10 of my Top Time Saving Tips for Working Moms
As a working mom, it’s easy to understand how little free time we have. That being said, we don’t want to spend all the free time we do have cleaning and prepping and doing household things. We would like to enjoy our time off with our family. Or watching a trashy Netflix show. That’s just the truth.
Over the last two years I’ve had a lot of realization about how to do things a bit quicker to give me some extra time here and there. I’ve compiled a list of time saving tips for working moms and I’d love to share it with you.
1. Wake up Earlier
I know, I know. This sounds horrid. But even giving yourself an extra 30 minutes in the morning makes a huge difference in what you can get done. Instead of dragging in the evening after you’ve worked all day and have taken care of the family, you’re not as productive as you could be with 30 minutes extra in the morning, before everyone wakes up.
Seriously, my life has changed dramatically since I started waking up early. I’m honestly happier and I get so much done.
2. Establish a Good Morning Routine
As a working mom, myself, I understand the chaos that mornings can bring. That is why I like to get up early and get what I can taken care of before my family is up. I have lunches together and have bags packed before it’s time for them to even get up. It is all a part of my morning routine.
A morning routine is vital to keeping everything in order for your household before school and work. A morning routine will help to make those mornings run smoothly because everyone knows exactly what they’re to do and when.
If you have kids that are difficult in the morning or have young kids that you physically have to get dressed, waking up a bit earlier should be a a part of that routine, for sure, so you can have the important stuff out of the way and can focus on getting them dressed without losing your mind. Make them a part of your morning routine.
3. Establish a Good Cleaning Routine
This is absolutely essential. A good cleaning routine leaves no room for surprises or cleaning tasks that will take you hours to do. I spend 15 minutes every morning and 15 minutes every evening doing basic chores and my house stays clean.
Keeping a kitchen clean is important because that’s where most of the morning chaos occurs, right? Lunches, breakfast, packing bags… it has to be clean to function properly.
I don’t spend hours on the weekends catching up from the week. Honestly, if anything, I get behind on the weekends because my routine is off and I find other things to do. It’s incredible the amount of extra time I have now that I’ve got a good cleaning routine.
Want a Freebie? Use my free morning and evening cleaning routine printable as a guide to get you started on your journey to a more peaceful home.
Want one you can fill in yourself? Here you go.
4. Do the Dishes and Laundry Every Day
I know thinking of doing the dishes and laundry every day is the exact opposite of time saving tips, for working moms especially, but this is probably the thing that made the biggest impact on giving me hours of extra time during the week.
Set a time and see just how long it actually takes you to pick up one day’s worth of clothes for your family and one day’s worth of dishes. It takes minutes.
I was absolutely mind blown at how quickly I can pick up a load of laundry in the morning.
I put the laundry to wash at night and in the morning when I get up I switch it over to the dryer. The clothes dry in about 15 minutes and then I spend the next five minutes or so folding and picking it up. That’s it and the laundry never gets behind.
By doing the dishes I no longer have to search for the right pot or utensil to cook dinner. It’s always clean. I also don’t stress over a dirty kitchen every day because honestly, a clean sink=a clean kitchen, right?
5. Pack Lunches for Multiple Days
This saves me a bunch of time. Instead of having to make lunches every single day, I make them for a few days at a time. I’ve got three bento boxes that I sent with Ember to school. I will pack all three at once. So I only have to pack lunches twice a week.
I’m not that Pinterest mom who does emoji cut vegetables with homemade hummus, though. Ember gets practical quick lunches that she, honestly, enjoys more. I am not into wasting food because expensive. So, I send things she’s actually going to eat.
We do peanut butter and jelly roll ups, pizza pita breads (lunchable style), Turkey and cheese roll ups, crackers with turkey and cheese (lunchable style), Chick’n nuggets, etc. While I’ve got the ingredients out I just throw two extra together. It takes me an extra minute to do but saves me about ten minutes every night. It’s incredible.
For the adults, I do the same thing. We usually eat leftovers, though, so I’ll put three bowls of leftovers together when I’m cleaning up after dinner. Lunch solved.
6. Batch Cook Breakfast
What I mean by this is make breakfast for the week at one time. I don’t have time to make breakfast every day. My mom was a stay at home mom so she always provided hot breakfast every morning for my dad and me. I don’t have that kind of time.
Instead, I’ll batch it up. We’ll do yogurts, yogurt bars, fruit, anything that I can buy and we can grab and go for the week. Sometimes I’ll make a huge batch of scrambled eggs and divide them into containers to grab out of the fridge.
I’ll boil a bunch of eggs that we can take and go. I’ve made breakfast burritos in bulk, (this is quick to do if you make it for dinner the night before). I’ll make chia pudding , sometimes, which is super easy to do.
This is a huge time saving tip.
7. Meal Plan
Meal planning is such a big pain, huh? I don’t know why I dread sitting down to figure out a weeks worth of meals, but ever since I’ve started, I have drastically improved the dinner process.
If I make a meal with pasta, I’ll plan two that week with pasta and make it all on the first pasta night. You can do this with your meats and rice, too.
8. Family Grocery List
I don’t bother creating a written grocery list to keep on the fridge because when I’m ready to order my groceries, I usually don’t have that list in front of me. Instead, I add things to my Walmart pick up cart as I need them.
You and your spouse can share that account. This way everyone has access to it and things don’t get forgotten.
Doing this also keeps me from buying random things that I don’t need and ultimately saves me a load of money.
9. Have a Good Paper Sorting System
This is a huge time saving tip, By having a paper sorting system in place, by the time its time to pay bills and deal with important papers you don’t have to go searching for them. They will all by right there.
Create that system and place it where you usually throw your mail. You want the system to be vertical and sorted into broad categories- you can go and file them further, later, when you have time. But for quick pick up, use those big categories, like “Action” for important papers and mail. “Short term” for bills and statements. “Long term” for contracts and taxes. “Memory bin” for your kids artwork and photos and a “Reference bin” for coupons and misc. things. Thank you, Clutterbug, for this wonderful paper sorting system.
I do it a bit different because I don’t usually have a ton of paper clutter. I have a place to throw bills that I see easily. I keep my envelopes, a check book and stamps there so that I can just pull it all out at once and get them paid. This makes it super easy and quick to get checks written and bills paid.
The Memory bin is essential for Ember’s art work and I pin important papers to our family “command center”. Which is located on the side of our fridge. All of my papers have a place to go and I know where to look when I need it.
10. Declutter and Organize
I can’t express how much decluttering and organizing my home has changed my life. It seriously has made such a huge impact on my whole family. I am able to manage our home very easily and with little effort, now.
Ember is able to manage her room. She knows where her things go and she can pick up very quickly.
Decluttering keeps the mess away. Why? Because clutter attracts clutter. When that clutter is removed and the spot is empty, you are less likely to pile it with things. You also won’t have an over abundance of stuff. The things you do use will have a place and be easy to access and pick up.
My Top 10 Time Saving Tips for Working Moms
I hope that something I’ve mentioned here helps you out. These tips save me hours of time. I never thought I’d ever have free time being a working mom and caring for all of the things I care for. But I do and it is wonderful.
Everyone should feel this way. Give them a shot.