Does time with your baby feel like it’s flying? Every feeding, diaper change, swooping up and all the things in between add up to a substantial portion of the day. Basic tasks that were given no thought at all before children, can become a challenge to complete! It is important to evaluate and implement time management strategies to prevent spiraling out of control. Read on to learn how to manage your time effectively as a mom!
But First!
It goes without saying, but I am going to say it anyway. Make sure to cherish every moment with your baby. While I’ll be discussing how to accomplish more and better manage your time, find a happy balance. Your job as a mom is to take care of your little one. While cleaning and working is important, consider it as a side job.
If you have a newborn, stop reading! Go relax and recover you over acheiver! I recommend waiting at least two months to start returning back in the swing of things.
Map Out Your Multi-Tasking Plan
It would be great if all the items on our to-do lists could be completed while the baby naps. Realistically, we might be able to conquer a few, but certainly not all. Plus, you want to snag some time during their naps to rest yourself! Believe it or not, you can rest AND accomplish things in the SAME day!
First, evaluate what you need to do for the day. Anything that requires your full attention save for when the baby is sleeping. I cannot write my blog posts, for example, when Berry is playing because I am constantly stopping to pick her up, play with her, etc. It’s too distracting, so I work on that when I have quiet time for myself.
It is important not to waste your valuable time frame of freedom on things you can do while the baby is awake! Work on household chores in the space that your baby is playing in. For example, I do the dishes while Berry is in her rocker in the kitchen. When she is playing in the living room, I dust and tidy up. Be sure that you can still keep an eye on your baby while multi-tasking.
Hot Tip: Have a chair or play yard/pen you can move to different areas of the house and move your baby as needed.
Putting away laundry, dusting, applying makeup and tidying up are easy multi-tasking chores to complete while your baby is playing or content in your company! To save time with laundry, sort the family’s clothing and place in their room. Don’t put the clothes away until you are in that space again. I always put Berry’s clothes in the nursery and will wait to put them away until she is playing in there.
Prepping Saves Time and Stress!
Prepping is a great way to simplify your life! This can be preparing meals for the week ahead of time or sorting your vitamins in a weekly or monthly pill dispenser. If you can prepare ahead of time, do it! I am not a morning person, so I prep my coffee for the following day at night. It is much easier for me to do this at night than when I am in zombie morning mode!
Hot Tip: Coffee makers you can schedule to brew are a life saver! Another tip: Cook double the portions of food and put half away for another day!
Not only are you saving yourself stress, you’ll also be saving time by prepping. Think about cooking, for example. Every time you are cooking you are probably pulling out pans and utensils. There’s the cleanup aspect too. Groan! How long does it take to pull everything out, clean and put back again? Even if it took, say five minutes, to simply gather all the pots…
5 minutes a day = 35 minutes a week
35 minutes a week = 1,820 minutes or 30.3 hours
That’s right, you’d be spending over a whole day each year just pulling out pots and pans! WTF!
Your time is way more valuable than that. So, pull out the cookware once a week and cook all at once. Now we’re looking at:
5 minutes a week = 260 minutes = 4.3 hours
Slightly over four hours is much better! Now, this example is oversimplified, however it exemplifies just how much preparation can save you time.
Consider Changing "When"
I mentioned prepping my coffee in the evenings to simplify my mornings. Shifting other activities to different times of the day has been beneficial for me. When Berry was born, I was in the habit of sanitizing her bottles in the mornings, but like I said, I am not a morning person (like at all, barely functioning, help me!). It occurred to me that I can sanitize them in the evening and prep the bottles since they last 24 hours in the refrigerator. Berry and I both enjoy bath time in the late mornings as opposed to evenings.
You need to do what works best for you and your baby. Find what you are struggling the most with and consider shifting it to another time in your day
To Sum it all Up...
By multi-tasking when and where appropriate and by preparation, you can not only save time, but enjoy it better!
Seize the day, Moms!
