Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.  ~ William Penn

As moms, especially working moms, we spend a lot of time and energy making things happen in a limited amount of time. Today we’re talking about personal time management tips to help you at home. Whether you’re an employee, an entrepreneur, or you have stepped away from your career, these time management tips can help you be more productive at home.

Two words – slow cooker

I didn’t even know what a slow cooker was before getting married. My husband owned one, but it never occurred to us to use it before kids (BK). One day, not long after our first son was born, my husband got it out and made something yummy. Since then, and especially after having our younger son, we embraced the slow cooker. I have a few favorite chicken recipes that our kids love. Check them out on this Mompowerment post about 11 easy meals. (We bought an Instapot over the holiday and are using it at least once a week as well.)

Two more words: make extra

We usually make enough food for two nights because cooking every night takes up a lot of time.  We’re not so excited about eating the same thing three nights in a row, though, so we usually don’t. We might make enough for 3 nights, though, and freeze the third portion. That way I have an easy single portion of food to thaw out and heat up when things are busy and we don’t have time to make dinner from scratch. 

Not interested in eating the exact same thing two nights in a row? I feel ya! Make the same entrée (e.g., grilled chicken breast) and change up the sides a bit (e.g., potatoes and asparagus one night and rice and peas the next). It saves a lot of time since sides often take less time or at least less active cooking time. And, you can season the chicken a few different ways, so it’s like totally different meals each day.

Have a similar formula for each meal (e.g., protein + two veggies). It makes the decision on what to make easier. And it makes batching when you cook a whole lot easier. 

I’ll also add that we often freeze stuff for breakfast too. I often make muffins or yummy banana bread in double batches and freeze almost all of it. My husband makes homemade cheese biscuits that freeze well. We sometimes add spinach to make them a touch healthier. If we need a quick breakfast, we’ve got yummy goodness ready to go. We can even thaw things out overnight in the fridge.

Grocery services

I generally enjoy the grocery store, but I know that many moms dread the weekly grocery store visit. Even though I love my time in the grocery store, I still sometimes use Instacart or have my grocery store do the shopping for me and I simply drive up and pick up. There are services that deliver a box to your house with the recipes already portioned out. We’ve tried those a few times and they can be helpful. Even Amazon prime’s mobile app can deliver things in two hours or less if you forgot to grab something.

Figure out what works for you and what will really save you time. And what will work for your family and know that things may change over time. Be flexible with what services you use, but be open to using them to save time. 

Special toys when you need to work

This was incredibly important while the boys were young. At times I needed to be flexible and found myself doing interview for one of the Mompowerment books or getting interviewed for a podcast. I might have even had to schedule a strategy call with a client that needed to be scheduled after the boys were home from school. Whatever the reason, I found myself with a toddler (or a baby and a toddler) and I needed to get stuff done that couldn’t be moved.

I always had a few games or toys that I would bring out only when I need to get things done.  It kept the kids entertained since our boys would rarely play with them. And I made sure they didn’t require major help from mom.  

One other tip is to make sure they’re not too loud if you’re going to be nearby. For example, toys like Duplo blocks are great, but hammering toys are not. We had books on CDs that would chime to tell the boys when to turn the page. There was a great set of blocks that our boys loved.

A place for everything and everything in its place

Put things in their specific place, especially if it only takes a few minutes or less to accomplish. This is great advice from The Happiness Project by Gretchin Rubin, one of my favorite books. So much time can be wasted looking for stuff, especially when you have kids. If you put it in its place to begin with, you know exactly where it will be always. Imagine not having to look for shoes for 10 minutes each morning. That adds up to more than an extra week of time each year. Think of what you could do with that time.

Choose clothes the night before

Have kids choose clothing the night before. This was advice from a few moms I interviewed who have older kids. As our boys started developing more of an opinion on what they wear, it became harder to get them ready in the morning. Now they decide the night before with the occasional input from mom (e.g., no shorts in 40-degree weather, picture day outfits, etc.). Our morning routine goes more smoothly, which generally keeps us all happy.

And I choose my clothing the night before too, especially if I have a meeting, training, or video call. That way I know what I’m wearing and don’t have to stress about this side of things. 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I expressed frustration to one of our son’s teachers when he was in preschool when he forgot his lunch box twice in one week and we were in a hurry so I didn’t check (Whoops!). That meant that I had to grab a lunch box and head back to school, which would take even more time. Argh! The teacher suggested moving forward that I tell him that he needed to remember 5 things to go to school (e.g., water bottle, backpack, lunch box, etc.). We tried the suggestion and it worked really well. It helped him be more independent and accountable, which he loved. This might be a great trick to help your kids remember everything for school or an activity. 

Do you have any time saving tips?  Please share in the comments.  If every mom would share a tip, we’d all have new tips help us with our time management.

If these tips are helping you, check out The Mompowerment Guide to Work-life Balance (affiliate link). It’s full of personal (and professional) practical tips to help you create more of the balance you crave. And part of balance is things like time management and productivity.