Here is another post that I’ve moved over from my old blog, originally posted on Sep 30, 2009.
One of the biggest complaints I hear about parenthood (it’s also my biggest complaint!) is the sheer lack of time parents feel they have to get everything done. Or most things. Or, at minimum, the most important things! It’s good to have some tricks up your sleeve, in order to fit more into your day. These help me everyday, and I hope they will be of help to you, too.
1. Double up
Never do just one job, when you can get two done at the same time. It may sound tricky at first, but once you have tried it a few times, and get into this sort of mindset, it slowly begins to come naturally. Examples are:
If you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, wash a couple of dishes, or wipe the bathroom sink clean, and quickly wash the toilet.
Cook twice the amount of food for dinner, and freeze half for another time. Or, keep any leftovers for lunch the next day. I’m usually able to at least save some vegetables for my baby to eat for lunch the next day. This also saves me a fortune in baby food!
Put a load of laundry on in the washing machine before doing something else.
Walking to school instead of driving. You and your child get exercise, and your child gets to school. I get two hours of exercise most days doing this. It’s a great way to whittle away any post-baby fat!
Put more than one child in the bath or shower at a time.
When cooking dinner, get started on washing the dishes as it’s cooking, to save you time later.
Give the kids an activity for them to concentrate on whilst you’re trying to do another job. A good example is today. My three year old son was nagging me to let him play a computer game, whilst I was trying to write this blog post! To help him wait, I gave him some pegs and a bento box to play with until it was his turn for the computer.
Kids love to just clip them onto the edge of the container, then take them off, over and over again.. It’s also great for their fine motor skills, and eye-hand co ordination. Best of all, it buys me some time!
2. Plan/prepare ahead of time.
This is a really effective one. If you start a task earlier on than needed, then you won’t be constantly running around like a headless chook, trying to get everything done at the last minute. Well, some things you might, but not as many!
Things I do ahead of time that help in this house are:
Starting dinner in the morning or at lunchtime. It could be just cutting up the vegetables for later, preparing a marinade for meats, or even getting it started cooking in the slow cooker (or crock pot, as some like to call it)
Checking the calender the night before for any notes that need handing in, or special things needed for the next day.
Making lunches the night before, and snacks.
3. Enlist the kids’ help.
This might sound like more trouble than it’s worth, but if you keep it simple, it can have a massive impact in a short space of time. Especially if you’re doing something else at the same time.
Get the kids to pick up everything from the floor that doesn’t belong there, eg clothing, toys, etc and put them where they belong.
If you have older kids, ask them to make their bed, or everyone’s beds, if you think they can manage. My nine year old will often make hers and her little brother’s bed before school if we have time, and it makes such a difference.
Kids love having a go at using the vacuum cleaner, so I have cultivated the habit of saying ‘YES!’ every time a child asks me if they can vacuum the floor! It doesn’t even matter if they don’t do a great job, if they’re picking something up from the floor, in my eyes, that’s an improvement.
It’s good to teach kids how to do tasks ‘properly’, but don’t expect perfection, or they will just give up and refuse to help you. Praise all efforts, and realise that any extra help is still going to save you time in the long run.
4. Deal with things then and there.
This one is very simple. Don’t put it down, put it away. When you finish with something, put it away straight away, and not pile it up on the bench. Admit it, we’ve all done it!
More importantly, teach your kids this one early on, and save yourself loads of time in years to come.
I would like to conclude though, that if you can’t get it all done in one day, don’t stress. It’ll be there tomorrow, or the next day. If you keep chipping away at your ‘to-do’ list, eventually you’ll get through it. Above all, try to always make some time for fun in your day too!
Washing up while you cook is a great tip – it means that when kids have finally gone to bed you don’t waste all your precious ‘me’ or ‘us’ time cleanng up!
I like the way you think, Melissa;)