Everyday Tips For Busy Moms

It seems as if there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. But with a little bit of planning, and perhaps even adding in some delegation, it is possible to stay on top of it all! Here are some helpful tips that every busy mom can use!

Master your calendar

By reviewing your calendar in advance and keeping track of every appointment, you are prepared in advance. I often suggest plotting out your calendar 6-8 weeks in advance.

Keep your calendar centrally located. For families with older children, online calendars can work well, but with young children in the house a visual daily reminder works best. They have access to it and can visualize things on a daily/weekly basis.

Plan & Prepare the night before

From packing lunches and school bags to having the clothes set out the night before. Anything that needs to be addressed before the start of school should be finished before going to bed. This simple strategy makes leaving the house in the morning a calmer experience for all!

Have a place for everything and everything in its place

We have discussed this many times before, but there is value in respecting these concepts. Everything in your home should have its own “home”. By having a designated place for absolutely everything, there is no lost time “looking for something” and all the other members of the family can learn this system and work with it as well. Not only will this help everyone in the house find things, but they can also be recruited in putting things away too!

Meal planning is a necessity

Having nourishing quick meals to share with your family is very rewarding. Not only are time and money saved, but you’re investing in your families health. When “dinner time” is limited, you can gain so much by spending that time sharing about your day rather then struggling in the kitchen to make dinner.

A slow cooker is a busy woman’s best friend!

Streamline your errands

Designate just 1 specific day to run alllll your errands. Create a master list. Then, map it out. Think about everything from traffic conditions to keeping food cold. Many people can get their errands done in a single “loop”.

When making your list, break down all items that need to be purchased into a specific “store list”.

Get the kids involved

Some people are really good at getting the kids involved, where as other moms feel “guilty”. I look at it as building everyday “life smarts” and responsibility. Unless you want to be packing lunches in college, this is a simple technique that teaches our young children the basics of life.

My favorite kid helping duties: sorting the laundry, matching socks, switching clothes from the washer to the dryer, emptying and loading the dishwasher, vacuuming, dusting, feeding the pets, changing their own bed linens, putting away clean clothes, picking up sticks in the yard, putting groceries away, helping each other with homework, putting stamps on mail, collecting trash to name a few… Of course these chores will vary based on age but even a 2 year old can learn to help mommy put their toys back!

By kids investing in helping they are rewarded with more family time or game night!

Say No sometimes

I know. This one often gets groans from our private clients as well. But the fact is. No one will dislike you for saying no. It’s a guilt butto
I think we are all born with.

Set a limit and stick to it. I too like to be involved in school and kids extra curricular activities as well as my own volunteer efforts, but there needs to be a limit.

Try this strategy: choose a reasonable # of events to help at school with for example. I choose 3 events and 1 in school party per child. That is my commitment. Anything beyond that doesn’t support my personal goals and I will kindly decline. I often say “I am so grateful for the opportunity, but right now I have already committed to multiple “X” this year. Perhaps you could keep me in mind next year when my time might allow for this… Try it. I promise it doesn’t hurt.

What other systems do you implement in your household?