As a busy mom it’s easy to feel overwhelmed constantly, never-ending to-do lists, you feel like your brain is an internet browser with 92 tabs open all at once. I have a few tricks to tackling those to-do lists. Many of the tasks on my to-do list, although they seem overwhelming, actually only take a few minutes. And there are times throughout the day that I have a few minutes, I just don’t always realize it. Also, multitasking – this simple skill can actually save you time.

Laundry

1. Start a load in the washer every night before I go to bed
2. In the morning, while my coffee is brewing, put that load in the dryer
3. Fold and put away that laundry – doing a daily load keeps the mountain of laundry at bay, and makes it more manageable. Realistically think about it – how long does it actually take to fold that one load and put it away? Minutes. Not long! And think of how great you’ll feel when it’s done!
4. Get the kids involved – Let them help! Logan has loved helping with laundry since he was little. I let him put clothes in the washer, pull them out of the dryer, and put away his own clothes. It’s fun for him, quality time with him, AND he’s learning some life skills. Blake has been doing his own laundry since he was about 8. I put sticky notes on the washer so he knows the settings to use. Are the clothes always perfect when they’re put away? No, but they’re clean and that’s good enough! I’m raising future husbands and I want them to be true partners to their future mates, like the husband I have – capable of sharing in the household duties!

Meal Planning/Prepping

1. Online grocery ordering: This saves me money AND time. I do weekly Walmart grocery orders. It saves my usual items so it takes seconds to fill my cart with my weekly items. I also fill my cart throughout the week when I notice things we need. It only takes a few seconds to add it to my cart, by the time I’m ready to order my groceries it doesn’t take long at all!
2. I meal prep a lot of meals – not just to eat healthy, but to save time. I might make a breakfast casserole at the beginning of the week to last for breakfast all week, or I make a big batch of breakfast items for the kids to eat throughout the week. Blake is capable of heating up his own breakfast, and it’s quick and easy to reheat for Logan. When I cook dinner at the beginning of the week, I will simultaneously sometimes cook another meal for another day. I’m already using the pots/pans – I make the most of my time, less dishes to wash.
3. I use my crockpot. A LOT. There is so much you can do with a crockpot that you may not realize – let it do the cooking while you do other things!

The Simplest Tip – But Hardest – Replace Social Media Scrolling With Productivity

Ex: When I’m sitting in the car rider line for 10-15 mins before school lets out –

• Make doc appts
• Online grocery shopping
• Pay bills

Look for other opportunities throughout the day when you have 10-15 mins to kill. Today it seems our natural reaction is to go straight to our phone and scroll. Think of all the little tasks that seem so overwhelming, but actually only take a few mins. Squeeze them in if you can.