Here’s a few tried and true mom hacks that’ll help you maximize your time and reduce the chaos happening in your life on a daily basis.
Currently sitting here writing this with a toddler in my lap crawling all over me. This is an active part of my daily routine. Life gets pretty crazy, pretty quickly when you have a toddler at home, you’re homeschooling, and running a business.
Before I became a work-at-home mom I thought the gig would be a bed of roses and the easiest job in the world. Boy, did Trevor teach me a thing or two. On a daily basis, he’s pining for my attention, scouring the pantry for snacks every 5 minutes, and asking to go outside. Of course he can’t help wanting to do all the things but I definitely didn’t expect him to be in my face like he is. It’s definitely a complete 180 of what it was like when Tatiana was a toddler. She was much calmer and enjoyed playing independently.
Once you throw homeschooling into the mix, making a minimum of 3 meals a day and staying on top of keeping a clean-ish house my time dwindles away quickly. I’m here to tell you that being a WAHM ain’t for the weak y’all. Throw on top of that, running your own business and I automatically need at least 2 more bodies to help me with the workload.
I’ve been at it for a few years now and luckily I’ve been able to find what works for me and my family, so here’s a few tips.
Mom Hacks for Better Time Management
Batch plan your homeschool lessons
Homeschooling is something that we’ve been doing for a few years now. We had no idea how to start homeschooling and had a rough start but have finally found our groove. Creating a homeschool schedule that works for your child’s learning style is key. T is very hands-on and a visual learner so I have to keep that in mind when I’m creating her lessons. Most of her work is done online using Time4Learning but we do take time out during the week to supplement her learning with fun projects and experiments. I try to plan out her supplemental lessons for one month at a time. It helps because I know exactly what supplies she’ll need, how much time to set aside and she can help me prepare for the lessons.
Meal prepping is the ultimate mom hack
Meal prepping on the weekends, preferably Sundays, is a huge timesaver for me. The first thing I do is plan out all of my meals for the week. If I’m really on a roll then I’ll create an entire monthly family meal plan. Then I hit the grocery store with my DIY tote bags in tow and buy everything that we need for the week including fresh fruits and produce. Sprouts is one of my favorite stores for this. I meal prep once on Sunday and once more during the week if I need to. Usually the second prep day during the week is to make things like my husband’s breakfast, these toddler smoothies, or mini blueberry lemon bread loaves that we love for breakfast. Pre-portioning snacks and making what I can ahead of time takes out all the guesswork for me.
Give everyone in your family a to-do list for the week
One thing that I learned early on in the mom game is that everybody has to do the work. I’m not about to be out here holding this family together by myself. Everyone has responsibilities and chores to help our family be the most efficient. Even Trevor has chores. They might be small but every little bit he does helps take something off my plate so I can focus on other tasks. At the beginning of the week, I put a few to-dos on our family calendar. Once a task is complete they can be checked off. Putting everything onto our family calendar helps keep everyone accountable.
Create a schedule in 20 minute time blocks
If you’re not working in 20 minute time blocks I highly suggest it. I’ve found this to be more efficient for everyone and it reminds me to move my body every 20 minutes. It’s important for me to get up and move around that often because i want to keep my blood flowing and energy levels up to be the most productive. Every time you get up, drink some water and take a quick lap around the house.
Make a list of non-negotiables
Each morning I make a list of 3-5 things that I absolutely have to get done that day. I call them my non-negotiables. No matter what happens in that day those things have to get done before I call it a day.
Utilize a power hour
Take advantage of your kids nap time as your power hour. A power hour is a designated hour of the day where you turn off any distractions like your cell phone or tv and power through your to-do list. Without any distractions you should be able to get the tasks you dread the most out of the way.
Get big tasks done during play time and meal time
During play time and meal times I like to get any cleaning out of the way. I focus on laundry during play time. Whether it’s tossing a load into the washing machine or folding a load that’s been staring at me for days, I try to get it done during play time. Meal times are great for cleaning because your child is usually sitting at a table eating and out of the way. I like to tackle sweeping and mopping or washing dishes during their meal times.
Drink your water and say a prayer if all these mom hacks don’t work out
If all else fails and you haven’t done anything else, just do this. If you’re dealing with a toddler at home you’re gonna need all the help you can get.
How are you managing your time and tasks as a mom? Do you have any mom hacks you’d suggest to other mamas?
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