what to wear. Make all the next day lunches the night before so you can just grab it out of the fridge ready to go. Check with the kids to make sure they have their homework packed in their school bags and maybe get them into a routine of laying out their school uniforms out before bedtime. Making sure I know where my handbag and car keys are always saves a headache!
Use one family calendar
Using a calendar makes it easy to keep track of everyone’s appointments, events or commitments in the one central spot. A family calendar is also great for preventing you from ever double-booking or over-scheduling.
Have a quick basic cleaning routine everyday
I always ensure that a few key areas of my home are kept kicking along so cleaning doesn’t become overwhelming. Get yourself and the family into a routine of putting things away as they use them – this simple task alone saves so much time! Jump over to my 5 Cleaning Tasks I Do Even When Busy blog for some quick and easy ideas.
Set your bills to autopay
With so many bills each month, setting your bills to autopay not only saves time but keeps your credit score high and helps avoid late fees!
Make time for fun
This is so important for mums. The word fun has a different meaning for everyone. Some may potter around in the garden while others might catch up with some friends and have a wine or two. Whatever your version of fun is, make sure you schedule it in at least once a week if only for an hour or so.
