A wish that many mothers share with each other is that they wish that there were more hours in a day. Being a mom can be tiring. It seems the more we try to fit into our days, the more that gets unfinished. While we can’t add hours to a day, there are some things that you can do to find more time to do what you need to do. I’m going to go over some tips here on how to do just that.
Wake Up Early
Getting up early can add a lot more time in your day. You can use your morning time to tidy up and clean the house, or you can use this precious time to relax. You may want to use half of your morning time to clean, and the other half to read a book or work on a craft. Whatever you choose to do, you will be amazed at how much more time you have in your day when you are an early riser. Just make sure that you don’t skimp out on the sleep that you need. This will require some planning and getting to bed earlier. You may need to cut out a TV show to make this happen.
Make Meals Ahead of Time
If cooking meals takes a lot of time out of your day, then you might want to consider preparing your meals ahead of time. Take a day off to simply cook big batches of food. Once you make the recipes, throw them in the freezer or refrigerator for those times when your family is hungry. Also make sure to get all of your grocery shopping done in one day. Using all of your time to go back and forth to the grocery store can take a lot of hours out of your week.
Say “No” More Often
There is a time when you have to stop saying “yes” to people’s invitations. If you already have something planned that day, or are a little busy that week, then be assertive and say no. Make sure that you don’t plan too much in your week. Overscheduling is not only draining physically and mentally, but it can eat up precious time that you may want to save for other things. Try to only set up dates that are important or that your family is looking forward to.
Don’t Spend Too Much Time on the Internet
Surfing the web can be addicting and can take a lot of time out of your day. If you want to spend some relaxing time looking at your phone, then make sure that you only do it for a set amount of time. Social media can be especially addicting for some people. Try giving yourself a certain time each day to check social media instead of logging on and off all day long.
Have Your Family Help Out With Chores
Time can literally disappear from the day when you have to complete all of the household chores by yourself. A way to make more time in your day is to simply have your family help you with the chores. Have your family help clean, cook, and do the laundry. Having your children help out is a good way to keep an eye on them and also get work done at the same time. They will learn important skills, such as cooking meals and how to keep a kitchen clean and sanitary.
Finish Your “To Do List” Early
Everyone has a list of things that they need accomplished. If it’s not written down, then it is noted in their heads. But in almost every list, there is one thing that didn’t get completed, or that they had to stay up late to finish. To limit the chance of this happening to you, try to finish all of your chores early in the day if possible. Also, don’t have unachievable tasks on your list. You can always use your free time to finish the hard chores, but there is no need to have something on your list that won’t get done.
Stay Organized
The more organized your house is, the less stress there is when completing household chores. You will spend less time cleaning, searching for lost items, and wasting time on unneeded tasks. Keep rooms well organized, meals organized, and daily essentials organized.
Don’t Take Long Baths Every Day
While a long, hot bath may sound relaxing, it also takes time out of your day. Try to take quick showers on those busy days. Then, on those days when you have extra time, take that well deserved hot bath.
Buy Healthy Fast Food
Cooking meals can take a lot of time out of your day. While homemade meals are usually the healthiest, there are a lot of fast food restaurants out there that have healthy menus. Also consider buying adult-size meals for your kids, so that the leftovers can be used for another meal.
Final Thoughts
I’ve gone over some tips that you can try in order to make more time in your day. Which tips you try is going to be highly individual. What one person may want to willingly cut, another person may consider essential. The important thing is to make some changes and try at least a few of these tips and see how it goes. You may be surprised at how many more minutes and even hours get freed up.
