- Find time for yourself
This might seem like the last step in organising your busy schedule, but it ought to be the first. You’re most likely struggling to find time for all your essential tasks – but you should remember this is one of them! If you burn the candle at both ends, you’ll find yourself being less pro-active as a result. Give yourself time to do the things that you love. You’ll always find time to take care of your little one and put your interests in their future, but don’t leave yourself without a life!
- Invest in a goody quality organiser
Yes, you can buy a page-a-day diary for pennies, but you’ll never use it. While forking out a lot for an organiser might seem counter-productive when you’re considering your budget, investing in a good diary will make you more investing in using it! There’s something about a leather-bound Filofax and a colour co-ordinated sticker set that just screams out “USE ME!” It’ll make you more determined to plan out your precious child commitments, carefully prepared meals and the (and undoubtedly important) me time.
- Batch cooking
Making time to cook a nutritious meal every night can seem daunting, and often results in frozen chicken and chips, which isn’t ideal for keeping your family fit and healthy. Invest in a giant cooking pot and make up several batches of your home cooked favourites. Remember, it takes almost the same amount of time to cook six portions of Bolognese as it does to cook one. If your freezer has the space, utilise it. Your family will appreciate being able to taste homemade meals more often and you’ll appreciate the time it frees up.
- Get a whiteboard for the kitchen
Today, almost everything is communicated via mobile phones. However, we all know how easy it can be to see a message and decide to act on it later. Keeping a whiteboard on the kitchen wall not only looks cute to visitors, but also acts as a reminder of upcoming events and things to add to the shopping list. There are so many products similar to the whiteboard, such as glass markerboards (you can look into marker board price here), that look stylish and effective when it comes to making notes. If a big white screen isn’t your thing, there are many more options. It’s a great way to collaborate with the family. Should your child be at an age that they can write (and can reach it), they can let you know about their dance recitals and school productions. Your partner can remind you that the car insurance is due renewal. You can remind everyone to put dishes IN the dishwasher, rather than next to it.
- De-clutter your living space
This can be a tricky one. A lot of mums struggle to differentiate between the essentials and the utterly useless belongings lying around their home. While it seems criminal to throw out your child’s 3-year-old homework, it’ll help you to save time in the long run. Remember the last time you were searching for nearly an hour for a copy of your electricity bill? Maybe if you didn’t keep hold of every scribble your little one ever penned it’d be a little easier.
Most importantly, remember that mums are only human too. Be gentle on yourself and remember you surely can’t do everything. Once you accept your limits, you’ll find it far easier to tackle your tough schedule.
