With the holidays coming, the days are going to get even more hectic. Here are my top 10 quick tips that have been lifesavers for me that might help other moms, or anyone with a busy schedule, to wrangle the crazy and preserve a bit of sanity :)
--1-- Calendar
I live and die by my calendar. It's color coded (everyone in our family has their own color), it has everything about everything, and it keeps me accountable so that I don't forget anything. I personally like to use an online calendar, so that it's easily updated and shared with my husband. To me, our calendar is a thing of beauty!
--2-- Daily To Do List
To do lists motivate me. The act of checking something off of my list encourages me to get through everything, even the things that I really dislike doing (like unloading the dishwasher!). I also write down what was planned for dinner that evening so that I remember to get it started in time. I buy small notebooks so that I can easily keep them in my purse to carry them around and jot things down in.
To do lists, random thoughts that I jot down, and an excuse to use some washi tape!
It's also easy to attach a clip and pen to, so that you're always prepared!
--3-- Command Center
Clutter is not my friend and, while I'm not the biggest fan of things on the side of the fridge, I've found where a command center is really helpful to look at throughout the week. I keep a calendar to keep track of everything, a corkboard for reminders, and a dry erase for meal planning and big events throughout the week.
--4-- Car Cleanliness
Crumbs happen - with a kiddo in tow, they are unavoidable. Trash piling up in your car can be prevented. A car trash can made from a cereal container and grocery bag has helped to keep the car so much cleaner! Bonus that my kid loves putting trash in, so I never have to ask him to clean up after himself. I also keep a roll of paper towels inside the tote in the car in case there is a monumental mess, along with an umbrella.
--5-- Next Day Set-Up
Okay, a three-part tip here. I'm not sure if I'm the only one that crawls through the morning in a fog until the caffeine kicks in, but it's not my finest time of day. I'm sluggish, I forget things, and I'm more apt to be late. Prepping for the next day the night before helps to save me time!
Cleaning: A clean house is a happy house. Before bed each night I make sure that all of the dishes are taken care of, the counters are wiped down, the main living areas de-cluttered, the bathroom counters and toilet are wiped down (because, boys), and that everything is ready for the next day. This helps to get the next day started a little easier and also helps to motivate through the next day.
Breakfast Prep: Somehow using a minute setting up breakfast at night seems to save me ten minutes in the morning. Getting out the cereal container, a bowl, and spoon, setting up the coffee cups, and laying everything out is such a morning time saver!
Outfit Prep: Okay, so not so much of a "hack" - but it really does save time and streamlines the morning. Picking out clothes the night before, especially if your kiddo helps to pick them, means less arguments about not wanting to wear what's out and insisting on the outfit that's in the laundry.
--6-- Emails
I have his habit of lying awake in bed at night and thinking of all the things that I need to do the next day and that I might forget. Show and share, taking a specific document into the office, paying a bill, etc. I used to let this interrupt, disrupt, and prevent sweet sleep but I've found that emailing myself a reminder to see first thing in the morning helps to calm the anxiety beast. It may sound silly, but it's been so effective!
--7-- Note App
Okay, so bordering on neurotic, I also use an app on my phone to jot down any other notes that I need to remember - primarily grocery lists. Can you tell that I am forgetful? :)
--8-- Meal Planning
Alluded to before in this list, meal planning is another trick to making your week go smoothly, plus it saves me the agony of "what's for dinner?" every night. Every Saturday I clip the coupons, take a look a the current store sales, and my husband and I talk through a meal plan for the week. I don't spend a lot of time looking up deals and clipping coupons (maybe 30 minutes a week), but it definitely saves us quite a bit in groceries! Plus, if you stock up on items that you need for frequently used recipes, then you buy only what you need and can cash in on the sales.
--9-- Pick-up Basket
We all tend to have a lot of "stuff", even if your home isn't cluttered and is pretty organized. Things that we use regularly tend to migrate downstairs with us. I used to spend my evenings up and down the stairs, putting things away. Then there was a life-changing moment when I discovered the pick up basket! Enter a pretty container ....
This blue and white basket/bin lives on our fireplace and its sole purpose in life is to collect the items that need to go upstairs. A toy that needs to go to my son's room? In the basket. A craft supply that needs to go up to my office? In the basket. This way I only need to make one trip to take all of this up at the end of the night and put the items back in their respective homes. Genius!
--10-- Day-to-Day Paper Organization
Paper clutter can be overwhelming, especially the day-to-day paper that comes into your home. I don't like keeping a lot of things on my kitchen counter, but I absolutely love having this paper sorting system in place. I use files for action required, reference, and coupons. When the mail or papers from school, or anything else comes in, it gets sorted immediately and put away. This file organizer isn't too big, either which really limits how much paper you can fit, so it effectively makes sure that you take care of anything that's time sensitive or put away in long-term paper storage.
Well those are my favorite tips for things that work for me and our house to have things run a little more smoothly and have some systems in place to make sure that nothing runs off the rails.
--9-- Pick-up Basket
We all tend to have a lot of "stuff", even if your home isn't cluttered and is pretty organized. Things that we use regularly tend to migrate downstairs with us. I used to spend my evenings up and down the stairs, putting things away. Then there was a life-changing moment when I discovered the pick up basket! Enter a pretty container ....
This blue and white basket/bin lives on our fireplace and its sole purpose in life is to collect the items that need to go upstairs. A toy that needs to go to my son's room? In the basket. A craft supply that needs to go up to my office? In the basket. This way I only need to make one trip to take all of this up at the end of the night and put the items back in their respective homes. Genius!
--10-- Day-to-Day Paper Organization
Paper clutter can be overwhelming, especially the day-to-day paper that comes into your home. I don't like keeping a lot of things on my kitchen counter, but I absolutely love having this paper sorting system in place. I use files for action required, reference, and coupons. When the mail or papers from school, or anything else comes in, it gets sorted immediately and put away. This file organizer isn't too big, either which really limits how much paper you can fit, so it effectively makes sure that you take care of anything that's time sensitive or put away in long-term paper storage.
Well those are my favorite tips for things that work for me and our house to have things run a little more smoothly and have some systems in place to make sure that nothing runs off the rails.
