In a perfect world, we would all earn an income on our own terms, spend time with family when we want, and be able to take some “me” time whenever we desire. But with many mums working stringent 9 to 5 jobs and spending evenings preparing meals and taxiing their kids to and fro, it may seem as if there is little time for anything other than work-work-work.
What’s even more confusing about the term is that this “work/life” balance doesn’t look the same for everyone. What we can tell you, however, is that the life hacks below will help you reclaim your time however you see fit so that you can experience the joy and freedom you deserve.
Life hack #1: Embrace the word “NO”
Many of us instinctively want to please people. We want to help, and we want to encourage our children to flourish, have friends and partake in as many activities as our time and wallets can allow.
Unfortunately, this kind of mindset can make us downright miserable.
Honour your limits. If you don’t want to volunteer at the children’s school, say “no”. If you don’t want to sign your child up for another music class or sport, say “no”. If you want to crash in bed but your mind’s telling you to fold yet another mountain of laundry – you guessed it – give that a solid “no”.
Life hack #2: Put your kids to work
Why should you have all the fun washing dishes and vacuuming the floors? Get the kids in on the action to both save yourself time and to teach them the importance of responsibility.
The chores have to be do-able and age-appropriate, of course. But you’d be surprised how well a preschooler can pick up his or her room, feed the dog, and grab ingredients for dinner from the cupboards and refrigerator.
Life hack #3: Maintain an updated family calendar
Keep everyone’s life organised and easily visible with a family calendar. Some may prefer a large physical calendar or a whiteboard in the kitchen, while other tech-friendly fams will appreciate online calendars like Google Calendar and Outlook 360.
Having a calendar ensures that everyone gets to where they need to go on time. It also makes it far easier for you as a family to delegate tasks and determine what tasks each person is going to take on (i.e., will you be doing the Saturday drive to your child’s football practice or will your partner? Whose turn is it to take out the garbage this week?).
Life hack #4: Meal prep is everything
The last thing you want to be concerned about before heading to work in the morning is your child’s breakfast and lunch. Whenever possible, get everything all ready to go the night before, and encourage your kids to take part in the process.
If you don’t already have a slow or instant cooker in your home, it may be worth the investment. You can prepare the ingredients for each meal of the week in advance in as little as half an hour. Before you head off to work, just toss the ingredients in the cooker, and you’ll come home hours later to a piping hot, delicious meal.
Life hack #5: Stop going to the market
Is there anything a parent dreads more than heading into a busy supermarket with their squabbling children?
A growing number of grocery stores are now offering online shopping where you can pick out everything you need conveniently from your computer or mobile device. Several of these markets will offer to deliver the items to your home for a nominal fee, and more will bring them right to your car for free when you pull up.
Life hack #6: Buy gifts in multiples
Kids attend a lot of birthday parties. This can get expensive and time-consuming, especially since the cost of toys today is exponentially higher than just a decade ago.
Free up your time (and spare your wallet) by buying multiple gifts at the same time when they’re on sale. Ask your kids what toys children their age are interested in and grab at least two off the shelf next time you’re at the store. Lego sets, classic board games, beloved movies and moulding clay are all solid choices with a long shelf life for kids.
If you’re in that sweet spot in life where many friends and family members are expecting children and throwing baby showers (or the lesser-known but increasingly popular “baby sprinkle”), you can treat the soon-to-be mums with breastfeeding clothes from Peachymama!
Choose from one of our latest fashions, indulge her with our popular discount nursing clothes bundles, or present her with one of our gift cards so she can choose what she wants and needs from the convenience and comfort of her own home.
Photo by Dakota Corbin on Unsplash
Further Reading:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4886908/Minimalist-mum-shares-decluttered-life.html