I know we are all busy, life is just that way for so many of us. I am a full time working parent, a full time student right now, and I volunteer as an administrator for a loss group. I have so much going on that I feel overwhelmed often, and the best way I can avoid that is to schedule things, and find ways to save time.

1) I do my Christmas shopping throughout the year. Seriously, this is soooo helpful in saving time. And it saves me money too because I can spread it out throughout a year and find sales. I am usually done with all my Christmas shopping except for stocking stuffers by the end of October. I don’t panic during December, and I can avoid crowds and the other annoyances of shopping during the peak season. And, because I am list obsessed, I write down what people are interested in and keep track of the sizes of my nephews. Sometimes I stumble on something in April that would be perfect for my sister, so I grab it then and store it away until December.

3) I try to double up doctor’s appointments, vet appointments, etc. This doesn’t always work, and was especially impossible when I was pregnant, but it’s working out pretty well now. This also helps me when I need to take time off of work because I can schedule everything on one afternoon and get it done and not have to take multiple days off.

3) I plan meals that can piggyback off of other meals. For example, last night I made a ham, potato, and cheese casserole with bacon crumbles. While I was prepping for that meal, I also did all my prep for a beef stew and threw that into the crockpot while I waited for the casserole to cook. I try to stack up a couple meals at a time so I make less mess and I save a little time.

4) Make a weekly menu and then base my grocery list off of that. Once I have this list, I try to go to the grocery store really early on a Saturday morning. The kids tend to wake me up before 6:30 on the weekend anyway, so it is really easy to pack them up and head to the grocery store. I avoid the crowds, and I usually get to run through the store in record time. Plus, the counters like the deli area and the butcher are dead, so I don’t have to wait in line forever. I have also found that if I stock a few “emergency” meals, I can take a night off from cooking if I am tired or sick and it won’t be a disaster.

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5) I pack the night before. I get all the kids’ stuff and my two bags together and ready by the door. I pack my lunch and my almond milk for the morning, as well as the kids’ food and milks and put it into the fridge. I also lay out clothes for the kids in the bedroom so when we get up, I can easily grab what they need and get them dressed. I try to set out a couple of outfits for myself as well, and make a quick choice in the morning. I’ve also instituted a rule that all shoes have to be put away into our bins (in a cube bookcase) by the door so I can easily find them as we head out in the morning. Sometimes, if I am feeling really motivated and not too tired, I will prepare doggy meals for a couple of days so all I have to do is dump the food into bowls and call it good. This has helped tremendously and cut down my time in the morning by a lot.

6) I keep a running list of things that need to be done around the house and I try to take care of one or two per week. This has been incredibly helpful and has allowed us to keep our weekends free instead of doing a bunch of house projects. I use a clipboard app on my phone to jot it down quickly, then peek at it later on.

7) I clean every night. I do the basics, the living room and kitchen I tidy every night. Every other night I run the dishwasher, then empty the next day when I get home from work. This helps keep the dishes from stacking up. I do 1-2 loads of laundry every night, and I vacuum every third night, unless there was some sort of mess that day. I also follow a simple cleaning schedule that has one additional task every night. This includes cleaning a bathroom, vacuuming the stairs, washing the kitchen floors, dusting, and a few other tasks. This has been so helpful in saving time because I am spreading it out rather than doing all the tasks on a weekend and being exhausted.

8) I schedule almost everything. Literally. I am a list maker and I am calendar obsessed. I have a little nook in my house where I have LeLe’s school schedule, my schedule, Mr. Cereal’s schedule, and the babysitting schedule. I also have a calendar that has our weekly menu on it. This is all tacked up to a chalk board wall so if I have something I want to remember, I write it on the wall. Sometimes I look at the schedules and calendar and I want to cry, but mostly it just keeps me sane.

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What are some of the things you do to save time? I’d love to hear more suggestions so I can use them in my life!